Integrating theory and professional practice: addressing the gaps in child and young person counsellor identity and training

Over the last two decades there has been increased interest in the use of counselling to improve the emotional and psychological welfare of children and young people (CYP) in the UK. However, historically the field of counselling for CYP has lacked specific professional standards for training and practice. Consequently, counselling for CYP has been provided by counsellors from a range of training backgrounds, including those who have completed training solely in the knowledge and skills required for therapeutic work with adult clients. For counselling for CYP clients to have efficacy and a solid ethical basis it needs to be delivered by practitioners with core knowledge and skills in key areas differing from those required for adult counselling, such as child and adolescent development, CYP-specific legal and safeguarding issues, family and parenting dynamics and the use of play- and/or creative-therapy methods attuned to the developmental stage of the client. This core knowledge provides a foundation for the skills used in counselling CYP clients and establishes the basis for a professional identity of counsellors working with CYP clients. This thesis proposes that a recognised professional identity, based on established professional standards and training curricula covering core knowledge and skills, is necessary for the effective and ethical provision of counselling for CYP. The published work submitted as part of this thesis is argued to have made a scholarly contribution to establishing this identity by addressing gaps in current understanding and provision. The following analytic commentary provides a critical evaluation of the scholarly contribution of the submitted works to establishing the core knowledge and standards which will form the basis for a professional identity for counsellors of CYP clients. The commentary concludes with critical reflections on ideological and methodological issues as well as implications for future research and policy in the field