Trainees
TRAINEE INFORMATION - DOCUMENT ONE
Equilibrium is a private business. It does not receive donations or subsidies. We know that many people cannot afford much needed counselling so we offer a low-cost service through counsellors in training. Equilibrium offers the student the opportunity to gain experience working with clients short and long term. Also from working alongside qualified counsellors and being part of a team.
It is our philosophy to offer low and full cost clients professional and friendly service.
The Centre welcomes the student and expects to play a part in his or her training. The student must expect to be monitored, assessed, helped and guided.
Requirements
Before contacting Equilibrium for a meeting, students must fulfil the following criteria: -
Be on the second year of a 2-year diploma course.
Not be in full-time employment.
Have been in therapy with a qualified counsellor for at least 6 months, and be prepared to continue in therapy for the duration of the placement.
Be prepared to sign a contract with the Centre agreeing to complete a minimum of 200 client hours and at least two years after completing the trial period.
Must have considered the travelling time to and from the Centre.
Have a tutor letter available stating that they are ready to see 3 clients per week.
Be able to attend 6 therapist meetings per year.
Have sent a summary CV to Equilibrium (with the tutors letter)
Be prepared to join BACP or equivalent, and take out liability insurance.
To pay for their own supervision.
Once the above criteria are fulfilled an informal interview will be set up. This is with Katherine Kapadia. This is an opportunity for the student and the team to ascertain whether a follow-up formal interview is desirable. The information from this informal interview is shared with the team at the Centre. It is confidential within the team. If the team and the student decide to proceed, the student should then forward the questionnaire provided by Equilibrium.
Either party may request a second informal interview.
Formal interview
The following documents will have been received: -
Letter from therapist confirming that the student has completed at
least 6 months in therapy.
Completed questionnaire.
Interviews usually take place in groups of 3.
There are always 2 interviewers, one the Placement Manager, the other qualified therapist or a trainee. Interviewers are always team members.
Successful candidates will usually hear within a week. They will then meet Vanessa Mathews the manager to complete a contract. After this they come at least once to the Centre to meet other trainees, to orientate themselves to the Centre and to learn relevant administration systems.
The Centre is interviewing now for placements to commence as soon as possible.
Sessions available include Weekday, (Daytimes) Saturday, (Afternoons) Wednesdays, (Early Evenings)
The Placement
There is a trial period of at least 20 client hours. During the first months at the Centre, an Equilibrium supervisor will supervise the student. Please note: Equilibrium does not provide supervision free. The supervisor will expect to report back to the team, and to recommend the students readiness to join the team. The student would expect to see the supervisor fortnightly at least, using a ratio of 1.6. The usual fee for supervision is reduced for an Equilibrium trainee and can be checked out on reception or with the manager. Once the student has received a successful report from the Equilibrium supervisor he or she may join the team, and will be expected to commence attending therapist meetings.
A trainee who has joined the team may elect to continue with the supervisor or not. Proof of supervision must be provided by the student, and is kept on record on the premises.
Should a supervisor be unhappy about the progress of a trainee, more client hours may be required before the student is deemed ready to join. This is a collaborative process.
Monitoring
The trainee is monitored and assessed as ready to join the team in the following ways: -
Successful reports from the Equilibrium supervisor.
Successful reports from external supervisors if requested.
Discussions/meetings with the manager.
The way in which the trainee behaves in the Centre in general, and towards clients, the manager and their peers. Thus, any difficulties in relating to peers, others in the hierarchy, poor time keeping and similar would be taken very seriously and be discussed with the manager.
BACP membership and Insurance
Once a trainee has been accepted on placement he or she must also provide proof of membership of BACP or UKCP, and copy of his or her liability insurance. These documents will be kept on record and must be kept up to date whilst the trainee is a team member.
Help & Guidance
On joining the Centre the trainee is offered a "buddy" who is a team member who keeps in touch during the first uncertain months of the placement. The "buddy" is happy to help in any way possible. However, the "buddy" should not be used to off-load difficulties between themselves and others - these should be faced with a view to resolution. The buddy could support this.
All team members are available in the Centre or by telephone to assist the trainee.
The Equilibrium supervisor will be available by telephone. This will be contracted separately with the supervisor. No trainee should be floundering. Ask for help.
Client Referal
Once the student has signed the contract and agreed a time allocation, he or she begins to see clients. In the first weeks the clients allocated will be "staggered". The student will have three clients on week three as long as the supervisor agrees. Later on, should the trainee be able to cope with more clients, more may be referred. This would be agreed with the supervisor, and the trainee needs to understand the implications of increased supervision.
Letters to clients in standard form are on the desk, and should be written by the trainee. Standard letters to GPs are sent out by reception in conjunction with the student.
The trainee will under no circumstances ever see clients on premises other than Equilibrium.
Reception
A trainee can elect to become a receptionist, which is paid. Please ask the Manager for details.
Therapist Meetings
There are six therapists meetings per year of which a minimum of four must be attended. Two of these are social.
Your Next Step
Firstly you need to request an informal interview. With this request you should send your CV and your Tutor letter (certificate of competence). Look around the premises, consider your journey, and ask your interviewer all you need to know. Should you decide you would like to proceed to Formal Interview, please make this known.
Contact: Maurn Turner. Placement manager. email: equiltherapy@aol.com
