`An interesting overview of medical and psychiatric issues that may arise for counsellors... readable, lucid and free of jargon. The issues addressed include referral and assessment, ongoing counselling and supervision, medical conditions and their treatment, psychiatric conditions and their treatment, and ethical and legal issues... it raises awareness of some important issues to consider when working with clients with medical and psychiatric conditions' - British Journal of Guidance and Counselling
`Such a broad focus for a small book... and how efficiently covered! [It] is relevant and thought-provoking all the way... This book raises the [medical and psychiatric] issues and makes constructive suggestions for resolution of them... Boxes of helpful checklists... pop up at relevant points throughout the text for handy reference... for practising counsellors and those in the latter part of training, it can certainly be regarded as essential reading' - Counselling News
Product Description
Counsellors often encounter situations where clients' medical or psychiatric conditions - and their treatment - affect the assessment of, or work with, clients. The first comprehensive overview of its kind aimed specifically at counsellors, this book highlights key concerns and offers practical advice for judging when a situation may be beyond the counsellor's skills.
Topics covered include:
· how to recognize serious medical or mental health problems and guidelines on referral;
· information on the effects and possible side-effects of certain drug treatments;
· how to deal with a medical emergency should it arise within a session;
· how to help clients deal with medical dilemmas such as HIV testing;
· which psychiatric conditions can be exacerbated by counselling.
The authors consider in further detail questions counsellors must be aware of in assessment, at the point of referral and in ongoing counselling - for instance, when it is appropriate to refer on and how best to do it, how to liaise with the client's GP, and whether or not it is appropriate to visit in hospital. Ethical and legal issues - including confidentiality and counsellor responsibility - are addressed throughout.
This jargon-free book will be an indispensable guide for all trainee and practising counsellors as well as others in the helping professions who counsel clients.
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