‘All that stuff I told them’
Ethical considerations for counselling and
psychology students required to divulge
personal information during training
Kate Smith
Division of Nursing and Counselling
abertay.ac.uk
Background
• Counselling skills training
• Integration of skills training in to undergraduate
programmes
• E.g. BSc Psychology and Counselling, BSc Mental
health nursing, BSc Social work
abertay.ac.uk
What’s the problem?
• Changing provision and demographics in
counselling skills training
– Younger?
– Peer group
– Non-vocational
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Impact on students
• Unique learning environment
– Experiential learning
– Reflective practice
– Personal disclosure
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Triads
Depression
Phobias
Relationships
Stress
client
Anxiety
Study
Work
Childhood
counsellor
observer(s)
abertay.ac.uk
This study….
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Grounded theory
12 participants (2 males, 10 females)
BSc Psychology and Counselling year 2
Aged 19-26
Single cohort
Two modules of counselling completed
abertay.ac.uk
Data collection
• Semi-structured interviews
• 40-55 minutes
• Questions around
– preparation for triads
– early training experiences
– change over time, and reflections
abertay.ac.uk
Data analysis
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Transcription
Initial coding and emergence of themes
Clustered, and returned to the primary data
Verified by consensus
abertay.ac.uk
Main themes
Relationships
inside/outside
class
Impact of
saying too
much
Consequences
of breaches of
trust
Premature
intimacy
Group
dynamics
Impact on
learning
abertay.ac.uk
Relationships inside/outside class
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Managing the boundaries
Who I am and how I seem
Emotions
Communication
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Impact of saying too much
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Vulnerability
Self-policing for self
Self-policing for others
Hearing things that are difficult
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Consequences of breaches of trust
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Concerns and worries
Where breaches may occur
Tutor knowledge
Maintaining trust
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Premature intimacy
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We are different
Closeness and intimacy
‘real’ friends or peers?
How we interact, re-establishing the rules
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Group dynamics
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Investment
Addressing within-group problems
Group identity
Formation of group rules
Polarisation
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Impact on learning
• Stress and anxiety, particularly at start
• Withdrawing, sticking with friends, not doing
practice
• Practice vs theory focus – ‘why are we doing this?’
• Positivity about the learning environment
‘this is the best course, better than I imagined’
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Overview
• Developing a group understanding of
boundaries and care
• Hard going (but worth it)
• Understanding the learning context (or not)
• Understanding the risks involved (or not)
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What can we do about it as tutors
• Nurture group identity
• Emphasise the positives while warning about
the negatives
• Tutors must be emotionally available,
accessible and aware – safety!
• Link theory to practice – validate!
abertay.ac.uk
Responsibility of organizations
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Gatekeeping course entry, clear information
Providing student support (critical incidents?)
Primary tutor (early attachment)
Attendance
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Responsibility of students
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Awareness of, and respect for, boundaries
Knowing the what, where and who of disclosure
What to do with ‘worry’
Engaging in the course, communicating with peers
abertay.ac.uk
Future directions
• Action research study planned to examine
experiences of students undergoing similar
training (Mental health nurses, and Postgraduate counselling/counselling skills)
• Development of a ‘best practice’ model for
teaching counselling for undergraduates
abertay.ac.uk