mercysurvivors » Counselling

Update: Mercy Ministries counsellors

mercysurvivors — Fri, 02 May 2008 01:03:50 +0000

In an earlier post, we reported on how one of our researchers was checking the Mercy Ministries counsellors names with professional counselling associations.

Professional Associations contacted: -

Still only 1 out of 6 has a registration with a professional body.

Here is an excerpt from the PACFA website explaining why registration is important: -

1. Establishing recognised standards of training

In a social environment in which credentials and qualifications are becoming increasingly important, the question as to what constitutes an acceptable basic “professional” level of training in psychotherapy and counselling is one that is frequently asked. Those who claim to be “trained”, “qualified” or “accredited” undertake programs that vary from a few weekend workshops and/or a limited amount of reading through to those who have five or more years of tertiary study in related areas followed by several years of intensive and supervised training through a professional psychotherapy association.

2. Developing professional accountability and public protection

The contemporary social ethos makes issues of accountability and public protection in clinical services particularly important. People become more vulnerable to influence, abuse and exploitation when trusting a professional. It is therefore essential that agreed values and appropriate procedures be established to ensure that professionals are accountable for their conduct and treatment outcomes, and that those using their services have clear guidelines as to training, competency and ethical practice. This, in turn, means that the professional bodies must ensure that their members practice according to a code of ethics and that mechanisms for receiving and acting on complaints exist.

Questions to ask your potential counsellors

mercysurvivors — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:19:38 +0000

Here are some questions to ask a potential counsellor: -

Do you abide by a code of conduct that outlines client rights? Can I have a copy?
Do you have professional indemnity and public liability insurance?
Are you a financial member of an accredited professional body?
Do you receive regular professional supervision and guidance?
Are your qualifications from an accredited program?
Have you completed your training as a counsellor?

If they answer no to any of the above or are evasive in their answers, consider terminating the meeting as quickly as possible.

Some other pertinent questions are: -

What are your hourly rates, and what are the costs involved?
What is the standard length of a counselling session?
What happens if the session goes over time?
What are my rights of recourse?
Do you take notes? If so, how are they recorded and stored? Can I read them? If not, why?
Do you use client/counsellor contracts to outline my rights and responsibilities?

Mercy Ministries and professional counselling

mercysurvivors — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:05:26 +0000

One mark of professionalism is to employ professionals with degrees or qualifications from reputable univeristies. Another is to have these qualified people enrol as members of professional peak bodies such as the Australian Counselling Association.

One of our researchers has taken the time to check the names of six counsellors, past and present, employed by Mercy Ministries, against those registered with the ACA. Only one of the names checked was currently registered. This counsellor, whilsy registered now, started as a counsellor and was treating girls in 2003, but was not registered until 2004.

Surely it’s not that hard to get these people registered and present them as qualified professionals?