Counselling and the Life Course

Book excerpt: `Essential reading for student, fledgling and experienced counsellors alike′ - Mark Edwards, Nurturing Potential `Beautifully written and well researched and full of useful structured exercise for therapists and clients, this is a combination of psychology textbook and counselling handbook - theoretical a, yet practical′ - Healthcare Counselling and Psychotherapy Journal Counselling and the Life Course introduces counsellors to the concept of the life course as a multidimensional and multidisciplinary framework for thinking about clients′ lives within and beyond the counselling setting. It aims to give counsellors an understanding of human development, and how it impacts practically upon their work with clients. The book engages with the tension between, on the one hand, recognizing age and life stage as important dimensions of difference, and on the other, avoiding the pitfalls of age stereotyping and ageist discrimination. At the same time, Counselling and the Life Course shows how the concept of the life course can be used as a framework for considering the commonalities between different life stages. This provides a focus for counsellors of how to draw on their existing skills and expertise when working with clients of a different age and life stage to those with whom they generally meet. The impact of both counsellor and client age on the counselling relationship is also considered. The book includes an `Activity Trail′ of structured exercises in order to encourage reflection on the concepts discussed and their relevance to clients, the readers themselves, and their counselling practice.