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Scoping report
Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectivesGillian Griffiths – December 2013
1 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Executive summary
This report presents the findings of a review of qualitative research to identify the factors that young people find helpful and unhelpful in the school-based counselling they have experienced. A systematic search of electronic databases and grey literature was conducted. Nine studies were found to meet the inclusion criteria for this review. A qualitative meta-analysis identified the relevant information from the selected studies and this led to the formulation of meta-categories.
Results show that young people report the most helpful aspect in the process of school-based counselling to be the opportunity to talk openly and be listened to. Other factors also seen as important are counsellors’ strategies and guidance, the chance to get things off their chest, to feel understood, accepted and not judged. Young people value counselling being a self-directed process, providing an opportunity for insight, self-awareness and problem solving. The counsellor’s independence and personal qualities, as well as the confidentiality of counselling, are all considered helpful.
Although the reporting of unhelpful factors was found to be low, there are a number of issues which would be useful to consider when developing counselling interventions. These include practical issues such as anxieties about missing lessons, wanting more counselling, wanting more counsellor input, lack of confidentiality, students being unaware of the service, and students finding it difficult to talk.
This systematic review offers a clear understanding of the process of counselling from the young person’s perspective. Taking account of clients’ views may improve experiences of school-based counselling and lead to more effective services which are responsive to client needs. There is a necessity for further rigorous research to be carried out in this area and for findings to be disseminated. Young people’s voices should be heard and specific questions regarding their experiences should be asked.
AcknowledgementsThanks to everyone who responded to the request for papers throughout the systematic search. Special thanks to Mick Cooper, Karen Cromarty and Katie McArthur, for their help and encouragement.
1 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 2
Contents
Aim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Introduction and background to the research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Method of searching, selection and analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Gillian Griffiths has almost 20 years’ experience of teaching in schools across the UK and in Japan. Throughout this time she has had a particular interest in specific learning difficulties, and the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Gillian is the author of Goodbye Baby (Saint Andrew Press, 2010), a book for young children who have experienced the loss of a sibling. She has recently completed an MSc in Psychological Counselling from the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian University. Gillian works part-time as an additional support needs teacher, a volunteer school counsellor with Place2Be and as a member of the Patient and Family Support Team for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Gillian currently lives in Glasgow with her husband and children.
Contact details: [email protected]
3 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
AimThe purpose of this study was to identify the factors that young people find helpful and unhelpful in the school-based counselling they have experienced, by synthesising responses from a number of studies.
Introduction and background to the research
Concerns regarding young people’s mental health and wellbeingA growing number of young people in the UK are experiencing mental health concerns. The Office for National Statistics [1] reported that 10% of 5–16 year olds in Great Britain have a clinically diagnosable mental health disorder. This rises to 12% among 11–16 year olds, with 5% having an emotional disorder such as anxiety or depression. Similarly, the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) Report [2] stated that approximately 10% of Scotland’s young people have mental health problems which cause them difficulties on a daily basis.
In Northern Ireland, Connolly et al. [3] reported that at least 10% of young people have a moderate to severe mental health disorder, and 7–18% of children aged 10–11 years old reported feelings of loneliness and sadness. A recent survey in a Scottish secondary school identified 25% of 11–12 year olds with varying degrees of mental health difficulties [4].
Evidence shows that a child or young person’s mental health difficulties can continue into adulthood. Kim-Cohen et al. [5] found that over half of adults with mental health problems first experienced symptoms in childhood or adolescence.
School-based support
These concerns have led to a focus on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, with a number of policies being introduced across the UK: e.g. the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services [6], and the Scottish Government’s Framework for Promotion, Prevention and Care (FPPC) [7]. The SNAP Report [2] suggested that the promotion of mental health should be the foundation of work with children and young people, and refers not only to mental health problems but also to the concept of wellbeing. Whole school approaches have been introduced to support health and wellbeing e.g. Health Promoting Schools [8] and Curriculum for Excellence [9]. Programmes such as Bounce Back [10] and SEAL [11] also promote mental health and resilience in schools.
The need for mental health services to be more accessible to young people has been highlighted [7]. Studies have
found, for instance, that the majority of students express a preference for seeing a counsellor within their school [12,13]. Cooper [14] states that school-based counselling is now one of the most prominent forms of psychological therapy for young people in the UK. He suggests that its key strength is the accessibility of the service, enabling young people to talk to an independent professional when they are experiencing difficulties.
Need for review of young people’s experiences
To date, most research on school-based counselling has been on the quantitative outcomes of evaluation studies [14,15]. Although some recent studies have included young people’s views on the essential elements of school-counselling services (e.g. Campbell et al. [16]; Pattison et al. [17]), Harris and Pattison’s [18] scoping review reported that few studies include young clients’ actual experiences of therapy. Given the current policy emphasis on service user participation [14], the collection and analysis of such data would seem essential in improving and developing counselling services for children and young people.
What service user data there is suggests that young people who have experienced counselling do rate it as helpful [15,19,20]. In addition, studies that have looked at which factors young people consider helpful in school-based counselling have found that young people value having someone to talk to [15,20,21]; and the counsellor being accepting, non-judgemental and supportive [20]. They also show that young people value the confidential nature of school-based counselling [15,21] and the ease of access [15].
Most of this research into young people’s experience of school-based counselling has focused on single counselling services. However, Cooper [19] carried out an extensive review of the qualitative and quantitative literature on school-based counselling research in the UK which included helpful and unhelpful factors. The most helpful aspect of counselling for young people was found to be the opportunity to talk and be listened to. Other helpful factors reported by young people included getting things off their chest; problem-solving; guidance (suggestion and advice); insight; confidentiality; independence of counsellor; being understood; being accepted; and personal qualities of the counsellor. Cooper [19] found few responses regarding unhelpful factors but those that young people did mention included availability of counsellors; wanting counsellors to be more active; promotion of service; maintaining privacy; and the difficulty of the process.
This current review focuses on qualitative research to determine the factors that young people experience as helpful and unhelpful in school-based counselling. The aim was to expand upon, and update, the findings from Cooper’s [19] review. A thorough systematic search and a formal qualitative meta-analysis of the data were also carried out.
3 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 4
Method of searching, selection and analysis
Inclusion criteria
Only those studies meeting the following inclusion criteria were eligible for this systematic review:
� Age range and setting: Involving young people of 11–18 years of age. Only those studies conducted with secondary school pupils were included. Any studies involving primary schools or tertiary education were excluded. Also excluded were any studies involving counselling with young people outside the school setting e.g. community based.
� Type of counselling: This review focuses on studies of one-to-one counselling, involving a therapist and young person. Any studies involving groups, peer counselling or classroom counselling were excluded; as were any studies involving telephone or online counselling. The young people involved in the studies were clients or ex-clients of the counselling service, not the general school population.
� Recent studies: Studies carried out within fifteen years of the search (from 1998–2013), were included in this review. Prior studies were excluded due to the changes that have occurred in schools and in school-based counselling since the 1990s.
� Primary research: Only primary research was included. However any review found during the search process was read for possible background information, and the references checked for studies that could meet the criteria for this review.
� Data collection and analysis: The data included in the studies must have been collected and analysed in a thorough manner e.g. thematic analysis of qualitative data.
If an abstract met the inclusion criteria, or if there was any doubt, the full article was read in detail to confirm that it met all the criteria.
Database search strategy
Electronic database searches were conducted using PsycINFO, Web of Knowledge, EBSCO Host and Google Scholar. Each database required a slightly different approach to the search, details of which can be found in Appendix 2. Keyword searches were carried out based on four main components of the search string:
� counselling, counseling � school, secondar*, high, adolescen*, you* � help*, significan*, experienc* � research, audit, evaluat*
(* symbolises variations of the keyword)
The keywords within each of the components were combined with the Boolean operator ‘OR’. The four components were then combined by using the Boolean operator ‘AND’.
Limiters were applied to focus the results and to reduce the number of irrelevant studies being highlighted. The limiters were slightly different for each database (see Appendix 2) but in general these included the following:
� Date: to limit results to papers published in the last 15 years (1998–2013).
� Language: to limit results to papers written in English. � Age of participants: where available this was used to
exclude papers with adult participants.
Overall 2,172 results were obtained through the initial database searches (see Figure 1). Titles and abstracts were read and 19 were deemed potentially relevant. These full papers were sourced and the inclusion criteria were applied. Only two papers from the electronic search were found to include helpful factors from the young person’s perspective, and to meet all of the inclusion criteria.
Reference lists from related research were also searched and a hand search was conducted of BACP Children and Young People journals from December 2008–March 2013. No relevant papers were found.
Grey literature search strategy
Because of the potential amount of grey literature (e.g. evaluation documents, online reports) available, it was decided to focus exclusively on grey literature from the UK.
Initial requests for papers were made through the BACP Children and Young People journal, the Children and Young People Practice Research Network (CYP PRN) discussion board, plus the research section of the www.therapytoday.net noticeboard.
In addition to this, a web-based search was carried out to find counselling services across the UK. Their websites were scanned for relevant papers and they were contacted via email to ask if they had carried out, or knew of, research which may be relevant to this review (see Appendix 3 for a list of the services contacted). Further papers were sourced through personal communication with Karen Cromarty (BACP), Mick Cooper and Katherine McArthur (University of Strathclyde).
