Sub-committees

• Advisory Service to Institutions
• Conference sub-committee
• Further education sub-committee
• Research sub-committee

Advisory Service to Institutions

Advisory Service sub-committee members:

Background

The Advisory Service consists of a group of experienced accredited practitioners who meet once termly and can be contacted by AUCC members or their managers, either by telephone or email.

The Advisory Service aims to keep abreast of all professional issues relating to counselling services in both higher and further education settings and to provide regularly updated written guidelines to the membership. It also acts in an advisory capacity on any issues of concern to members. Most commonly we are contacted on such issues as service reorganisation, the impact of wider institutional change, data protection issues, training placements, legal and ethical issues regarding confidentiality.

Membership

Selection of members for the Advisory Service is by written application and interview. Applicants need to have at least 5 years experience of counselling in FE or HE settings and be accredited practitioners. We are currently looking for new members for the committee. If you would like to discuss further please contact Anne-Marie Bradley.

How we can help you

AUCC members have often found it helpful, when faced with institutional change or difficulties, to talk with a member of the Advisory Service who is able to act as an experienced sounding board and give a considered response to the issue. Where appropriate, the Advisory Service is also able to write to institutions to underline appropriate professional standards for counselling services.

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Conference sub-committee

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Further education sub-committee

The function of the FE sub-committee is particularly to support counsellors working in colleges of further education and in sixth form colleges.  It aims to encourage good practice and provides a forum for discussion on current issues.

The FE sub-committee aims to:

• promote an awareness and understanding of counselling in FE and, where appropriate, liaise with external bodies
• support the continuing existence and development of the counselling services in FE
• be a focal point for gathering information and be a source of information and advice to members, including arranging training on relevant issues
• share good practice and innovative ways of working
• continue to maintain and raise the profile of counselling in FE colleges.

The FE Sub Committee meets termly and the members usually set an agenda for the coming academic year based on the needs of FE and Sixth Form counsellors.  However, one item is always on the agenda in order to reflect current issues of concern to practitioners:-

• To reflect on, respond to and collate the topics and trends being raised through the FE Jiscmail

How can I get involved?
There are often opportunities to get involved either with a one-off project or by joining the committee when there are vacancies in the sub-committee.

FE sub-committee members:

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Research sub-committee

Aims of research sub-committee

The aim of the research sub-committee is to encourage research into:

• the practice of counselling in further and higher education in the UK
• the conditions of work for those counselling
• any related area of research that could inform AUCC members.

Completed projects

• Review of published research relevant to counselling in UK colleges and universities (1998)
• Compilation of references of published research in English language relevant to counselling in UK colleges and universities (2001)
• Template for evaluating client satisfaction in student counselling services
• 'Categorisation of Client Concerns' (1998, revised 2000) which provides useful criteria for counsellors to classify clients' presenting issues and degree of distress (see also Degrees of Disturbance document)

Current projects

• Annual Survey of Counselling in Further and Higher Education – published in May for the previous full academic year
• Working group researching relevant evaluation measures applicable to assessing effectiveness of counselling interventions in tertiary education
• Divisional representation on BACP Research Committee

Ideas for future research projects

• Bullying
• Evidence-based research to investigate use of psychological interventions in supporting students

Research sub-committee members:

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