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What Ethics Actually Means in Counselling (Beyond the Rules)
Ethics isn't a tick box exercise. It's the container that holds counselling work safe. Learn what working within an ethical framework actually means.
4 days ago7 min read


How to Help Someone Figure Out What They Actually Need
Students want to steer clients toward the "real" issue. But counselling means helping people discover their own needs, not identifying needs for them.
Feb 177 min read


Your Difference From Your Client Is Information, Not a Problem
Your difference from your client isn't a barrier. It's valuable information. Learn how to work across difference in counselling with curiosity and empathy.
Feb 106 min read


How to Recognise and Challenge Your Own Prejudices in Counselling
Learn how to recognise and challenge your own prejudices in counselling. Guidance for CPCAB Level 2 students on blind spots and self-awareness work.
Feb 314 min read


What Empathy Really Means in Counselling (Beyond 'I Understand')
Learn what empathy really means in counselling from a person-centred perspective. Guidance for CPCAB Level 2 students on Carl Rogers' core conditions.
Jan 2714 min read


Why the 50-Minute Hour Exists (And What Happens When You Go Over)
Learn why time boundaries matter in counselling. Practical guidance for CPCAB Level 2 students on establishing and maintaining therapeutic time limits. If you're training at CPCAB Level 2, time boundaries will feel unnatural. Rigid. Even cold. You're learning to end sessions at an agreed time , whether or not the conversation feels finished. In training, those sessions might be 15 minutes for practice. In qualified practice, they're typically 50 minutes (the "psychological ho
Jan 2012 min read


How to End a Counselling Session Well (Even When Time Runs Out Mid-Conversation)
Learn how to end counselling sessions appropriately. Practical guidance for CPCAB Level 2 students on managing time boundaries and ending well.
Jan 1316 min read


When to Ask Questions in Counselling (And When to Stay Quiet)
Learn when to ask questions in counselling and when to stay quiet. Practical guidance for CPCAB Level 2 students on open vs closed questions.
Jan 614 min read


What Good Listening Actually Looks Like in Counselling (It's Not What You Think)
Discover what therapeutic listening really involves. Practical guidance for CPCAB Level 2 students on developing active listening and responding skills.
Dec 30, 202513 min read


How to Stay in Role When Someone Asks You For Advice
Learn how to maintain your helper role when someone asks for advice. Practical guidance for CPCAB Level 2 students on staying in role without giving answers.
Dec 23, 202515 min read


When to Refer Someone On (And How to Do It Without Feeling Like You've Failed)
Learn when and how to refer someone on as a Level 2 helper. Discover why enabling additional support is collaboration, not failure, and how to have the conversation.
Dec 16, 202512 min read


How to Recognise Your Limits as a Counsellor (Without Feeling Like You're Failing)
Learn why recognising your limits as a counsellor is professional strength, not weakness. Practical guidance for CPCAB Level 2 students on working within ability.
Dec 9, 202512 min read


How to Stop Your Own Stuff Getting in the Way of Counselling
Your own feelings will show up in counselling sessions. Learn how to recognise when your stuff is getting in the way, why it matters, and practical ways to work with it.
Dec 2, 202512 min read


Why Silence in Counselling Feels So Uncomfortable (And What to Do With It)
Silence in counselling feels uncomfortable for most students. Learn why it matters, what's really happening during silence, and how to stay with it confidently.
Nov 25, 202511 min read


What Confidentiality Really Means in Counselling (And When You Have to Break It)
Learn what confidentiality really means in counselling, when it must be broken, and how to talk about it with clients. Essential guide for CPCAB Level 2 students.
Nov 18, 20259 min read


How to Communicate Empathy in Counselling (Without Just Repeating Everything Back)
Discover what empathy really means in counselling. Learn why it's more than just words, how to show authentic understanding, and avoid common Level 2 mistakes.
Nov 11, 20256 min read


The One Question You Should Avoid When Ending a Counselling Session
For counselling students, ending a session is a critical skill so the other person feels held and safe after the session. But many stumble with this question when ending a session. In the last few minutes of a role-play session, the goal for counselling students is to wind down the session and land it gently to a close, returning the other person safely. The Common Question Counselling Students Should Avoid When Ending a Session Yet it’s common for students ask in those last
Feb 17, 20233 min read


Understanding the Power of Congruence
Learn how authenticity is counselling can transform your therapy sessions
Feb 2, 20233 min read


3 Ways to Master the Counselling Skill of Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is a Crucial Technique for Counselling Students to Build Trust and Connection.
Jan 20, 20233 min read


The Question Counsellors Need to Avoid
Here are five alternatives for asking the question “how does that make you feel?”. I'll guarantee the 4th one is going to surprise you. How does that make you feel? This is common question that trainee counsellors and counsellors can still get caught out by. It’s not uncommon to want to ask the question: “How does that make your feel?”. It is, after all, much of what counselling is about: to connect with your feelings and experience. However, it can be detrimental to the clie
Nov 10, 20224 min read
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