Co-production – Pluralistic Practice

What do Clients Really Make of Working with Preferences?

Mick Cooper, Professor of Counselling Psychology, University of Roehampton Asking clients about their preferences, and trying to accommodate them, is right at the heart of pluralistic practice. But what is that actually like for clients? Do clients want us to ask them about their preferences? Do they find it helpful?…

International Conference on Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy Prize Winners

October 20, 2022 Arts therapies Children Co-production Cultural resources Deliberate practice Goals Information and Updates Preferences Research Young people 2 Comments

We are delighted to announce our conference prize winners from the last two years. You can find more information on each of the projects and links to watch the presentations below. You can watch all of the recordings from the conference here. Congratulations to all of our prize winners! Senior…

The Many Varied Forms of Knowledge in Pluralistic Practice

May 17, 2022 Arts therapies Co-production Epistemology Inner plurality Philosophy 2 Comments

Nicola Blunden, BSc Person-Centred Pluralistic Counselling, Metanoia Institute Pluralists often say that, instead of taking an either/or position, we take a both/and position in regards to knowledge. This is because we value flexibility and diversity, recognising that one particular claim to truth is unlikely to be universally valid. And we…

‘Scaffolding’ and ‘De-Specifying’: Deepening an Understanding of Clients’ Preferences through Conversational Analysis

April 7, 2022 Co-production Metatherapeutic communication Practice Preferences Shared decision making Training No Comments

Sarah Cantwell, @cantwels1 For better or worse, I’ve always had a drive towards trying to comprehend the fundamental structure of things. Unsurprisingly then, I majored in philosophy for my undergraduate degree, and I took my curiosity about underlying causes with me, through my studies in psychology and into my counselling…

The Metatherapeutic Current in Pluralism

March 31, 2022 Arts therapies Co-production Critiques Integrative and Eclectic Practices Metatherapeutic communication Person-centred Preferences Therapeutic approaches Training 5 Comments

Nicola Blunden, BSc Person-Centred Pluralistic Counselling, Metanoia Institute, London Terry Eagleton, one of my favourite philosophers, has written that, ‘For much of the time, our intellectual and other activities bowl along fairly serenely, and in this situation no great expenditure of theoretical energy is usually necessary. But there may come…

A preferred relationship: A response to client preference

February 16, 2022 Co-production Critiques Person-centred Preferences 2 Comments

Mike Moss; counsellor and supervisor, The City of Edinburgh Council ‘It isn’t the technique, it isn’t the therapist, it isn’t the lack of training. It isn’t the new wonder drug, it isn’t the diagnosis. It is our clients own inborn capacities for selfhealing, and it’s the meeting – the relationship…

How Do You Ask Clients About Their Preferences?

October 19, 2020 Co-production Practice Preferences Shared decision making 1 Comment

Mick Cooper, Professor of Counselling Psychology, University of Roehampton Asking clients, directly, what they want from therapy isn’t always helpful. Sometimes, it’s just too direct, too blunt, and can be difficult for clients to answer. So having gentler ways of asking this question can be important in identifying clients’ preferences.…

A Moment in Time: Opportunity and Challenge During Covid-19

April 28, 2020 Co-production Personal Practice Shared decision making 6 Comments

Caroline Burke, psychotherapist in private practice; Lecturer in Personal Development IICP It seems to me that this pandemic offers us, as therapists, a unique experience of symmetry with our clients. This is a moment in time where client and therapist are navigating exactly the same landscape, albeit from different standpoints. From a…

‘We’re making it up as we go along!’ Co-production in Pluralistic Person-Centred Therapy

April 16, 2020 Co-production Person-centred Practice Preferences Shared decision making 27 Comments

Nicola Blunden; BACP Accredited Counsellor, Psychotherapist, Supervisor, and Trainer, Metanoia Institute, London; Co-Convenor Holi: Co-productive Research in Wales This blog is an overview of co-produced, pluralistic person-centred therapy, as I live it with my clients. I talk about co-production, and what it is generally in health care, where it has…