From these requests 59 papers were received (see Figure 1). In total seven papers found through this search strategy met the inclusion criteria and were also taken through to the next stage, along with those obtained from the database searches, giving a total of nine primary studies (see Table 1).
5 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
n=2131
n=25
n=75
n=66
n=9
n=2231
n=202
n=2172 n=59
n=811 n=159 n=1000
Electronic databases searched and number of results found
Titles and abstracts identi�ed and screened
PsycINFO Web of knowledge
EBSCO Host
Google Scholar
Additional papers identi�ed through other sources e.g. emails, published requests
Potentially relevant papers sourced and screened for eligibility
Studies meeting the inclusion criteria, incorporated in the review
Excluded as not meeting the inclusion criteria
Not relevant
Duplicates
Figure 1: Flow chart of literature search and retrieval
Data analysis
A qualitative meta-analysis [22] was conducted in which all relevant information was identified and extracted from the nine selected studies. The methodological design of each study was examined and an evaluation was made as to how the design may have influenced the results (see Appendix 4).
In analysing the data, a descriptive-interpretive approach [23] to categorisation was followed. Each original category of helpful and unhelpful factors from the primary studies were considered as separate meaning units. The meaning units were compared across studies and commonalities explored. Similar meaning units were gathered into clusters which generated the meta-categories for this review (shown in Tables 2 and 3).
5 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 6
Tab
le 1
: Stu
die
s in
clud
ed in
qua
litat
ive
met
a-an
alys
is
Stu
dy
Dat
a co
llect
ion
Dat
a an
alys
is
met
hod
Hel
pfu
l fac
tors
(% o
f cl
ient
s w
ho m
ade
resp
ons
es)
Unh
elp
ful f
acto
rs(%
of
clie
nts
who
mad
e re
spo
nses
)F
acto
rs in
fl uen
cing
re
sults
Co
op
er (I
) [24
]In
terv
iew
Inte
rvie
ws
wer
e re
cord
ed,
tran
scrib
ed,
anal
ysed
, th
en d
ata
was
or
gani
sed
into
ca
tego
ries
with
the
help
of
NV
ivo
(a
qual
itativ
e an
alys
is
softw
are
pack
age)
.
(a) W
hat
the
coun
sello
r ha
d d
one
that
was
hel
pfu
l:
‘list
enin
g’ (5
8%)
‘offe
rs s
ugge
stio
ns a
nd a
dvic
e’ (5
8%)
‘cou
nsel
lor
nice
and
frie
ndly
’ (53
%)
‘que
stio
ns’ (
53%
)
‘exp
ress
es u
nder
stan
ding
’ (32
%)
‘doe
sn’t
criti
cise
or
judg
e’ (2
6%)
‘doe
sn’t
dire
ct’ (
26%
)
‘doe
sn’t
try
to s
ort t
hing
s ou
t’ (2
6%)
‘rela
xatio
n te
chni
ques
’ (26
%)
‘insi
ghts
into
thei
r ps
ycho
logi
cal p
roce
sses
and
feel
ings
’ (16
%)
‘reas
sura
nces
’ (16
%)
‘cou
nsel
lor
a go
od li
sten
er’ (
16%
)
wou
ld n
ot m
ake
it ‘a
ll ab
out t
hem
’ (11
%)
(b) W
hat
the
clie
nt h
ad d
one
that
was
hel
pfu
l:
‘opp
ortu
nity
to ta
lk’ (
95%
)
‘refl e
ctin
g’ (4
7%)
‘exp
lore
s al
tern
ativ
e w
ays
of b
ehav
ing’
(47%
)
‘opp
ortu
nity
to g
et th
ings
off
thei
r ch
est’
(42%
)
‘fi nd
ans
wer
s fo
r th
emse
lves
’ (16
%)
‘be
hone
st a
bout
wha
t you
wer
e fe
elin
g’ (1
1%)
(c) E
xper
ienc
e of
cou
nsel
ling:
‘con
fi den
tial’
(63%
)
‘rela
’ (26
%)
‘not
hing
unh
elpf
ul’ (
58%
)
‘lack
of i
nput
or
dire
ctio
n fro
m th
e co
unse
llor’
(16%
)
Sin
gle
resp
onse
s:
‘a d
esire
for
long
er s
essi
ons’
‘a d
esire
for
mor
e se
ssio
ns’
‘cou
nsel
lor
was
too
serio
us’
‘dis
like
of m
issi
ng c
lass
es’
‘teac
hers
wer
e in
suffi
cien
tly d
iscr
ete’
‘room
was
too
publ
icly
vis
ible
’
Imp
rove
men
ts t
o se
rvic
e:
‘cou
nsel
lor
shou
ld b
e ar
ound
mor
e of
ten’
(16%
)
‘con
tact
the
coun
sello
r di
rect
ly’ (
11%
) ‘s
hort
er w
aitin
g tim
e’ (1
1%)
In a
dditi
on to
the
ques
tionn
aire
, in-
dept
h st
ruct
ured
inte
rvie
ws
wer
e ca
rrie
d ou
t with
a
smal
l gro
up o
f clie
nts
(19)
who
had
com
plet
ed
coun
sellin
g.
Par
t of t
he in
terv
iew
fo
cuse
d on
the
coun
sellin
g pr
oces
s an
d as
ked
spec
ifi ca
lly w
hat t
he c
lient
fo
und
help
ful/u
nhel
pful
.
7 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Stu
dy
Dat
a co
llect
ion
Dat
a an
alys
is
met
hod
Hel
pfu
l fac
tors
(% o
f cl
ient
s w
ho m
ade
resp
ons
es)
Unh
elp
ful f
acto
rs(%
of
clie
nts
who
mad
e re
spo
nses
)F
acto
rs in
fl uen
cing
re
sults
Co
op
er (Q
) [2
4]Q
uest
ionn
aire
Qua
litat
ive
item
s an
alys
ed
and
code
d in
to
cate
gorie
s.
‘talk
ing
and
bein
g lis
tene
d to
’ (28
%)
‘spe
cifi c
impr
ovem
ents
’ (24
%)
‘get
ting
thin
gs o
ff on
e’s
ches
t’ (1
6%)
‘sel
f-es
teem
’ (8%
)
‘gui
danc
e an
d ad
vice
’ (8%
)
‘con
fi den
tialit
y’ (8
%)
‘pro
blem
-sol
ving
’ (6%
)
‘feel
ing
unde
rsto
od’ (
6%)
‘insi
ght a
nd a
war
enes
s’ (5
%)
2 re
spon
den
ts m
entio
ned
:
‘not
as
confi
den
tial a
s it
shou
ld
have
bee
n’
‘mor
e in
put f
rom
the
coun
sello
r’
Sin
gle
resp
onse
s:
‘mor
e up
set t
hink
ing
abou
t the
pas
t’
‘don
’t th
ink
I was
read
y to
talk
’
‘too
stub
born
to p
ay a
tten
tion’
‘it d
id n
ot h
elp’
Imp
rove
men
ts t
o se
rvic
e:
‘cou
nsel
lor
shou
ld b
e av
aila
ble
for
long
er
perio
ds o
f tim
e’ (3
%)
‘ser
vice
sho
uld
be b
ette
r pu
blic
ised
’(3%
)
‘pro
pose
d di
ffere
nt fo
rmat
s or
str
ateg
ies’
(2
%)
Res
pons
e ra
te o
f 69%
(1
17 p
upils
who
com
plet
ed
coun
sellin
g).
97 (8
3% o
f res
pond
ents
) an
swer
ed th
e qu
estio
n of
how
cou
nsel
ling
was
us
eful
to th
em.
7 (6
%) a
nsw
ered
why
co
unse
lling
was
not
he
lpfu
l.
24 (2
1%) r
espo
nded
to
the
requ
est f
or c
omm
ents
re
gard
ing
impr
ovem
ents
to
the
serv
ice.
Co
op
er [2
5]Q
uest
ionn
aire
Q
ualit
ativ
e ou
tcom
es
code
d in
to
cate
gorie
s.
‘talk
ing
and
bein
g lis
tene
d to
’ (59
%)
‘gui
danc
e an
d ad
vice
’ (14
%)
‘mis
cella
neou
s’ (9
%)
‘con
fi den
tialit
y’ (8
%)
‘spe
cifi c
impr
ovem
ent’
(6%
)
‘eve
ryth
ing’
(6%
)
Clie
nts
also
men
tione
d:
‘get
ting
thin
gs o
ff on
e’s
ches
t’
‘inde
pend
ence
of c
ouns
ello
r’
‘pro
blem
-sol
ving
’
‘sel
f-es
teem
’
‘feel
ing
unde
rsto
od’
‘insi
ght a
nd a
war
enes
s’
‘non
-judg
emen
tal’
‘not
hing
’ (91
%).
