Counselling Placements
From the first Teens & Toddler’s project that we ran in Greenwich in 2001, it became clear that there would need to be some sort of counselling provision for the participants. Many of the young people we work with have challenges both at home and school, and have often developed unhelpful, self-destructive coping strategies in response to their circumstances. Many identify as being ‘problem kids’ and their participation in Teens & Toddlers may be one of the few opportunities where they can begin to form a more positive experience of themselves.
The style of learning in Teens & Toddlers is quite experiential, and at times challenging for the adolescents. The curriculum they follow provides much stimulating material regarding the most effective ways to build self-esteem in children, and some of the impact that different parental discipline and communication styles can have on the emotional, psychological and physiological development of children. As you can imagine, this can bring up personal material for the young people, and in addition, learning to relate to their toddler can challenge them in their capacity to play, to form attachments and to face their fears of rejection or failure.
The Clinical Service is therefore an important part of COUI’s activities. It offers PLACEMENTS to qualified counsellors, and to students of counselling and psychotherapy who are wishing to gain experience of working with young people. One counsellor is allocated to each project, joining a staff team of facilitator and assistant, responsible for approximately 6 young people. The projects usually run for 20 weeks, meeting once a week from 1pm until 3.45pm. The counsellor is an integral part of the group from the start, and offers 2 one to one counselling sessions each week.
These placements offer a unique opportunity to engage with young people both in a group and individual setting, providing insight into how they engage with each other as well as during counselling sessions.
Fortnightly group supervision is provided throughout the project, with the aim of supporting counsellors in peer groups where everyone can learn from each other. There is also a weekly de-brief between facilitator, assistant and counsellor at the end of each Teens & Toddlers session. An initial training orientation is provided to examine the developmental issues teenager’s face, the structure and logistics of Teens & Toddlers, and child protection issues.
Many counsellors go on to train as facilitators, eventually running their own Teens & Toddler’s projects. COUI is a rapidly expanding charity and there are many opportunities for closer involvement in a variety of different roles.
The Clinical Service is run by Stacey Millichamp, Director of Clinical Services, and Kamali Allnutt, Manager of Clinical Services. Stacey Millichamp has been involved with COUI from its inception, facilitating the first Teens & Toddlers project alongside Diana Whitmore, she is also a trainer and supervisor on the MA in Psychotherapy for the Psychosynthesis and Education Trust, and runs a private psychotherapy and supervision practice. Kamali Allnutt has been a facilitator running Teens & Toddlers programmes since 2002, is a qualified counsellor and supervisor as well as working as Clinical Services Manager. She also works as a University counsellor.
If you are a counsellor who is interested in finding out more about a placement with us, please download both the standard application form, fill in and return to Clinical Service, COUI, The Stage, 47 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XT. We will then contact you and invite you in for an informal discussion. We look forward to hearing from you.
School Counselling Placements
In addition to placements within the Teens & Toddler’s projects we also work with a small number of schools. It is a yearly commitment within a secondary school working 1 day per week depending on availability and spaces.