In this lecture, Mick Cooper (Professor of Counselling Psychology at the University of Roehampton) introduces the pluralistic approach both as a perspective on counselling and psychotherapy and as a way of working with clients.
This will enable you to gain a good understanding both of what pluralistic therapy is about and of how to apply it in your own supervision and practice.
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Drawing on research carried out at the Tayside Centre for Counselling, Mick explains to you the background to pluralistic counselling – from the first academic paper on the pluralistic framework (published in 2006) to the beginning of training courses and even an international conference dedicated to this approach.
Mick examines how pluralistic counselling pays attention to client preferences and attitudes, based on an understanding that these are key to effective clinical outcomes.
Pluralistic counselling can be seen as an attempt to transcend schoolism in all its forms (including a ‘pluralistic schoolism’) and to re-orientate therapy around clients’ wants and benefits, striving to transcend ‘black-and-white’ dichotomies in the field of counselling and psychotherapy, so that we can most fully engage with our clients in all their complexity and individuality.
By participating in this lecture, you will learn about the two basic assumptions that underpin pluralistic counselling – as well as the philosophy behind the approach and how to practice it.
Mick also explains how pluralistic counselling differs from integrative counselling and eclectic counselling, focusing in particular on the shared decision-making that characterises this approach.
You will join Mick in a deep dive into how to accurately identify clients’ needs and wishes, drawing on meta-therapeutic communication to co-construct therapeutic methods.
Pluralistic counselling can be seen as an attempt to transcend schoolism in all its forms ... and to re-orientate therapy around clients’ wants and benefits, striving to transcend ‘black-and-white’ dichotomies ... so that we can most fully engage with our clients in all their complexity and individuality.
Other topics covered include:
- systematic feedback
- goal-setting
- measuring preferences
- outcome measures.
Mick uses examples from practice to illustrate his teaching, and also provides links to his books, articles and website so you can continue to research this current topic after listening to this lecture.
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Pluralistic Counselling
About the Lecture Presenter
Mick Cooper is an internationally recognised author, trainer, and consultant in the field of humanistic, existential, and pluralistic therapies.
He is a Chartered Psychologist, and Professor of Counselling Psychology at the University of Roehampton where he heads up the Centre for Research in Social and Psychological Transformation.
Mick has facilitated workshops and lectures around the world, including New Zealand, Lithuania, and the US.
Mick's books include:
- Existential Therapies (Sage, 2017)
- Working at Relational Depth in Counselling and Psychotherapy (Sage, 2018)
- The Handbook of Person-Centred Psychotherapy and Counselling (Palgrave, 2013)
- His latest work is Integrating Counselling and Psychotherapy: Directionality, Synergy, and Social Change (Sage, 2019)
Mick's principal areas of research have been in shared decision-making/personalising therapy, and counselling for young people in schools.
In 2014, Mick received the Carmi Harari Mid-Career Award from Division 32 of the American Psychological Association.
He is a Fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and the Academy of Social Sciences.
Mick lives in Brighton with his four children.