Sin
gle
resp
ond
ents
men
tione
d:
‘con
stan
t cha
ngin
g of
app
oint
men
t day
s an
d tim
es’
‘cou
nsel
lor
shou
ld b
e th
ere
at th
e sc
hool
al
l the
tim
e’
‘ther
e ar
e st
ill m
any
pupi
ls in
the
scho
ol
who
are
una
war
e of
how
to g
o ab
out
gett
ing
help
from
the
coun
sellin
g se
rvic
e’
78%
of c
lient
s w
ho
had
com
plet
ed th
erap
y (9
0 pu
pils
) ret
urne
d qu
estio
nnai
res,
whi
ch is
an
exce
llent
resp
onse
rat
e.
66 (7
3% o
f res
pond
ents
) ga
ve q
ualit
ativ
e re
spon
ses
to th
e qu
estio
n as
king
w
hat a
spec
ts o
f co
unse
lling
they
foun
d us
eful
.
34 (3
8%) g
ave
resp
onse
s to
the
ques
tion
rega
rdin
g un
help
ful e
lem
ents
.
7 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 8
Stu
dy
Dat
a co
llect
ion
Dat
a an
alys
is
met
hod
Hel
pfu
l fac
tors
(% o
f cl
ient
s w
ho m
ade
resp
ons
es)
Unh
elp
ful f
acto
rs(%
of
clie
nts
who
mad
e re
spo
nses
)F
acto
rs in
fl uen
cing
re
sults
Co
op
er [2
6]Q
uest
ionn
aire
Qua
litat
ive
resp
onse
s w
ere
them
atic
ally
an
alys
ed.
‘opp
ortu
nity
to ta
lk a
nd b
e lis
tene
d to
’ (44
%)
‘get
ting
thin
gs o
ff on
e’s
ches
t’ (8
%)
‘inde
pend
ence
of c
ouns
ello
r’ (7
%)
‘felt
unde
rsto
od’ (
3%)
‘hav
ing
som
eone
ther
e’ (3
%)
‘con
fi den
tialit
y’ (2
%)
‘insi
ght’
(2%
)
‘use
ful g
uida
nce/
advi
ce’ (
2%)
Clie
nts
also
men
tione
d:
‘cou
nsel
lor’s
acc
epta
nce’
(2 re
spon
dent
s)
‘sel
f-di
rect
ed p
roce
ss’ (
sing
le re
spon
se)
‘not
hel
pful
’ (4%
)
‘wou
ld li
ke m
ore
coun
sellin
g’
(2 re
spon
dent
s)
Imp
rove
men
ts:
2 re
spon
ses
–
‘cou
nsel
lor
shou
ld b
e m
ore
pro-
activ
e’
Sin
gle
resp
onse
s -
‘mor
e fre
quen
t and
/or
long
er s
essi
on’
‘mor
e pr
ivat
e lo
catio
n’
‘room
sho
uld
be a
lot m
ore
chee
rier
and
brig
hter
’
‘ser
vice
sho
uld
be p
rom
oted
mor
e’
‘sho
uld
be a
ble
to d
o st
uff t
hat d
oes
not
just
invo
lve
talk
ing’
‘hot
drin
ks s
houl
d be
pro
vide
d’
Very
hig
h re
spon
se r
ate
(80%
) and
larg
e nu
mbe
r of
clie
nts
(264
) com
plet
ed
post
-cou
nsel
ling
ques
tionn
aire
s.
129
part
icip
ants
(49%
of
ques
tionn
aire
resp
onde
nts)
an
swer
ed th
e qu
estio
ns
of w
hy th
ey th
ough
t co
unse
lling
had
help
ed o
r ho
w th
e se
rvic
e m
ay b
e im
prov
ed.
No
ques
tion
spec
ifi ca
lly
rega
rdin
g un
help
ful f
acto
rs.
9 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Stu
dy
Dat
a co
llect
ion
Dat
a an
alys
is
met
hod
Hel
pfu
l fac
tors
(% o
f cl
ient
s w
ho m
ade
resp
ons
es)
Unh
elp
ful f
acto
rs(%
of
clie
nts
who
mad
e re
spo
nses
)F
acto
rs in
fl uen
cing
res
ults
Dun
ne,
Tho
mp
son
&
Leitc
h [2
7]
Que
stio
nnai
re
and
inte
rvie
w
(resu
lts w
ere
com
bine
d)
Qua
litat
ive
com
men
ts
from
the
ques
tionn
aire
s an
d in
terv
iew
s w
ere
code
d an
d ca
tego
rised
.
(a) C
lient
fact
ors:
‘talk
ed a
bout
pro
blem
s’ (6
4%)
‘talk
ed a
bout
feel
ings
’ (55
%)
‘eas
e of
talk
ing’
(45%
)
‘exp
erie
nced
pos
itive
feel
ing’
(45%
)
‘was
und
erst
ood’
(36%
)
‘rele
ase
of te
nsio
n’ (3
6%)
‘new
per
spec
tive’
(36%
)
‘pro
blem
sol
ving
’ (36
%)
‘cla
rifi e
d id
eas/
prob
lem
s’ (2
7%)
‘focu
sed/
stay
ed fo
cuse
d’ (2
7%)
(b) C
ouns
ello
r fa
ctor
s:
‘enc
oura
ged
clie
nt to
talk
’ (36
%)
‘list
ened
to c
lient
’ (27
%)
‘sum
mar
ised
clie
nt m
ater
ial’
(27%
)
(c) C
onte
xtua
l fac
tors
:
‘cou
nsel
ling
is d
iffer
ent t
o ot
her
conv
ersa
tions
: I c
an le
t th
ings
out
’ (27
%)
Clie
nts
also
men
tione
d (2
resp
onde
nts)
:
‘felt
com
fort
ed/r
eass
ured
’
‘sen
se o
f bei
ng “
real
” as
a p
erso
n’
‘lack
of n
egat
ive
feel
ings
/exp
erie
nces
in s
essi
on’
‘got
use
ful i
nfor
mat
ion’
‘ach
ieve
d ou
tsid
e pe
rspe
ctiv
e/di
stan
ce’
‘reve
aled
diffi
cul
t mat
eria
l’
‘cou
nsel
lor
aski
ng q
uest
ions
’
‘dea
lt w
ith c
lient
resi
stan
ce’
‘obj
ectiv
e: ta
lk to
som
eone
that
was
n’t t
akin
g an
y si
des’
Clie
nts
men
tione
d (2
res
pon
den
ts
for
each
):
‘exp
erie
nced
unc
omfo
rtab
le fe
elin
gs’
‘unw
ante
d th
ough
ts’
‘clie
nt u
nabl
e/un
willi
ng to
focu
s’
Sm
all n
umbe
r of
par
ticip
ants
(1
1), a
ppro
xim
atel
y ha
lf of
the
coun
sello
r’s c
lient
s.
Thes
e cl
ient
s w
ere
chos
en b
y th
e co
unse
llor/
rese
arch
er a
nd in
vite
d to
par
ticip
ate.
Hel
pful
/unh
elpf
ul fa
ctor
s m
easu
red
afte
r ea
ch s
essi
on,
rath
er th
an p
ost-
ther
apy.
One
item
on
the
ques
tionn
aire
as
ked
spec
ifi ca
lly a
bout
hel
pful
/un
help
ful f
acto
rs. I
nter
view
ees
wer
e fu
rthe
r qu
estio
ned
abou
t th
ese
fact
ors.
Stu
dy
Dat
a co
llect
ion
Dat
a an
alys
is
met
hod
Hel
pfu
l fac
tors
(% o
f cl
ient
s w
ho m
ade
resp
ons
es)
Unh
elp
ful f
acto
rs(%
of
clie
nts
who
mad
e re
spo
nses
)F
acto
rs in
fl uen
cing
res
ults
Fre
ire &
Co
op
er
[28]
Que
stio
nnai
reQ
ualit
ativ
e re
spon
ses
wer
e co
ded
into
ca
tego
ries.
‘talk
ing
and
liste
ning
’ (28
%)
‘thin
gs o
ff ch
est’
(5%
)
coun
sello
r ‘in
depe
nden
t’ (5
%)
‘insi
ght a
nd s
elf-
unde
rsta
ndin
g’ (3
%)
‘cou
nsel
lor’s
per
sona
l qua
litie
s’ (3
%)
‘adv
ice’
(2%
)
‘und
erst
andi
ng’ (
2%)
‘con
fi den
tialit
y’ (2
%)
‘acc
epta
nce’
(2%
)
‘pro
blem
sol
ving
’ (2
resp
onde
nts)
No
data
incl
uded
.29
2 en
d of
ther
apy
ques
tionn
aire
s, a
resp
onse
rat
e of
63%
. (38
1 in
tota
l whe
n en
d of
te
rm q
uest
ionn
aire
s ar
e in
clud
ed).
A h
igh
num
ber
of re
spon
dent
s,
268
(70.
3% o
f tho
se w
ho
com
plet
ed th
e qu
estio
nnai
re)
resp
onde
d to
the
ques
tion
of
why
they
thou
ght t
he c
ouns
ellin
g se
rvic
e w
as h
elpf
ul/u
nhel
pful
.
Ho
ugh
& F
reire
[2
9]Q
uest
ionn
aire
Ran
king
of t
he
seve
n ite
ms
cont
aine
d in
th
e st
ruct
ured
qu
estio
n.
