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UpdateJuly 2015 No. 51

It’s hard to believe that we are at the end of another academic year. We hope it’s been a good one for you.

Here at CPCAB some aspects of our work, such as the regulation of counsellors, are more stable than they have been at times in the past. Other areas, such as qualification frameworks, are about to enter another period of change so, as usual, there is no time to rest on our laurels!

We hope your CPCAB training has gone well this year and that your students have enjoyed their progress towards becoming respected, competent counsellors – or simply gathering some useful inter-relational skills to use in another area of life.

Whatever the situation (and whatever the weather!) we wish you a happy and healthy summer.

Now available - new description of CPCAB Model

You can now download the CPCAB Model of Helping Work and Counselling Practice, the generic model applicable to all theoretical approaches that underpins most of CPCAB’s qualifications.

This new description integrates key contemporary research from both the counselling field and from other disciplines. Importantly, it focuses on clients and their problems, rather than the different counselling approaches. It also aims to be as student-friendly as possible, whilst still describing the complexity of helping work and counselling practice.

Although the description of the model has changed, its structure and content remains the same.

The model is in three parts:

  • Part 1: Three levels of client problems. This defines the broad categories of client problems for which counselling has proved helpful.
  • Part 2: Three dimensions of client problems. This describes how client problems can be best understood, and worked with, in the context within which they arise.
  • Part 3: Seven helping and counselling processes. This describes how the process of supporting client change is associated with a range of contextual factors – including those concerning the client, the counsellor and the relationship that they form.

External Assessment results

From time to time we are contacted by students who are so anxious to discover their external assessment results that they can’t face the delay until the results are released.

There are many reasons why we aren’t able to give results directly to students, including the fact that we have no way of verifying a caller’s identity, but it’s also important that you, the tutor, are responsible for handing over the results. You are the one with the relationship with the members of your group and you are best placed to ease the pain of an NP result or, we hope, to share in the elation when it’s a ‘Proficient’! We do understand that it can be hard to have to wait but there is a process to go through that is designed to focus on the accuracy of the assessment, rather than the speed.

It would help us greatly if you were able to make this clear to your students – many thanks and we hope YOUR groups are pleased when the next results are published.

Feedback

At the risk of repeating ourselves ... if you have delivered any CPCAB qualifications during the year, it would help us if you could spare just a few minutes to complete this survey for each CPCAB qualification you have taught since September 2014. You can include your name and centre details if you like, or keep your feedback confidential.

Your comments will help us to continue to introduce improvements to our qualifications.

Many thanks and best wishes, Jackie Rice (Qualification Service Co-ordinator)

The Association of Christian Counsellors

Our congratulations go to ACC who have been formally approved by the Professional Standards Authority as an approved voluntary register holder, or AVR. CPCAB has a longstanding relationship with ACC and we look forward to working even more closely with them in the future.

ACC has confirmed that counsellors with CPCAB's Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (TC-L4) will be able to join the ACC Register via their standard ‘Qualification Route’. Currently CPCAB qualifications are also accepted as part of the criteria towards accreditation at all levels. The ‘Accreditation Route’ to the ACC Register is already open - see the ACC website for further details.

Wanted! Assessors and moderators for higher-level qualifications

Increasing demand for our levels 5 and 6 qualifications mean that we are keen to recruit more assessors and moderators to help out during assessment periods. If this something that might interest you, we would love to hear from you ... please contact Marina Richards for more information marina@cpcab.co.uk. (Do bear in mind that the holiday season is just starting so there may be a delay in getting back to you). Thanks! We look forward to hearing from you.

External Assessment dates

Dates for external assessment windows for the 2015/16 academic year are available on the CPCAB website, together with the remainder of dates for this year.

Standardisation

A reminder of dates and venues for 2015/16 tutor standardisation days (with the exception of Northern Ireland – date to be advised).

Humour

First therapist: ‘I’ve had to let my multiple-personality patient go’.

Second therapist: ‘Really? I thought you said it was a fascinating case?’

First therapist: ‘It was. But I’m fed up with him not paying his bills – he always claims one of the others has already paid’.