Online CPD courses from the American Psychological Association worth exploring

The American Psychological Association has put a wide range of CPD courses online at reasonable rates. They cover many aspects of psychology and psychotherapy, including supervision. Prices I saw ranged from $20 to $120. You can do online courses, buy recordings of workshops or do mini-courses based on tests in the APA Monitor on Psychology which is free online and well worth checking out.  They give credits rather than specifying a number of hours but I would imagine that a reasonable statement of hours would be accepted by accrediting bodies such as the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

I'm planning to try out a little course they have on complicated grief at $20 to see how their system works. But I have a book to finish writing by the end of November so must defer until then. I will write more about this when I've checked it out. Meanwhile, if you're up against a CPD deadline you could do a lot worse than explore what they have to offer.

Link to this resource

10 opening questions therapists ask

The always useful PsychCentral blog has an article by US-based therapists Dennis O'Grady listing 10 introductory questions therapists ask. Here are the short versions (for the longer versions use the link below):

1. What brings you here?
2. Have you ever seen a counsellor before?
3. What is the problem from your viewpoint?
4. How does this problem typically make you feel?
5. What makes the problem better?
6. If you could wave a magic wand, what changes would you make happen in your life?
7. Overall, how would you describe your mood?
9. What would it take to make you feel more content, happier and more satisfied?
10. Do you consider yourself to have a low, average or high interpersonal IQ?

Link to this resource

Strike when the iron is cold - Irvin Yalom's advice to counsellors

Strike when the iron is cold - give feedback to clients about a behaviour when they are behaving differently.

That's one of fifty pieces of advice for counsellors from Irvin Yalom, compiled by Renee Baker for her blog.

Another: Use your own feelings as precious and valuable information.  If a client bores you for example, then they may likely bore others as well.  Use that.  Say to the client, “I notice I have been feeling disconnected from you, somewhat distanced…is your feeling similar?…let’s try and understand what is happening.”

I think supervisors will find the list of great help in working with supervisees (especially students and beginners) and, indeed, in their own counselling work.

Link to this resource.

David J Powell: Six steps to ethical decision-making in counselling

1. Identify the ethical issues and conflicting values and duties.
2. Identify the multiple stakeholders affected (clients, coworkers, the agency, the community, the profession). 
3. Identify possible actions, participants and alternatives.
4. Examine the reasons for and against each action, including the macro-ethical principles, micro-ethical codes of practice, legal principles, standards of practice and care, your personal values, and agency policies and procedures.
5. Consult with supervisors and colleagues about what options are preferred.
6. Make a decision, document the actions (if it is not in writing, it didn’t happen), and monitor and evaluate the results of the decision.

These steps are from David J Powell's article, Ethics in Counseling: A Complex Issue in the US magazine, Counselor. Well worth reading.

Ethics In Counseling: A Complex Issue

 

 

Identify the ethical issues and conflicting values and duties.  

Identify the multiple stakeholders affected (clients, coworkers, the agency, the community, the profession).   

Identify possible actions, participants and alternatives.  

Examine the reasons for and against each action, including the macro-ethical principles, micro-ethical codes of practice, legal principles, standards of practice and care, your personal values, and agency policies and procedures.  

Consult with supervisors and colleagues about what options are preferred.  

Make a decision, document the actions (if it is not in writing, it didn’t happen), and monitor and evaluate the results of the decision.  

- See more at: http://www.counselormagazine.com/2012/Jul-Aug/Ethics_In_Counseling/#sthash.Pnttzmib.dpufIdentify the ethical issues and conflicting values and duties.
Identify the multiple stakeholders affected (clients, coworkers, the agency, the community, the profession). 
Identify possible actions, participants and alternatives.
Examine the reasons for and against each action, including the macro-ethical principles, micro-ethical codes of practice, legal principles, standards of practice and care, your personal values, and agency policies and procedures.
Consult with supervisors and colleagues about what options are preferred.
Make a decision, document the actions (if it is not in writing, it didn’t happen), and monitor and evaluate the results of the decision.
- See more at: http://www.counselormagazine.com/2012/Jul-Aug/Ethics_In_Counseling/#sthash.Pnttzmib.dpu

Identify the ethical issues and conflicting values and duties.  

Identify the multiple stakeholders affected (clients, coworkers, the agency, the community, the profession).   

Identify possible actions, participants and alternatives.  

Examine the reasons for and against each action, including the macro-ethical principles, micro-ethical codes of practice, legal principles, standards of practice and care, your personal values, and agency policies and procedures.  

Consult with supervisors and colleagues about what options are preferred.  

Make a decision, document the actions (if it is not in writing, it didn’t happen), and monitor and evaluate the results of the decision.  

- See more at: http://www.counselormagazine.com/2012/Jul-Aug/Ethics_In_Counseling/#sthash.Pnttzmib.dpuf