The Radical Nature of Pluralism in Therapy

Mick Cooper, Professor of Counselling Psychology, University of Roehampton One of the challenges to pluralism in therapy, over the years, is that we’re not really saying anything new. The challenge goes something like, ‘Yeah, pluralism, that’s great, but we’re all pluralists anyway. I’ve been doing pluralism for years.’ Being pluralistic,…

Going for Accreditation as a Pluralistic Counsellor

John Hills, Tricia Joyce, Julia McLeod, Nicola Blunden, James Schindler-Ord, and Gary Tebble. With thanks to: Kevin Kirwan (BACP) and Jenny McLintock (COSCA) If you are a pluralistic therapist preparing to apply for accreditation, you may be wondering about professional body attitudes towards pluralism, as an emerging approach within counselling…

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

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

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…

4th International Conference on Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy – Submission Deadline Extended!

We have now extended the deadline for submissions to Friday 11th June due to ongoing interest. Please find more information regarding submissions here and book tickets here. We welcome submissions from trainees, practitioners, and service users, as well as more experienced academics and researchers.  Our aim is to create a warm, friendly, and…

Personal and Professional Development Groups in Counselling and Psychotherapy Training: A Pluralistic Perspective

Julia McLeod, Marie-Clare Murphie, Kate Smith, Christine Kupfer and Mhairi Thurston (University of Abertay), Hanne Oddli (University of Oslo), Lynne Gabriel (York St John University), Mick Cooper (University of Roehampton) What do personal and professional development (PPD) groups, on counselling and psychotherapy training courses, look like from a pluralistic perspective?…

Heal Thy-Self: Goal Setting for Self

Darren Hopgood, MBACP NCS, child counsellor, adult carer support counsellor, online counsellor As my dissertation word count is not increasing in any way, and my deadline getting closer and closer, and the realisation that I am getting less present-motivated and more future-anxious, I needed help.  While the storm outside kept…

A ‘Love’ Letter to Pluralism

Dear Pluralism, I have had a lot of time on my hands over the last month or, more aptly, the hands of the clock are rotating in very unprecedented ways for me. I suppose this coupled with the imminent ending of my university studies as a pluralistic therapist has found…

From Ticking Boxes to Meeting People: My Counselling Journey

Darren Hopgood, Trainee Counsellor, University of Sunderland I realised, when I researched pluralistic counselling at college for a modalities presentation, that I wanted to be a pluralistic counsellor. It was the thought of a counsellor and client being part of a collaborative partnership that inspired me to start working towards…

Five tips for Positive Goals Work in Counselling and Psychotherapy

 Dr Gina Di Malta, CPsychol., Lecturer in Psychotherapy and Counselling, The Open University Setting goals in therapeutic work is used across a range of psychotherapies. It is especially commonplace in therapies such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), where clients may be encouraged to set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and…

Training in the Pluralistic Approach

Mick Cooper, University of Roehampton One of the questions that I’m asked on a fairly regular basis is how you should go about training in a pluralistic approach, and whether it’s possible if you’ve already got a first training in another modality and don’t want to re-train. Julia McLeod and…