Embedded Counselling in the Helping Professions: A Practical Guide

“This book should be read by everyone working in a helping profession.”

Laura Burns, Training Lead for Hostage and Crisis Negotiation (2017-2020) and Inspector, Police Scotland, UK

“This is a superb book in every single respect: beautifully written, relevant, supportive and providing an accessible framework for all those in the helping professions to develop and enhance relationships with people.”

Professor Andrew Reeves, Professor in Counselling Professions and Mental Health, University of Chester, UK

“This is an excellent resource for anyone who requires an element of embedded counselling in a professional capacity.”

Dr William N. Scott, Lecturer in Biomedicine, Atlantic Technological University, Ireland

Embedded Counselling in the Helping Professions offers a practical framework for understanding how frontline human service practitioners can respond effectively to the emotional support needs of those around them, by incorporating counselling skills and knowledge into their everyday professional work. 

Taking a broad, interdisciplinary perspective, McLeod and McLeod provide comprehensive coverage of key areas of practice that can lead to improved outcomes for service users, including:

• Capitalising on how embedded counselling complements and builds on other interventions and forms of support

• Developing skills and activities for facilitating helpful counselling episodes that enable clients to move forward in their lives

• Using evidence from research studies to enhance practice

• Designing caring services that promote positive practitioner values and attributes, and take account of organisational challenges and opportunities

• Ongoing personal reflection, supervision and consultation to consolidate learning and awareness.

As well as tackling critical reflections and enforcing ethical practice this new book helps human service practitioners to make sense of frequently occurring client issues including crisis, trauma, emotional pain, life transitions, bereavement and loss, and behaviour change.

Embedded Counselling in the Helping Professions is essential reading for all students entering the human service field. It also acts as a valuable continuing professional development resource for qualified and experienced practitioners and for managers and policy-makers who are committed to creating caring and responsive organisations.

Julia McLeod is Lecturer in Counselling at Abertay University, Dundee, UK. She has been a counselling trainer and tutor with students from many different backgrounds, as well as having extensive experience as a therapist and supervisor.

John McLeod is Emeritus Professor of Counselling at Abertay University Dundee, UK and Visiting Professor at the Institute for Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy in Dublin, Ireland. A leading figure in the field of counselling and psychotherapy research, his recent work has focused on the development of a flexible, pluralistic approach to therapy.