Qua
litat
ive
resp
onse
s so
rted
into
ca
tego
ries.
Str
uctu
red
res
pon
ses
(% a
pp
rox.
):
‘talk
ing
to s
omeo
ne w
ho w
ould
list
en’ (
70%
)
‘bei
ng a
ble
to ta
lk in
a c
onfi d
entia
l env
ironm
ent’
(58%
)
‘get
ting
thin
gs o
ff ch
est’
(52%
)
‘rece
ivin
g su
gges
tions
/adv
ice’
(35%
)
‘bei
ng a
sked
que
stio
ns’ (
31%
)
‘fi nd
ing
out w
hy y
ou th
ink,
feel
and
beh
ave
in th
e w
ay
you
do’ (
29%
)
‘wor
king
out
new
, and
bet
ter,
way
s to
beh
ave’
(25%
)
Qua
litat
ive
resp
onse
s:
‘opp
ortu
nity
to ta
lk a
nd b
e lis
tene
d to
’ (27
%)
‘cou
nsel
lor’s
acc
epta
nce/
not b
eing
judg
ed’ (
9.7%
)
‘insi
ght/
self-
unde
rsta
ndin
g’ (9
%)
‘hav
ing
som
eone
ther
e w
ho c
ares
/tru
st’ (
8%)
‘get
ting
thin
gs o
ff on
e’s
ches
t’ (7
%)
‘bei
ng u
nder
stoo
d’ (5
%)
‘con
fi den
tialit
y’ (4
%)
‘hav
ing
time
out’
(4%
)
Res
pon
den
ts a
lso
men
tione
d:
‘use
ful g
uida
nce/
advi
ce’
‘sel
f-di
rect
ed p
roce
ss’
‘cou
nsel
lor
nice
’
Qua
litat
ive
resp
onse
s:
‘not
hing
to ta
lk a
bout
/shy
’ (7%
)
‘wan
ted
mor
e se
ssio
ns’ (
4%)
‘wan
ted
mor
e ad
vice
/que
stio
ns’ (
4%)
sing
le r
esp
ond
ents
als
o m
entio
ned
:
‘too
man
y qu
estio
ns’
‘cou
nsel
lor
tens
e’
‘cou
nsel
ling
did
not h
elp’
Pos
t-co
unse
lling
ques
tionn
aire
s co
mpl
eted
by
224
pupi
ls (7
3.2%
of
clie
nts,
whi
ch is
an
exce
llent
re
spon
se r
ate)
.
How
ever
onl
y 93
of t
hose
who
co
mpl
eted
the
ques
tionn
aire
(3
1.4%
) gav
e a
qual
itativ
e re
spon
se to
the
ques
tions
of
why
cou
nsel
ling
was
hel
pful
/not
he
lpfu
l.
The
stru
ctur
ed s
ectio
n of
th
e qu
estio
nnai
re (c
onta
inin
g su
gges
tions
of h
elpf
ul fa
ctor
s)
may
hav
e in
fl uen
ced
the
subs
eque
nt q
ualit
ativ
e re
spon
ses
give
n. T
he s
truc
ture
d re
spon
ses
are
incl
uded
her
e fo
r in
form
atio
n on
ly, th
ey a
re n
ot in
clud
ed in
the
met
a-an
alys
is.
9 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 10
Stu
dy
Dat
a co
llect
ion
Dat
a an
alys
is
met
hod
Hel
pfu
l fac
tors
(% o
f cl
ient
s w
ho m
ade
resp
ons
es)
Unh
elp
ful f
acto
rs(%
of
clie
nts
who
mad
e re
spo
nses
)F
acto
rs in
fl uen
cing
res
ults
Fre
ire &
Co
op
er
[28]
Que
stio
nnai
reQ
ualit
ativ
e re
spon
ses
wer
e co
ded
into
ca
tego
ries.
‘talk
ing
and
liste
ning
’ (28
%)
‘thin
gs o
ff ch
est’
(5%
)
coun
sello
r ‘in
depe
nden
t’ (5
%)
‘insi
ght a
nd s
elf-
unde
rsta
ndin
g’ (3
%)
‘cou
nsel
lor’s
per
sona
l qua
litie
s’ (3
%)
‘adv
ice’
(2%
)
‘und
erst
andi
ng’ (
2%)
‘con
fi den
tialit
y’ (2
%)
‘acc
epta
nce’
(2%
)
‘pro
blem
sol
ving
’ (2
resp
onde
nts)
No
data
incl
uded
.29
2 en
d of
ther
apy
ques
tionn
aire
s, a
resp
onse
rat
e of
63%
. (38
1 in
tota
l whe
n en
d of
te
rm q
uest
ionn
aire
s ar
e in
clud
ed).
A h
igh
num
ber
of re
spon
dent
s,
268
(70.
3% o
f tho
se w
ho
com
plet
ed th
e qu
estio
nnai
re)
resp
onde
d to
the
ques
tion
of
why
they
thou
ght t
he c
ouns
ellin
g se
rvic
e w
as h
elpf
ul/u
nhel
pful
.
Ho
ugh
& F
reire
[2
9]Q
uest
ionn
aire
Ran
king
of t
he
seve
n ite
ms
cont
aine
d in
th
e st
ruct
ured
qu
estio
n.
Qua
litat
ive
resp
onse
s so
rted
into
ca
tego
ries.
Str
uctu
red
res
pon
ses
(% a
pp
rox.
):
‘talk
ing
to s
omeo
ne w
ho w
ould
list
en’ (
70%
)
‘bei
ng a
ble
to ta
lk in
a c
onfi d
entia
l env
ironm
ent’
(58%
)
‘get
ting
thin
gs o
ff ch
est’
(52%
)
‘rece
ivin
g su
gges
tions
/adv
ice’
(35%
)
‘bei
ng a
sked
que
stio
ns’ (
31%
)
‘fi nd
ing
out w
hy y
ou th
ink,
feel
and
beh
ave
in th
e w
ay
you
do’ (
29%
)
‘wor
king
out
new
, and
bet
ter,
way
s to
beh
ave’
(25%
)
Qua
litat
ive
resp
onse
s:
‘opp
ortu
nity
to ta
lk a
nd b
e lis
tene
d to
’ (27
%)
‘cou
nsel
lor’s
acc
epta
nce/
not b
eing
judg
ed’ (
9.7%
)
‘insi
ght/
self-
unde
rsta
ndin
g’ (9
%)
‘hav
ing
som
eone
ther
e w
ho c
ares
/tru
st’ (
8%)
‘get
ting
thin
gs o
ff on
e’s
ches
t’ (7
%)
‘bei
ng u
nder
stoo
d’ (5
%)
‘con
fi den
tialit
y’ (4
%)
‘hav
ing
time
out’
(4%
)
Res
pon
den
ts a
lso
men
tione
d:
‘use
ful g
uida
nce/
advi
ce’
‘sel
f-di
rect
ed p
roce
ss’
‘cou
nsel
lor
nice
’
Qua
litat
ive
resp
onse
s:
‘not
hing
to ta
lk a
bout
/shy
’ (7%
)
‘wan
ted
mor
e se
ssio
ns’ (
4%)
‘wan
ted
mor
e ad
vice
/que
stio
ns’ (
4%)
sing
le r
esp
ond
ents
als
o m
entio
ned
:
‘too
man
y qu
estio
ns’
‘cou
nsel
lor
tens
e’
‘cou
nsel
ling
did
not h
elp’
Pos
t-co
unse
lling
ques
tionn
aire
s co
mpl
eted
by
224
pupi
ls (7
3.2%
of
clie
nts,
whi
ch is
an
exce
llent
re
spon
se r
ate)
.
How
ever
onl
y 93
of t
hose
who
co
mpl
eted
the
ques
tionn
aire
(3
1.4%
) gav
e a
qual
itativ
e re
spon
se to
the
ques
tions
of
why
cou
nsel
ling
was
hel
pful
/not
he
lpfu
l.
The
stru
ctur
ed s
ectio
n of
th
e qu
estio
nnai
re (c
onta
inin
g su
gges
tions
of h
elpf
ul fa
ctor
s)
may
hav
e in
fl uen
ced
the
subs
eque
nt q
ualit
ativ
e re
spon
ses
give
n. T
he s
truc
ture
d re
spon
ses
are
incl
uded
her
e fo
r in
form
atio
n on
ly, th
ey a
re n
ot in
clud
ed in
the
met
a-an
alys
is.
11 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Stu
dy
Dat
a co
llect
ion
Dat
a an
alys
is
met
hod
Hel
pfu
l fac
tors
(% o
f cl
ient
s w
ho m
ade
resp
ons
es)
Unh
elp
ful f
acto
rs(%
of
clie
nts
who
mad
e re
spo
nses
)F
acto
rs in
fl uen
cing
res
ults
Lyna
ss, P
ykht
ina
& C
oo
per
[30]
Inte
rvie
wQ
ualit
ativ
e re
spon
ses
wer
e th
emat
ical
ly
anal
ysed
.
