In this issue
Trauma resilience
Martin Weaver and Felicity Biggart outline a proactive programme designed to help those with an increased risk of exposure to traumatic events
Domestic abuse – how can we help?
Diana Wellens provides an insight into some of the issues facing employees who are experiencing domestic abuse at home and looks at some ways employers can help
Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) at Kent Police
Elly Prior explains how a military model has been adapted for the police
Inside the Organisation
Nicola Banning talks to Cindi Bedor, Head of Staff Counselling at the Royal United Hospital
Measuring up?
How is the workplace counselling sector responding to the challenge of measuring its outcomes and evidencing
its impact? Barry McInnes provides an early insight into a BACP Workplace-commissioned study that aims to find out
Articles from this issue are not yet available online. Divisional members and subscribers can download the pdf from the Counselling at Work archive.
Last words
When I scamper up the hills in the beautiful Perthshire countryside, I often reach a summit with a beaming smile, a spring in my step and a compulsive urge to let rip with The hills are alive, the signature song from the movie, The Sound of Music. But fearing this might trigger a lemming-like mass cliff-jumping exodus by fellow walkers, I tend to refrain, content that it’s sufficient to hum the song to myself.
Reaching the pinnacle of any task allows us the chance to reflect and ponder. It is through this that we can stand back and consider the gains, what we have learnt and how we can share this with others. This issue broadly follows a ‘Training’ theme, named as such because it shares sound ethical practice by the few for the many.
Many thanks to Martin Weaver and Felicity Biggart who explain how they deliver their Trauma Resilience Training. ‘Resilience’ is fast becoming the word of the year but perhaps for good reason as we seek ways to manage, cope with and respond to adversity. A welcome to Diana Wellens, who’s written a fascinating article about domestic abuse and what organisations can do to support those in the workplace affected by this. Thanks also to Elly Prior, who shares with us how Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) is delivered at Kent Police.
I’m grateful to Nicola Banning, who returns with the start of a new interview series that looks through the keyhole of an organisational counselling service. Here, she interviews Cindi Bedor, head of counselling at an NHS hospital. And thanks also to Barry McInnes, who was commissioned to conduct research into routine service measurement of counselling outcomes. This crucial piece of research seeks to map out who’s using what and why. Barry gives us an early update. If we can’t demonstrate evidence that counselling ‘works’, how on earth can we convince fundholders to maintain or invest in counselling service provision?
Finally… after nine years, plus a few years’ proofing, reluctantly, I feel it’s time for me to pass the editing baton (or the walking stick) to someone who’ll take the journal on to its next stage of development.
Some of you might know that I’ve dabbled in screenwriting for a few years now. A couple of months ago, I was nominated for a BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award in the ‘writer’ category. You can perhaps imagine at the lavish, red-carpet, Glasgow ceremony, my over-enthusiastic clapping, clenched jaw and fake smile when the winner was announced as someone else. So I’m going to swap the long hours usually spent on this journal for the same long hours dedicated to screenwriting. If it’s not already out there by the time you get this issue, look out for the forthcoming launch of a BACP video viral to promote the www.itsgoodtotalk.org.uk website. If you love it, I wrote the script. If you hate it, someone else did.
It has been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to be involved in your journal for nearly a quarter of my life. A massive thank you to the many contributors, the BACP Workplace executive committee, the book reviewers, to the design teams, Fran Shall, Jacqui Gray, my fellow editors and all those involved in production. And, of course, to the support from you, the reader. You can imagine how many times I tripped over the sack load of letters. I salute you all – cue Rick standing to attention in front of his laptop, clutching a ruler as a microphone, ready with a lungful of air, preparing to unleash an odd rendition of So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Bye.
Apologies if this or any other track from The Sound of Music annoyingly reverberates around your head for the rest of the day.
However, I resolutely retain my other hat, that of being BACP’s part-time Lead Advisor: Workplace, so I still hope to keep in touch with many of you.
I hope you enjoy this issue.
Rick Hughes
Editor