Training and Training Standards

The surge of interest in psychological therapies in GP settings makes this book timely and important for the development of this field in the 21st century. As well as the suggested syllabus for training counsellors and psychotherapists (agreed by the Counselling and Psychotherapy Forum for Primary Care), the book deals with much wider issues.

Chapters deal with practitioner issues—both student and professional—management issues, and the provision of supervision and mentoring for the new counsellor as well as planning Continuous Professional Development. Chapters dealing with the history of the remarkable rise in these services help set the context of the rapid development of primary care counselling. The term 'primary care counselling' denotes the context of primary care within which psychological therapies take place and encompasses practitioners from a wide variety of therapeutic traditions.

The emphasis throughout is on thoroughgoing preparation of the new counsellor/therapist to meet the proper counselling standards required in primary care practice. It will be of value to students, course providers, counselling practice managers, supervisors, as well as those who commission services and general practice doctors.

Training and Training Standards by Douglas Hooper and Philippa Weitz is an essential resource that addresses these critical aspects and contributes significantly to the field.