A question for counsellors/therapists or for student counsellors/therapists

[Worried2222]

Just wondering if there are any counsellors / therapists around who can advise.

I have just completed the two year taught element of a Level 4 Counselling Diploma and I still need to do my 100 hour placement.

I have passed the taught element of the course, but have just found out that I have failed the recorded assessment and will need to re-sit it.

The assessment consists of a half an hour session as counsellor. The season is recorded and observed and the recording sent to an external assessor.

My problem is that I now feel very discouraged and am calling everything into question. If after two years I can fail the assessment in this way, is there any hope for my ability to be a counsellor generally?

And if I need to throw the towel in - how will I ever get over the money and time invested in the two years so far?

So I guess I am asking if you have known people to bounce back from things like this, adequately hone their skills further and go on to become competent therapists?

Yes I agree @roselune that I am at the very beginning.

Another problem now is that though I had been signed off for placement, this recent failure makes me question my ability to start that as well 😞.

And to answer other general points - the course is NCS accredited and I am in the process of joining the BACP and NCS as a student member.

In general the aim would be to work towards accreditation with the BACP as I know it’s more rigorous than the NCS in its requirements.

Yes and I agree that I need to talk to my tutor - I got the feedback just before Xmas and have been emailed him but I assume that he will be in touch in the new year.

It’s good to hear some people say that counselling is about learned skill as well as ability.

have emailed him

It is so brutal that your assessment is done in this way. Did you have tutors in the room as well? Do they add to the feedback? I can see why this would hurt but take the bits you need and leave the rest. Perhaps work on your own blocks to any subconscious material that you may have been avoiding? None of this stuff is easy tho OP so give yourself a break.

Your placement is the start of your practice - being signed off basically means that you’re competent enough to start learning and won’t do something harmful in your practice, it doesn’t mean you need to get everything right.

Many of the things you mention in your feedback will develop in placement, eg no you won’t build trust in 30 mins but you will learn to develop a rapport quickly that allows you to get underneath the surface more easily. You’ll get a sense of when to unpick “I don’t want to talk about x” and when to accept it’s not time yet. You’ll learn how to show empathy and care when you feel moved by your clients experience etc etc.

I think you’re expecting too much of yourself at a very early stage in your training - it’s expected you’ll have a lot to learn. Are you planning on studying beyond Level 4?

There was another student observer in the room @coffeeisthebest.

The irony is that after the session both my “client” and the observer told me I had done well.

The observer wrote feedback - the negative element was that I had asked too many questions (true) and that at the beginning I had forgotten to say that our session was 30 minutes long (also true). Otherwise I think her feedback was fairly positive.

@Jellycatspyjamas - for now my focus is on getting a placement and doing the 100 hours - if I am being honest - to see if this is something I am capable of doing and want to do long term.

If so then yes I would definitely want to go beyond Level 4 and also specialise maybe.

Thank you for this @Jellycatspyjamas - when you said:

Your placement is the start of your practice - being signed off basically means that you’re competent enough to start learning and won’t do something harmful in your practice, it doesn’t mean you need to get everything right.

The notion of being “let loose” with real clients is frightening. I understand the concept of not doing harm, but I think I would have massive imposter syndrome - and feel sorry that the clients had got me as their counsellor. If I am only learning, of what benefit can I be to them?

But I understand the general point and it is helpful thank you.

If I am only learning, of what benefit can I be to them?

You’re not only learning. You’re offering a calm, measured, empathic presence, you have developing skills and knowledge about therapeutic process, you at the very least give them your undivided attention for the time they are with you, you can help them to hear themselves more clearly. You aren’t there to fix things for others, and while there’s much more to therapy than merely listening, that can be a powerful start.

The irony is that after the session both my “client” and the observer told me I had done well.

Its not at all unusual for the tutor feedback to differ from the feedback from fellow students. It can be very difficult to tell someone they didn’t do so well, sometimes the students themselves don’t recognise areas for development (because they are also learning) and sometimes they can be scared of hurting your feelings. The main thing is for you to take all of the feedback and map it through the recorded session and decide for yourself what needs development.

It’s sometimes also useful for you to write your own feedback, ie critically evaluate your own skills and compare to the other feedback given.

Thanks @Jellycatspyjamas - I am going to go through my feedback with a fine tooth comb - I think a lot of it is really useful and wish the course providers had made us go through “mocks”.

The next worrying thing is that there seems to be only one opportunity to re-sit - I am going to confirm this with the college.

You've had a lot of good advice about the assessment and feedback already so I won't focus on that. I think your fears about starting your placement have become cemented by what seems like a lack of support/encouragement from your course.

I was not allowed to progress to year 2 unless I had started seeing clients (once signed off at competent), it was scary as hell but a requirement. I think you have been let down by your course because now it is even harder for you to start as your confidence has been knocked so much by failing the assessment. But not having started your hours will have probably contributed to you failing the assessment.

Regarding your worries about being 'let loose' on real clients... Good agencies/supervisors working with trainees understand that trainees are inexperienced, it is part of their role to support you during your learning so that you can build your confidence and learn how to apply the skills/theory you've learned to real client work. Perhaps more personal development work and therapy would also help build your confidence and self belief.