‘talk
ing/
gett
ing
thin
gs o
ut’ (
82%
)
‘cou
nsel
lor
qual
ities
’ (64
%)
‘can
talk
abo
ut th
ings
can
’t ta
lk to
fam
ily/f
riend
s ab
out’
(55%
)
‘oth
er p
eopl
e he
lped
alo
ngsi
de c
ouns
ellin
g’ (5
5%)
‘feel
ing
liste
ned
to/u
nder
stoo
d’ (5
5%)
‘con
fi den
tial/p
rivat
e’ (5
5%)
‘bei
ng tr
eate
d as
an
equa
l/not
bei
ng to
ld w
hat t
o do
’ (4
5%)
‘trus
ted
coun
sello
r’ (3
6%)
‘cou
nsel
lor
feed
back
/diff
eren
t per
spec
tive’
(36%
)
‘look
ing
at w
ays
to c
hang
e’ (3
6%)
‘atm
osph
ere/
room
’ (36
%)
‘thin
gs a
bout
sel
f tha
t hel
ped
mak
e us
e of
cou
nsel
ling’
(3
6%)
‘thin
gs th
at d
idn’
t cha
nge
alth
ough
w
ante
d th
em to
’ (40
%)
‘mor
e se
ssio
ns/lo
nger
ses
sion
s w
ante
d’
(30%
)
‘mis
sing
less
ons’
(20%
)
‘not
eno
ugh
ques
tions
/adv
ice’
(20%
)
‘no
chan
ges
perc
eive
d’ (2
0%)
Sm
all n
umbe
r of
par
ticip
ants
in
terv
iew
ed (1
1).
Inte
rvie
ws
incl
uded
spe
cifi c
qu
estio
ns a
skin
g fo
r ex
ampl
es
of h
elpf
ul/u
nhel
pful
fact
ors.
This
stu
dy w
as p
art o
f a la
rger
ra
ndom
ised
con
trol
led
tria
l, so
all
inte
rvie
wee
s re
ceiv
ed a
si
mila
r co
unse
lling
inte
rven
tion.
11 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 12
Stu
dy
Dat
a co
llect
ion
Dat
a an
alys
is
met
hod
Hel
pfu
l fac
tors
(% o
f cl
ient
s w
ho m
ade
resp
ons
es)
Unh
elp
ful f
acto
rs(%
of
clie
nts
who
mad
e re
spo
nses
)F
acto
rs in
fl uen
cing
res
ults
McA
rthu
r [3
1]In
terv
iew
Mea
ning
un
its w
ere
tran
scrib
ed
from
the
inte
rvie
ws,
then
or
gani
sed
into
ca
tego
ries.
(a) C
ouns
ello
r-re
late
d:
‘cou
nsel
lor’s
per
sona
l qua
litie
s’ (5
7%)
‘cou
nsel
lor’s
inde
pend
ence
(fro
m s
choo
l/clie
nt’s
life
)’ (4
3%)
‘cou
nsel
lor
liste
ning
’ (43
%)
‘cou
nsel
lor-
led
activ
ities
’ (36
%)
‘cou
nsel
lor
advi
ce’ (
36%
)
‘cou
nsel
lor
talk
ing’
(29%
)
‘cou
nsel
lor
unde
rsta
ndin
g’ (2
1%)
(b) C
lient
-rel
ated
:
‘talk
ing
abou
t em
otio
ns (g
ener
al)’
(93%
)
‘talk
ing
abou
t spe
cifi c
em
otio
ns o
r su
bjec
ts’ (
36%
)
(c) R
elat
iona
l:
‘com
fort
/eas
e in
rela
ting’
(57%
)
‘dia
logu
e’ (4
3%)
‘liki
ng/c
lose
ness
’ (36
%)
‘trus
t’ (2
9%)
(d) P
ract
ical
:
‘con
fi den
tialit
y’ (3
6%)
‘tim
ing
of s
essi
ons’
(29%
)
‘sch
ool c
onte
xt’ (
21%
)
Clie
nts
also
men
tione
d (1
or
2 re
spon
dent
s):
‘cou
nsel
lor
aski
ng q
uest
ions
’
‘clie
nt th
inki
ng’
‘num
ber
of s
essi
ons’
(a) C
ouns
ello
r-re
late
d:
1 or
2 r
esp
ond
ents
wan
ted
–
‘cou
nsel
lor
to ta
lk m
ore’
‘cou
nsel
lor
to a
sk m
ore
ques
tions
’‘m
ore
advi
ce’
‘mor
e ac
tiviti
es’
(b) C
lient
-rel
ated
:
‘diffi
cul
ty ta
lkin
g’ (2
9%)
(c) R
elat
iona
l:
‘aw
kwar
dnes
s’ (2
1%)
(d) P
ract
ical
:
‘mis
cella
neou
s pr
actic
al is
sues
’ (21
%)
1 or
2 r
esp
ond
ents
wan
ted
–
‘mor
e co
unse
lling’
‘less
freq
uent
ses
sion
s’
Sm
all n
umbe
r of
par
ticip
ants
in
terv
iew
ed (1
4).
Inte
rvie
ws
incl
uded
spe
cifi c
qu
estio
ns o
n he
lpfu
l and
hi
nder
ing
fact
ors,
as
wel
l as
gene
ral c
omm
ents
.
Ana
lysi
s of
qua
litat
ive
data
co
llect
ed d
urin
g a
rand
omis
ed
cont
rolle
d tr
ial o
f sch
ool-b
ased
hu
man
istic
cou
nsel
ling.
13 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Stu
dy
Dat
a co
llect
ion
Dat
a an
alys
is
met
hod
Hel
pfu
l fac
tors
(% o
f cl
ient
s w
ho m
ade
resp
ons
es)
Unh
elp
ful f
acto
rs(%
of
clie
nts
who
mad
e re
spo
nses
)F
acto
rs in
fl uen
cing
res
ults
She
rry
(Q) [
32]
Que
stio
nnai
re
Them
atic
so
rtin
g of
co
mm
ents
.
‘talk
ing
mor
e op
enly
’ (24
%)
‘gen
eral
com
men
ts’ (
24%
)
‘bei
ng u
nder
stoo
d’ (1
2%)
‘hel
p w
ith p
robl
ems’
(12%
)
‘cou
nsel
lor
as fr
iend
’ (7%
)
‘con
fi den
tialit
y’ (7
%)
‘inde
pend
ence
of t
he c
ouns
ello
r’ (5
%)
clie
nts
also
men
tione
d:
‘not
bei
ng ju
dged
’
‘pos
itive
refe
renc
es to
cou
nsel
lors
’
‘neg
ativ
e re
spon
ses
to th
e co
unse
llor’
(3
0%)
‘gen
der
issu
es’ (
13%
)
‘lim
itatio
ns o
f cou
nsel
ling’
(13%
)
‘feel
ing
bad/
wor
se d
urin
g co
unse
lling’
(1
3%)
Clie
nts
also
men
tione
d:
‘sch
ool e
nviro
nmen
t’
‘diff
eren
ces
betw
een
coun
sello
rs’
‘mis
mat
ch w
ith th
e co
unse
llor’
‘cou
nsel
ling
not b
eing
the
deci
sive
fa
ctor
’
‘not
hing
cha
nges
’
‘fi tt
ing
in w
ith s
choo
l’
‘inab
ility
to ta
lk’
‘bre
akin
g co
nfi d
entia
lity’
‘inef
fect
ive
natu
re o
f cou
nsel
ling’
‘dis
tres
s in
the
sess
ions
’
Que
stio
nnai
res
retu
rned
by
38%
of s
ervi
ce u
sers
(alth
ough
no
t a h
igh
resp
onse
rat
e, th
is
cons
iste
d of
173
indi
vidu
als)
.
In re
spon
se to
an
open
qu
estio
n re
gard
ing
expe
rienc
e of
cou
nsel
ling,
41
(24%
of
resp
onde
nts)
men
tione
d he
lpfu
l fa
ctor
s, 3
0 ga
ve n
eutr
al o
r ne
gativ
e co
mm
ents
(17%
). H
owev
er th
is in
vita
tion
follo
wed
st
ruct
ured
que
stio
ns w
hich
m
ay h
ave
infl u
ence
d th
e re
sults
.
An
open
invi
tatio
n to
add
co
mm
ents
resu
lted
in 4
7 fu
rthe
r re
spon
ses,
som
e of
w
hich
refe
rred
to h
elpf
ul o
r un
help
ful f
acto
rs.
She
rry
(I) [3
2]In
terv
iew
Gen
eral
sor
ting
of c
omm
ents
e.
g. p
ositi
ve,
neut
ral/m
ixed
, ne
gativ
e.
expr
essi
ng s
elf
able
to s
peak
ow
n m
ind
som
eone
to ta
lk to
som
eone
to li
sten
stuf
f off
my
ches
t
confi
den
tial
too
man
y qu
estio
ns
brin
gs u
p st
uff d
on’t
wan
t to
talk
abo
ut
trea
ted
too
youn
g
chan
ge o
f cou
nsel
lor
scho
ol li
mita
tions
e.g
. com
ing
out
of le
sson
s
long
er s
essi
ons
mor
e pr
ivac
y
holid
ay c
over
nee
ded
Sem
i-str
uctu
red
15-m
inut
e in
divi
dual
inte
rvie
ws
wer
e co
nduc
ted
with
sel
f-no
min
ated
in
divi
dual
s (5
4 pu
pils
) a s
ub-
grou
p of
thos
e w
ho re
turn
ed
ques
tionn
aire
s.
