Overemphasis on appearance and strong appearance stereotypes to date are expected to contribute to the challenges and distress of people who live with skin conditions and those with appearance distress. Skin conditions are highly prevalent and are often associated with high levels of distress and disruption in the life and well-being of patients.…

There remain barriers to securing robust and complete datasets from counselling embedded in Higher Education (HE). This study aimed to provide the first step towards developing a national dataset of student counselling outcomes drawn from differing outcome measures, platforms and reporting on all clients. Data from four counselling services using…

The COVID-19 has had an impact on almost every aspect of life throughout the world. The quarantine, limited social life, and fear of contamination have triggered psychological symptoms in societies. The need for mental health services has increased, and online psychological counselling, which provides psychological help with no risk of infection,…

Recently there has been an increasing focus on the social justice agenda in counselling and psychotherapy. To ensure that this does not merely function as rhetoric, therapists must consider how to translate their social justice values into action. In this paper we aim to extend current understandings of social justice by foregrounding an emphasis…

The outcome of a psychodynamic counselling intervention for students seeking psychological help at a university counselling centre in Italy was evaluated by examining its effect on clinical symptoms of the students. The intervention consisted of four counselling sessions and a later three-month follow-up session. The sample (N = 160) was drawn…

More and more people in the UK have poor mental health. Consequently, there is a growing demand for mental health professionals such as counsellors and psychotherapists. The aim of this study was to explore how trainee counsellors make sense of mental health in general and concepts like disorder, diagnosis and treatment in particular. We employ…

Mental health of undergraduate students is receiving more attention because of the increase in the prevalence and intensity of psychological distress. Our aim is to verify the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioural counselling service in reducing psychological distress and improving academic self-efficacy in a sample of 124 students (57% above…

Teaching assistants and teachers (N = 186) in Cambridgeshire primary schools in the UK were invited to participate in a survey to explore the perceived impact of school-based counselling (SBC) on pupils' cognitive, social, and emotional engagement. Participants were also asked which of these factors they believed were most important to a child's…

The quality of parent-child relationships during adolescence has the potential to impact adolescents' mental health. This study explored how seven dyads (parent-child) might experience a two-component intervention (Method of Levels therapy-MOL and a parent-child activity) over four months. Following this, six dyads were interviewed and a thematic…

The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of a three-session free-of-charge counselling model delivered by trained master's-level counsellors. Participants were 105 people whose scores represented mild or moderate levels on the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and who had not been diagnosed or treated for any psychiatric illness in the…

The literature on critical thinking (CT) in counselling and therapy generally posits higher quality outcomes when CT is applied in therapeutic treatment. We critically examine support for the claim that CT improves clinical outcomes. The purported effects of CT are first identified by arguments in favour of using CT in therapeutic treatment, both…

Research suggests that bullying is one of the most common presenting issues for young people accessing counselling. In this study, we explored helpful aspects of counselling for young people who have experienced bullying. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participantsand analysed using thematic analysis. Participants identified…

Telephone helplines offer a valued service for those in distress. However, little research has explored the experience of helpline volunteers. Through semi-structured interviews, we explore the volunteering experiences of nine long-term UK Samaritan volunteers. Interviews were analysed using Interpretive Interactionism. The analysis highlighted…

Formerly heterosexually partnered gay fathers raised with religion are an under-researched group of LGBTQ parents. This group have potentially complex coming out journeys, which can result in them seeking counselling. This research qualitatively explores the counselling experiences of 12 such men and offers suggestions for working therapeutically…

This paper draws upon qualitative research with three Kuwaiti counselling clients to explore how they negotiated accessing counselling in the context of their communities, culture and faith. Contrary to the prevailing view in the literature portraying Islamic faith as a barrier to help-seeking in mental health, these clients view their faith as an…