AUCC Journal

The Association for University & College Counselling Journal is a quarterly professional journal for counsellors and psychotherapists in Further and Higher Education, published by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. It is free to members of the AUCC and aims to inform the readership of the latest developments in this field across the country. It includes full length articles, pull outs on professional issues and concerns, updates on research as well as regular features such as ‘Managers Dilemmas’, book reviews, AUCC news, surveys and reports from the Chair - all aimed at supporting best practice.

A sample of articles can be downloaded from the lists below. Complete issue downloads are available to members from the Members’ Area of the website.

The Journal welcomes contributions from members and other experts in the field including feedback and debate through letters to the editor. If you would like to contribute, please contact the Editor, Dani Singer, d.singer@ram.ac.uk

Views expressed by writers and individual contributors are not necessarily those of AUCC or BACP. Advertising for courses, conferences, publications and other relevant events or materials can be placed by contacting Kate Morris on 01455 883314, kate.morris@bacp.co.uk

Additional copies or copies for non-members can be purchased on request at a cost of £8.50 per copy or £20 per annum and obtained by contacting the BACP membership department, membership@bacp.co.uk

To purchase a subscription to the AUCC journal click here to visit the BACP Shop
For details of advertising in the AUCC journal click here to visit BACP Advertising

For a listing of feature articles in previous issues of the AUCC journal see below. Selected articles are available to download in PDF format. Please note that some files may take some time to download. File sizes are stated for your information.

May 2008 Issue Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating: underlying emotional issues. Julia Buckroyd suggests that the fundamental issue for people who misuse food is a problem of affect regulation Challenging and Changing Eating Difficulties in a Group Setting. Penny Hayman shares her experience of tackling disordered eating in a university group setting Why tamper with perfection? The development of a workshop on perfectionism. Mel Wright explores what can be done when the process of education gives way to the supremacy of the goal Email Security for Counsellors. Stephen Allsop explains how sending an email is the equivalent of an unsealed letter - and what can be done about it Peer Mentoring: a positive role in Further Education? Kim Parish shares her experience of this powerful resource Creating a New Culture: Group Work past, present and future Penelope Aspinall Gap Year for Counsellors? Peter Eldrid describes his experiences in Brazil

March 2008 Issue Taking the CALM approach. How can counsellors engage with students in a meaningful conversation that will empower, sow the seeds of self-help and seek out different creative ways to harness this activity? Steve-Scott Marshall & Catriona Davis-McCabe report from the University of Teesside From By-standing to Standing By: Peer Support in a university setting. Peer Support can provide an important transition to professional help increasing the welfare options of students. Jane Cooper & Carol Dasgupta Understanding the refugee experience The refugee issue is a sensitive one. Ali Zarbafi explains the difference between refugees and migrants, and considers how counsellors in education may be able to help Helping Students Achieve. The working environment in FE has its own sector-specific issues and practices. Gill Leach describes the personal and academic concerns FE students bring and how she helps tutors understand the issues that may hinder achievement

December 2007 Issue Stepped Care: The Cardiff Model. John Cowley explores a radical new approach aimed at turning around the perennial problem of waiting lists Perspectives on Mental Health in Colleges. Kate Birch shares her research into students’ changing mental health needs Changing Rooms and Changing Lives. Gill Leach reflects on changes as a lone counsellor in an FE college since 1993 “It may just have saved my Life!”. Denise Meyer reviews some of the feedback on the new-look Students Against Depression website Where the wild winds blow. Diana Bass considers the amplification of the transitional conflict between adolescence and adulthood in a particular group of students A Pull out guide to online counselling and psychotherapy in universities and colleges. Jane Evans Working with Trauma: EMDR in Higher Education. Alice Cook & Colin Brazier describe a project that used EMDR as a treatment intervention Record keeping and the Law. Peter Jenkins & Stephen Potter report on the impact of the Data protection Act 1998

September 2007 Issue In conversation with Andrew Samuels. Dave Berger talks to Andrew Samuels about his keynote speech at the AUCC conference, entitled ‘Promiscuity, aggression, solitude and hysteria; back passages to the experience of intimacy’ Conferences and committees. Attending the AUCC conference for the first time as a committee member, David Glyn reflects on the impact of joining and not joining AUCC Conference 2007 – a debutante’s view. Trish Middlemist shares her experience of attending conference as a lone FE counsellor Conference: Delegate Feedback. Exploring the Unknown Known: the complex process of assessment in an organisational setting. Ann Heyno explores how assessment differs in institutions from the traditional form in private practice How prepared are you? Reflections on critical incident preparedness. Major incidents and even traumas outside college can have an impact in the classroom. Martin Thornber explores some of the issues facing counselling services Staff Counselling at the interface: working creatively and flexibly within the organisation. Nicola Benson considers how best to work with organisations, and looks at the value of preventative work ‘Lost in the crowd’: Colloquium on the student experience. Vicky Seddon describes a unique forum that considers the changing face of HE