No
info
rmat
ion
rega
rdin
g in
terv
iew
que
stio
ns in
clud
ed.
13 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 14
FindingsMeta-categories of helpful factors in school-based counselling
Across the nine studies included in this review, 143 categories of helpful factors were identified in the primary data. From the analysis of these, 12 meta-categories were formulated (see Table 2).
Tab
le 2
: Met
a-ca
teg
ori
es o
f he
lpfu
l fac
tors
Hav
ing
an
op
po
rtun
ity t
o t
alk
op
enly
and
be
liste
ned
to
(n=
26)
Co
unse
llors
’ str
ateg
ies
and
g
uid
ance
(n=
19)
Get
ting
thi
ngs
off
one
’s c
hest
an
d r
elea
sing
ten
sio
n (n
=12
)C
oun
sello
rs’ p
erso
nal
qua
litie
s (n
=12
)P
rob
lem
so
lvin
g (n
=11
)
‘Opp
ortu
nity
to ta
lk a
nd b
e lis
tene
d to
’ [26
,29]
‘Use
ful g
uida
nce/
advi
ce’
[26,
29]
‘Get
ting
thin
gs o
ff on
e’s
ches
t’ [2
4–26
, 29]
‘Cou
nsel
lor’s
per
sona
l qua
litie
s’
[28,
31]
‘Pro
blem
sol
ving
’ [2
4Q,2
5,27
,28]
‘Tal
king
and
bei
ng li
sten
ed to
’ [2
4Q, 2
5]‘G
uida
nce
and
advi
ce’
[24Q
, 25]
Stu
ff of
f my
ches
t [3
2]‘C
ouns
ello
r qu
aliti
es’
[30]
‘Clie
nt e
xplo
res
alte
rnat
ive
way
s of
beh
avin
g’ [2
4 I]
‘Tal
king
and
list
enin
g’ [2
8]‘A
dvic
e’ [2
8, 3
1]‘O
ppor
tuni
ty to
get
thin
gs o
ff th
eir
ches
t’ [2
4 I]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
nice
’ [29
]‘C
larifi
ed
idea
s/pr
oble
ms’
[27]
‘Opp
ortu
nity
to ta
lk’ [
24 I]
‘Offe
rs s
ugge
stio
ns a
nd a
dvic
e’
[24
I]‘C
ouns
ellin
g is
diff
eren
t to
othe
r co
nver
satio
ns: I
can
let t
hing
s ou
t’ [2
7]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
nice
and
frie
ndly
’ [2
4 I]
‘Fin
d an
swer
s fo
r th
emse
lves
’ [2
4 I]
‘Lis
tene
d to
clie
nt’ [
27]
‘Got
use
ful i
nfor
mat
ion’
[27]
‘Thi
ngs
off c
hest
’ [28
]‘C
ouns
ello
r as
frie
nd’ [
32 Q
]‘H
elp
with
pro
blem
s’ [3
2 Q
]
‘Fee
ling
liste
ned
to/u
nder
stoo
d’
[30]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
aski
ng q
uest
ions
’ [I
24,2
7,31
]‘E
xper
ienc
ed p
ositi
ve fe
elin
g’
[27]
‘Lik
ing/
clos
enes
s’ [3
1]‘A
chie
ved
outs
ide
pers
pect
ive/
dist
ance
’ [27
]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
liste
ning
’ [I 2
4,31
]‘R
elax
atio
n te
chni
ques
’ [I 2
4]‘L
ack
of n
egat
ive
feel
ings
/ex
perie
nces
in s
essi
on’ [
27]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
a go
od li
sten
er’
[I 24
]‘L
ooki
ng a
t way
s to
cha
nge’
[3
0]
‘Tal
king
abo
ut e
mot
ions
(gen
eral
)’ [3
1]‘C
ouns
ello
r ta
lkin
g’ [3
1]‘R
elax
ing’
[I 2
4]‘T
rust
ed c
ouns
ello
r’ [3
0]‘C
lient
thin
king
’ [31
]
‘Tal
ked
abou
t fee
lings
’ [27
]‘R
eass
uran
ces’
[I 2
4]‘R
elea
se o
f ten
sion
’ [27
]‘T
rust
’ [31
]
‘Dia
logu
e’ [3
1]‘F
elt c
omfo
rted
/rea
ssur
ed’ [
27]
‘Com
fort
/eas
e in
rela
ting’
[31]
‘Tal
ked
abou
t pro
blem
s’ [2
7]‘S
umm
aris
ed c
lient
mat
eria
l’ [2
7]‘P
ositi
ve re
fere
nces
to
coun
sello
rs’ [
Q 3
2]
15 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Hav
ing
an
op
po
rtun
ity t
o t
alk
op
enly
and
be
liste
ned
to
(c
ont
inue
d)
Co
unse
llors
’ str
ateg
ies
and
g
uid
ance
(co
ntin
ued
)C
onfi
den
tialit
y (n
=10
)In
dep
end
ence
of
coun
sello
r (n
=9)
Ad
diti
ona
l hel
pfu
l fac
tors
(n=
18)
‘Tal
king
/get
ting
thin
gs o
ut’ [
30]
‘Dea
lt w
ith c
lient
resi
stan
ce’ [
27]
‘Con
fi den
tialit
y’
[Q 2
4–26
,28–
31,Q
32]
‘Inde
pend
ence
of c
ouns
ello
r’
[25,
26,
Q 3
2]‘M
isce
llane
ous’
[25]
‘Tal
king
abo
ut s
peci
fi c e
mot
ions
or
subj
ects
’ [31
]C
ouns
ello
r’s ‘i
nsig
hts
into
ps
ycho
logi
cal p
roce
sses
and
fe
elin
gs’ [
I 24]
‘Gen
eral
com
men
ts’ [
32]
‘Tal
king
mor
e op
enly
’ [Q
32]
‘Cou
nsel
lor-
led
activ
ities
’ [31
]‘C
onfi d
entia
l’ [I
24,I
32]
‘Cou
nsel
lor’s
inde
pend
ence
(fro
m
scho
ol/c
lient
’s li
fe)’
[31]
‘Oth
er p
eopl
e he
lped
alo
ngsi
de
coun
sellin
g’ [3
0]
‘Enc
oura
ged
clie
nt to
talk
’ [27
]‘C
onfi d
entia
l/priv
ate’
[30]
‘Can
talk
abo
ut th
ings
can
’t ta
lk to
fa
mily
/frie
nds
abou
t’ [3
0]‘T
hing
s ab
out s
elf t
hat h
elpe
d m
ake
use
of c
ouns
ellin
g’ [3
0]
‘Eas
e of
talk
ing’
[27]
Cou
nsel
lor
‘inde
pend
ent’
[28]
‘Eve
ryth
ing’
[25]
Som
eone
to ta
lk to
[I
32]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
feed
back
/ di
ffere
nt
pers
pect
ive’
[30]
‘Spe
cifi c
impr
ovem
ents
’ [Q
24,
25]
Som
eone
to li
sten
[I 3
2]‘N
ew p
ersp
ectiv
e’ [2
7]‘T
imin
g of
ses
sion
s’ [3
1]
‘Be
hone
st a
bout
wha
t you
w
ere
feel
ing’
[I
24]
‘Obj
ectiv
e: ta
lk to
som
eone
that
w
asn’
t tak
ing
any
side
s’
[27]
‘Num
ber
of s
essi
ons’
[3
1]
Abl
e to
spe
ak o
wn
min
d [I
32]
‘Sch
ool c
onte
xt’ [
31]
Exp
ress
ing
self
[I 32
]‘A
tmos
pher
e/ro
om’ [
30]
‘Rev
eale
d di
ffi cu
lt m
ater
ial’
[27]
‘Hav
ing
time
out’
[29]
‘Sen
se o
f bei
ng “
real
” as
a p
erso
n’
[27]
‘Foc
used
/sta
yed
focu
sed’
[27]
15 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 16
Fee
ling
und
erst
oo
d (n
=9)
Fee
ling
acc
epte
d a
nd n
ot
jud
ged
(n
=6)
Insi
ght
and
sel
f-aw
aren
ess
(n=
6)S
elf-
dire
cted
pro
cess
(n=
5)A
dd
itio
nal h
elp
ful f
acto
rs
(co
ntin
ued
)
‘Fee
ling
unde
rsto
od’ [
Q 2
4,25
]‘A
ccep
tanc
e’ [2
8]‘In
sigh
t and
aw
aren
ess’
[Q 2
4,25
]‘S
elf-
dire
cted
pro
cess
’ [26
,29]
‘Sel
f-es
teem
’ [Q
24,
25]
‘Bei
ng u
nder
stoo
d’ [2
9,Q
32]
‘Cou
nsel
lor’s
acc
epta
nce’
[26]
‘Insi
ght/
self-
unde
rsta
ndin
g’ [2
8,29
]‘C
ouns
ello
r do
esn’
t dire
ct’ [
I 24]
‘Hav
ing
som
eone
ther
e w
ho c
ares
/tr
ust’
[29]
‘Fel
t und
erst
ood’
[26]
‘Cou
nsel
lor’s
acc
epta
nce/
not b
eing
ju
dged
’ [29
]‘In
sigh
t’ [2
6]‘B
eing
trea
ted
as a
n eq
ual/n
ot b
eing
to
ld w
hat t
o do
’ [30
]‘H
avin
g so
meo
ne th
ere’
[26]
‘Was
und
erst
ood’
[27]
‘Not
bei
ng ju
dged
’ [Q
32]
Clie
nt ‘r
efl e
ctin
g’ [I
24]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
does
n’t t
ry to
sor
t thi
ngs
out’
[I 24
]C
ouns
ello
r w
ould
not
mak
e it
‘all
abou
t the
m’ [
24]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
unde
rsta
ndin
g’ [3
1]‘N
on-ju
dgem
enta
l’ [2
5]
‘Und
erst
andi
ng’ [
28]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
does
n’t c
ritic
ise
or
judg
e’ [I
24]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
expr
esse
s un
ders
tand
ing’
[I 2
4]
Note
. n =
num
ber
of
cate
go
ries
fo
und
acr
oss
stu
die
s
17 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Having an opportunity to talk openly and be listened to. A total of 26 categories, found across all of the nine studies, contributed to this meta-category. Some of the studies combined talking and listening, whereas others reported these separately. However what is clear is that the majority of young people identify this factor as being far the most helpful in their experience of counselling, with it coming out as most frequent in all nine studies.
