Mhairi MacMillan & Dot Clark 
Learning and Writing in Counselling 

`This is a very practical ‘how to’ book, written for students on counselling skills courses. It is intended to help them through the various problems faced by people returning to education, perhaps after a long gap…. how useful this book could be to students who [are] confused by the increasingly academic requirements of counselling training courses… I would recommend this book as a companion for anyone who is starting a course with little or no experience of academic expectations. It is written in a friendly and reassuring style′ –
Counselling, The Journal of the British Association for Counselling

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the tasks and the processes of learning and writing required on counselling training courses and in the practice of counselling. The authors cover the entire period of training, from choosing a course to the early stages of professional practice.

The first part of the book discusses learning skills, methods and approaches, looking at, for example, the context for learning, motivation and experiential learning. Part Two focuses on course requirements, the form of written assignments – how to complete them and the difficulties that can be encountered – as well as the basics of writing, including language, form and style. The final part looks at the involvement of practising counsellors in continued learning and the kinds of writing that they may develop throughout their careers.

Table of Content

PART ONE: LEARNING

At the Beginning

The Training Course

Learning Style in a Learning Community

Skills and Techniques

Experiential Learning

PART TWO: COMMUNICATING LEARNING

How Do I Know What I Mean Unless I Say (or Write) It?

The Requirements of the Course

Assessment

Starting To Write

Writing Takes Form

Using Other People′s Work

Problems, Problems, Problems

Motivation, Concentration and Writing Block

Writing about Practice

PART THREE: CONTINUING TO LEARN AND TO WRITE

Beyond the Training Course

Continuing To Write

Our Experience of Writing This Book