May 2007 Issue Managing ‘risk of harm’. Peter Jenkins explores how the concepts of duty of care and managing risk of harm apply within higher and further education Working with Disturbance: Future realities for counselling services. Inclusion of mental health under the disability act impacts on what institutions expect from counselling services. Paul Lawrence outlines the issues that lie ahead Student suicide: improving prevention and response. Ruth Caleb reports on the result of a study aimed at helping higher education institutions develop services to support students and families on the issue of student suicide Coming up for air: counselling service managers’ use of supervision. Based on a pilot research project, Rachael Cretney explores how the use of supervision can be affected when the counsellor is also a service manager Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion in Higher Education – UUK/ Guild Higher Education Committee for the Promotion of Mental Wellbeing in HE. Rosalind Crouch, Philip Scarffe and Sian Davies Retention of international students. Paula Reardon describes a simple and cost-effective approach for engaging and supporting international students Enjoying relationships. Carol Dasgupta describes how an unusual combination of group and individual work helps students deal with relationships Sex and the Student Counsellor. Paul Pavli looks at the information available to students and considers how the topic of sex might be introduced in the counselling setting of higher education institutions

March 2007 Issue The glorification of terrorism and curtailments to public and private thinking spaces. Do we still believe in freedom of expression? David Petherbridge explores to what extent this issue penetrates the counselling setting of higher education institutions The Terrorism Act 2000 and its impact on Counselling. David Berger considers the requirements for HE and FE counsellors to disclose knowledge – gained by any means – that may relate to terrorism. Dealing with the Media. Gilly White explores some of the potential benefits and drawbacks of agreeing to an interview or undertaking any publicity work A Question of Balance: Using CORE-OM when assessing Suicide Risk. How do practitioners make use of these forms in HE and how do they evaluate their experience? Andrew Reeves & Elizabeth Coldridge report. Know the Territory – an overview of the UK Higher Education arena. A handy overview of legislation, statistics and trends relevant to student support in UK universities FEDORA (pullout) Reporting suspected child abuse in Colleges and University Counselling. Peter Jenkins sheds light on the pitfalls and dilemmas faced by counsellors reporting child abuse Online Counselling. Gill Leach shares her experience as a volunteer ‘client’ in a training programme and considers its implications for use in colleges

December 2006 Issue (3.9MB) Complete issue download Healthy institutions: Mark Dooris and Sharon Doherty describe the benefits of signing up to a health-promoting agenda Student retention: Developing students' emotional intelligence aids retention. Paul Vella and Nicky Schlatter explain New technologies: The impact of technology on students in the counselling room Online student support: Counsellors should get together online to share resources and best practice, says Terry Hanley Online discussion forum: Jane Evans shares her experience of piloting online counselling Computer therapy: Solution-focused computer counselling? Jonathan Hales explains Internet power: Denise Meyer discusses the importance of getting to grips with the cultural revolution that isn't all good news Relaxation workshops: Penny Hayman sets out the format for counsellors who would like to offer relaxation sessions for students International students: Are groups run for this cohort successful? Alison Barty reports on a recent survey Art therapy: Carol Davies makes the case for art therapy groups as an alternative route to 'emotional literacy' Research: An overview of the recent review of research in FE/HE counselling Using CORE: Nic Streatfield reports on the positive therapeutic benefits of using CORE outcome measures as part of the counselling process A client's story: A student tells how counselling was the best thing she ever did

Autumn 2005 Issue (4.4MB) Complete issue download Preventing student suicide: Jill Manthorpe, Nicky Stanley, Sharon Mallon and Jo Bell report on the work of the Responses and Prevention in Student Suicide (RaPSS) study Supporting staff dealing with suicide: Andrew Reeves offers a straightforward practical approach for staff and institution HOPElineUK: Tony Cox highlights the importance of supporting those who are most likely to notice the early signs of suicidal tendencies Suicide: a student's perspective: A vivid and moving description of the pain of student depression Assessing 'risk' vs promoting resilience: Marilyn McGowan discusses the importance of a multidisciplinary, 'whole institution' approach to suicide prevention New website resource: Denise Meyer introduces the comprehensive self-help Students against depression website Online peer support for students: Internet-based support for students experiencing psychological problems at University College London Mentoring for mental health: Ann Heyno describes a pioneering mentoring programme Inductions – the importance of meeting and greeting: Alison Barty explains how counsellors can make a unique contribution to effective induction programmes Stress control for students: Barbara Fairfax and Vicky Groves describe their experience of delivering and evaluating an innovative psychoeducational programme 'Mindfulness' groups – stress reduction skills for students: Lyn Mooney explains the therapeutic uses of mindfulness and the success of a mindfulness group for students Writing survival skills: 'Disarming the inner critic' is a crucial skill for writing essays and dissertations Nightlines – welfare by night: A look at the best established student peer support scheme, Nightline Developing student counselling in Sri Lanka: John Cowley rises to the challenge of counselling training in a different culture AUCC news: Latest tools from the Advisory Service Book reviews