Clients valued being offered the opportunity to talk and be listened to [24–26,28,29]. The talking aspect of this meta-category was described in a number of ways, with clients finding it helpful talking ‘about problems’ and ‘about feelings’, and ‘ease of talking’ [27]; ‘talking about emotions (general)’ or ‘talking about specific emotions or subjects’ [31]; ‘talking/getting things out’ [30]. The counsellor was viewed as ‘someone to talk to’ [32], and someone who ‘encouraged client to talk’ [27].
Responses in some of the studies included the concept of openness in this talking e.g. ‘talking more openly’, ‘expressing self’ and ‘able to speak own mind’ [32]; ‘be honest about what you were feeling’ [24]; ‘sense of being “real” as a person’ [27]; ‘revealed difficult material’ [27].
The listening aspect of this meta-category was separately described as ‘feeling listened to/understood’ [30]; ‘someone to listen’ [32]; ‘counsellor listening’ [24,31]; ‘listened to client’ [27].
Although not included in these results it is interesting to note that in the structured question of Hough and Freire’s [29] evaluation, ‘talking to someone who would listen’ was also ranked first, with 70% of clients answering ‘a lot’ to how helpful they regarded this factor.
Counsellors’ strategies and guidance. Nineteen categories found across seven of the studies show that young people described a number of active strategies adopted by counsellors as being helpful. ‘Guidance’, ‘advice’ or ‘suggestions’ were mentioned to varying degrees in six of the studies [24–26,28,29,31].
The ‘counsellor asking questions’ was viewed as helpful by some [24,27,31]. The ‘counsellor talking’ [31], giving ‘useful information’ [27] or ‘reassurances’ [24] were identified as helpful factors. How the counsellor ‘dealt with client resistance’ and ‘summarised client material’ were also noted in Dunne et al.’s [27] study.
Specific strategies such as counsellor-led activities [31] and relaxation techniques [24] were identified. It is not clear if these activities were provided in the other studies as most were described as broadly humanistic or person-centred. However it is curious to note that although predominantly person-centred, Cooper’s [26] evaluation did include other elements e.g. relaxation methods and the use of art and play materials, but these are not mentioned by clients as helpful (or unhelpful).
17 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 18
Getting things off one’s chest and releasing tension. This factor was mentioned in 12 categories across seven of the studies but to varying degrees of importance. In Hough and Freire [29] study, for instance, ‘get things off chest’ was ranked third in the structured question regarding how helpful each factor was, with 52% of respondents answering ‘a lot’. However in the qualitative responses in the same study only 7% of clients mentioned this.
In Cooper’s [24] evaluation ‘getting things off one’s chest’ was deemed important with 16% of respondents mentioning this in the questionnaire and 42% in the interview.
Although less frequent than the most popular response of talking and listening, ‘getting things off one’s chest’ was the second most reported factor in Cooper’s [26] study and in Freire and Cooper [28]. Getting ‘stuff’ or ‘things off one’s chest’ is also mentioned in Cooper [25] and in Sherry’s [32] interviews.
Dunne et al. [27] found that clients valued the nature of counselling as being different to other conversations, which enabled them to ‘let things out’. In this study ‘off my chest’ was also described as a release of tension. The helpful factor of ‘experiencing a positive feeling’ has been included in this category, as the feeling of release, letting things out or off the chest, are all experienced as positive feelings in these studies.
The two studies that are not mentioned in this category may have received similar responses but included these under other categories. For instance Lynass et al. [30] combined ‘getting things out’ with ‘talking’ in their study. As only some examples of each category are given and not the full data, it was not possible to separate these factors for this review so this was included under the previous category. This may be similar in McArthur’s [31] study where the idea of release may come through ‘talking about emotions’, but as the full data were not available this is unclear.
Counsellors’ personal qualities.The counsellor’s personal qualities were reported as helpful in 12 categories across six of the studies. In some this was rated as very important [30,31] but to a lesser extent in others [28].
‘Liking/closeness’ was seen as important in McArthur’s [31] study, as was ‘comfort/ease in relating’. The counsellor being ‘nice’ and ‘friendly’ was identified as being helpful in three of the studies [24,29,32]). Trust was also valued as a helpful element in Lynass et al. [30] and in McArthur’s [31] study.
Problem solving.Eleven categories, from seven studies, have been included in the meta-category of problem solving. Four studies specifically refer to ‘problem solving’ [24,25,27,28]. Sherry [32] reported that young people appreciated receiving ‘help with problems’. Other studies found that young people
identified counselling as helpful in that it gave them a chance to ‘explore alternative ways of behaving’, allowing them to ‘find answers for themselves’ [24]; or as a helpful space where they could spent time ‘thinking’ [31] and ‘looking at ways to change’ [30].
Confidentiality.Only 10 categories were found referring to confidentiality, but this was included in eight of the nine studies. In the smaller studies a higher percentage of respondents cited this factor e.g. 55% in Lynass et al. [30] referred to the ‘confidential/private’ nature of counselling as being helpful, and McArthur [31] where 36% of respondents referred to ‘confidentiality’. However the percentages of respondents were lower in the other studies, for instance in Cooper [26] and in Freire and Cooper [28] only 2% of respondents mentioned confidentiality.
Confidentiality is rated higher when it is specifically given to participants as a response option: for instance, in the interview question of Cooper’s [24] evaluation, where 63% stated that it was an important aspect of counselling. Also in the structured question in Hough and Freire [29] confidentiality was ranked second, with 58% of respondents answering ‘a lot’ to how helpful this factor is in counselling.
The only study where confidentiality was not mentioned (either as a helpful or unhelpful factor) is in Dunne et al. [27]. There were a small number of participants (n = 11) in this study and the researcher was also the counsellor, which may have affected results.
Confidentiality was not broken down in most studies as to who the counselling should be confidential from: that is, parents, teachers, other pupils, or in general. Cooper [24] did find that the importance of confidentiality was most notable with regard to other pupils. In this study three participants stated that they would have felt that a breach of confidentiality would have been a betrayal. This will be looked at in regard to unhelpful factors.
Independence of counsellor.Nine categories across seven of the studies referred to factors which fitted into this meta-category. Some specifically mentioned the independence of the counsellor [25,26,28,31,32]. In Dunne et al.’s [27] study this independence was described as ‘someone that wasn’t taking any sides’. In Lynass et al. [30] talking to the counsellor was valued as the young people felt they could ‘talk about things can’t talk to family/friends about’. Some young people also valued having a ‘different’ or ‘new’ perspective on their situation [27,30].
Feeling understood.Nine categories included the young person feeling understood or the counsellor being understanding. This was cited in all of the studies, although Lynass et al. [30] combined it with ‘listened to’ so it has been included in that meta-category.
19 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
The counsellor being ‘understanding’ was cited in Cooper’s [24] interviews and to a lesser extent in Freire and Cooper’s [28] study, as well as in responses to the open question in McArthur’s [31] study.
Being ‘understood’ was the third most identified helpful factor in Sherry’s [32] questionnaires. It was also cited in Cooper [25,26]; Dunne et al. [27]; and Hough and Freire’s [29] studies.
Feeling accepted and not judged.Acceptance, or the counsellor being non-judgemental, was referred to in six categories across six studies. The ‘counsellor’s acceptance/not being judged’ was the second most mentioned qualitative response in Hough and Freire’s [29] evaulation. Acceptance was also mentioned in Cooper [26] and in Freire and Cooper [28].
‘Not being judged’ [32]; ‘counsellor doesn’t criticise or judge’ [24]; and the counsellor being ‘non-judgemental’ [25] were also found to be helpful factors.