Summer 2005 issue International students: Colin Lago considers how counsellors might help institutions respond to the needs of international students Coming to an end: Jean Clark describes the process of ending her 34-year counselling career AUCC fit for the future: Following the review of AUCC structure and organisation, Dr Les McMinn outlines the main changes and addresses some of the questions that may arise Setting up a staff counselling service: Angela Hodgson explains how to set up a service in line with best practice Employee counselling: Tony Buon considers the controversial issue of management involvement in counselling Students against depression: A pioneering new website aims to help students with depression or suicidal thinking The future for FE colleges: Dave Berger reports on the progress of the Foster Review, which is considering the future of FE in the UK FE sub committee – meeting your needs? Mary-Teresa Green presents the results of the online survey asking members of the counsellors-in-FE mailbase their views on the FE sub committee The large group: source of fear or learning opportunity? Colin Lago argues that the large group experience can provide an ideal opportunity for learning about how institutions work and how you can work within them AUCC conference: a newcomer's experience: Kate Dunn of Portsmouth University counselling service shares her experience

Spring 2005 issue CBT in higher education: Nicky Mitchell describes some of the principles of CBT, answering criticisms and setting out its uses in the higher education setting Client resilience: Hikaru Okuno, of Nishogakusha University in Japan, puts forward the notion of 'resilience' as a useful concept with which to work with students' strengths while recognising their difficulties Supervision of placement students: During eight years of running BACP accredited counselling training, Susannah Izzard made a particular study of ethical placement provision. This article summarises the key points of her workshop at the 2004 AUCC conference Latest legal guidelines for sexual abuse issues: Jill Collins and Peter Jenkins answer questions about the implications for counsellors of the new Sexual Offences Act 2003, the Children Act 2004 and the policy document Safeguarding Children in Education HE counselling in Italy: Gloria Ruggieri, a counsellor at Oxford University, reflects on the differences between the UK and Italian approaches Leadership begins with the chair: Past chair John Cowley reflects on the main aims, challenges and hoped-for achievements of his time as chair.

Summer 2004 issue Complete issue download via the Members Area (3 MB) Finding a voice - understanding black issues in the therapeutic process: There is great sensitivity about addressing black issues in therapeutic relationships and the training and supervision of counsellors. Isha Mckenzie-Mavinga, of London Metropolitan University, discusses (4.6 MB) Helping university staff to help students: Dr Carol Lomax, senior counsellor at Manchester Metropolitan University, describes a model for training and supporting university staff in their roles as potential helpers to students in distress Debate: what research do we need to do? Led by chair Morag Patten, the AUCC research sub-committee has recently completed consultation on a strategy document to support funding bids to consolidate and expand its work Counsellors in FE mailbase discusses work with a client who is deaf: The counsellors in FE mailbase is an active, supportive discussion community where counsellors exchange ideas, compare contexts and conditions, and disseminate a wealth of experience and knowledge (1 MB) Working with interpreters using British Sign Language: Bernie Tuohy writes about the challenges and rewards of working with an interpreter using British Sign Language with deaf clients Complementary eating disorders support service: Nicky Linfield describes the aims of a pioneering project that supports young people with eating disorders through further or higher education BACP service accreditation builds on pioneering AUCC work: Alan Percy describes the recent review of the AUCC service recognition scheme and the process by which it has merged with the BACP scheme Assessing and working with students at risk: a HOCCHE one-day conference: Lynn Murley reports on the one-day conference in March 2004, on assessing and working with students at risk

Spring 2004 issue Complete issue download via the Members Area (0.2 MB) Action research on eating disorders: Vicky Groves and Julie Devlin Eating disorders prevention and management: Pat Davies (0.2 MB) 'When I write, I think': some uses of personal writing by international students: Colin Lago Reshaping the future - student peer support for sexual harassment and assault: Lilian Wissink Supporting counselling with complementary therapies: Suzanna Stein