Insight and self-awareness.Six categories are included in this meta-category. Insight, self-understanding and awareness are often seen as outcomes of counselling, however five studies mentioned these factors as being helpful during the process of counselling [24,25,26,28,29]. Cooper [24] also reported that young people found ‘reflecting’ helpful.
Self-directed process.Five categories relating to this meta-category were found across four of the studies. Some young people valued the counselling being a ‘self-directed process’ [26,29], and appreciated that the ‘counsellor doesn’t direct’ [24]. In the school environment which is often very controlled, young people found it helpful that in counselling they were ‘not being told what to do’ [30], and that the ‘counsellor doesn’t try to sort things out’ [24].
Additional helpful factors.Eighteen categories from eight of the studies were included in the additional helpful factors meta-category. These factors were referred to in general terms in two studies: for instance, ‘miscellaneous’ or ‘everything’ in Cooper [25], or ‘general comments’ in Sherry [32]. Others were more specific: for instance, ‘atmosphere/room’ [30] or ‘having time out’ [29].
McArthur’s [31] study is particularly notable in this regard as it specifies factors such as ‘timing of sessions’, ‘school context’ and ‘number of sessions’. Interestingly these factors are also mentioned as unhelpful aspects.
Meta-categories of unhelpful factors in school-based counsellingFew participants cited unhelpful factors of school-based counselling. Although 75 categories of unhelpful factors were reported over the nine studies, some of these factors were
only identified by single respondents. Even though there was a low response, it was possible to find some commonality across studies. From the 75 factors nine meta-categories were created (see Table 3).
Difficulties with school environment or practicalities.Twelve categories across six of the studies reported unhelpful factors related to the school environment or other practicalities. Some studies referred to these in general terms (for instance, ‘miscellaneous practical issues’ [31]), whereas others were more specific (for instance, ‘room should be a lot more cheerier and brighter’ [26]).
In this respect, issues regarding the school context were identified as unhelpful as well as helpful. For instance Sherry [32] referred to the general ‘school environment’ and ‘fitting in with school’; but also ‘school limitations’ concerning ‘coming out of lessons’. This factor of ‘missing lessons’ was also cited as unhelpful in Cooper [24] and in Lynass et al. [30]. Some counselling services attempt to alter the times of sessions so that the same lessons are not missed. Perhaps related to this, although it is not made clear, is the ‘constant changing of appointment days and times’ [25] which is also described as being unhelpful.
Respondents made other suggestions for improvements which included pupils being able to ‘contact the counsellor directly’ [24]; ‘shorter waiting time’ [24]; and ‘holiday cover needed’ [32].
Wanting more counselling.Eleven categories were found across seven studies referring to young people wanting more counselling. Although one respondent in McArthur’s [31] study mentioned the number of sessions as being helpful, more respondents identified the number or length of sessions as being unhelpful or in need of improvement. Young people wanted ‘more counselling’ [26,31]; and this concern was repeated across studies e.g. ‘more sessions’ [24,29]; ‘longer sessions’ [24,32]; ‘more frequent and/or longer sessions’ [26]; ‘more or longer sessions wanted’ [30]; ‘duration of sessions/needed longer or more’ [24].
Suggestions were made to improve this, for instance ‘counsellor should be at the school all the time’ [25]; ‘counsellor should be around more often’ or ‘available for longer periods of time’ [24].
Found it difficult to talk. Finding it difficult to talk in sessions was seen as being unhelpful in the counselling process, as this was mentioned in 11 categories across five of the studies. Those unhelpful factors associated with talking were identified as clients having ‘difficulty talking’ [31]; ‘nothing to talk about/shy’ [29]; not ‘ready to talk’ [24]; ‘inability to talk’ [32]; or the counsellor ‘brings up stuff don’t want to talk about’ [32].
Some clients also found uncomfortable thoughts and feelings unhelpful e.g. ‘experienced uncomfortable feelings’
Tab
le 3
: Met
a-ca
teg
ori
es o
f un
help
ful f
acto
rs
Diffi
cul
ties
with
sch
oo
l env
ironm
ent
or
pra
ctic
aliti
es (n
=12
)W
antin
g m
ore
co
unse
lling
(n
=11
)F
oun
d it
diffi
cul
t to
tal
k (n
=11
)W
antin
g m
ore
co
unse
llor
inp
ut
(n=
8)C
oun
sello
rs’ p
erso
nal f
acto
rs
(n=
7)
‘Sch
ool e
nviro
nmen
t’ [Q
32]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
shou
ld b
e at
the
scho
ol
all t
he ti
me’
[25]
‘Don
’t th
ink
I was
read
y to
talk
’ [Q
24]
‘Wan
ted
mor
e ac
tiviti
es’ [
31]
‘Neg
ativ
e re
spon
ses
to c
ouns
ello
r’
[Q 3
2]
‘Fitt
ing
in w
ith s
choo
l’ [Q
32]
‘A d
esire
for
long
er s
essi
ons’
[I 2
4]‘D
iffi c
ulty
talk
ing’
[31]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
shou
ld b
e m
ore
pro-
activ
e’ [2
6]‘C
ouns
ello
r w
as to
o se
rious
’ [I 2
4]
Sch
ool l
imita
tions
e.g
. com
ing
out o
f le
sson
s [I
32]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
shou
ld b
e av
aila
ble
for
long
er p
erio
ds o
f tim
e’ [Q
24]
‘Not
hing
to ta
lk a
bout
/shy
’ [29
]‘L
ack
of in
put o
r di
rect
ion
from
the
coun
sello
r’ [2
4]‘G
ende
r is
sues
’ [Q
32]
Dis
like
of ‘m
issi
ng le
sson
s’ [I
24;
30]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
shou
ld b
e ar
ound
mor
e of
ten’
[I 2
4]‘In
abilit
y to
talk
’ [Q
32]
‘Wan
ted
coun
sello
r to
ask
mor
e qu
estio
ns’ [
31]
‘Diff
eren
ces
betw
een
coun
sello
rs’
[Q 3
2]
‘Sho
rter
wai
ting
time’
[I 2
4]‘W
ante
d m
ore
coun
sellin
g’ [3
1]B
rings
up
stuf
f don
’t w
ant t
o ta
lk
abou
t [I 3
2]‘W
ante
d m
ore
advi
ce/q
uest
ions
’ [2
9]‘M
ism
atch
with
cou
nsel
lor’
[Q 3
2]
Hol
iday
cov
er n
eede
d [I
32]
‘Wan
ted
mor
e se
ssio
ns’ [
29]
‘Aw
kwar
dnes
s’ [3
1]‘W
ante
d m
ore
advi
ce’ [
31]
Cha
nge
of c
ouns
ello
r [I
32]
‘Roo
m s
houl
d be
a lo
t mor
e ch
eerie
r an
d br
ight
er’ [
26]
‘Mor
e fre
quen
t and
/or
long
er
sess
ion’
[26]
‘Mor
e up
set t
hink
ing
abou
t the
pa
st’ [
Q 2
4]‘N
ot e
noug
h qu
estio
ns/a
dvic
e’ [3
0]‘C
ouns
ello
r te
nse’
[29]
‘Hot
drin
ks s
houl
d be
pro
vide
d’ [2
6]‘M
ore
sess
ions
/long
er s
essi
ons
wan
ted’
[30]
‘Exp
erie
nced
unc
omfo
rtab
le
feel
ings
’ [27
]‘W
ante
d co
unse
llor
to ta
lk m
ore’
[3
1]
‘Con
stan
t cha
ngin
g of
app
oint
men
t da
ys a
nd ti
mes
’ [25
]Lo
nger
ses
sion
s [I
32]
‘Clie
nt u
nabl
e/un
willi
ng to
focu
s’
[27]
‘Mor
e in
put f
rom
the
coun
sello
r’
[Q 2
4]
‘Mis
cella
neou
s pr
actic
al is
sues
’ [31
] ‘A
des
ire fo
r m
ore
sess
ions
’ [I 2
4]‘F
eelin
g ba
d/w
orse
dur
ing
coun
sellin
g’ [Q
32]
‘Con
tact
the
coun
sello
r di
rect
ly’
[I 24
]‘W
ould
like
mor
e co
unse
lling’
[26]
‘Dis
tres
s in
the
sess
ions
’ [Q
32]
19 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 20
Tab
le 3
: Met
a-ca
teg
ori
es o
f un
help
ful f
acto
rs
Diffi
cul
ties
with
sch
oo
l env
ironm
ent
or
pra
ctic
aliti
es (n
=12
)W
antin
g m
ore
co
unse
lling
(n
=11
)F
oun
d it
diffi
cul
t to
tal
k (n
=11
)W
antin
g m
ore
co
unse
llor
inp
ut
(n=
8)C
oun
sello
rs’ p
erso
nal f
acto
rs
(n=
7)
‘Sch
ool e
nviro
nmen
t’ [Q
32]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
shou
ld b
e at
the
scho
ol
all t
he ti
me’
[25]
‘Don
’t th
ink
I was
read
y to
talk
’ [Q
24]
‘Wan
ted
mor
e ac
tiviti
es’ [
31]
‘Neg
ativ
e re
spon
ses
to c
ouns
ello
r’
[Q 3
2]
‘Fitt
ing
in w
ith s
choo
l’ [Q
32]
‘A d
esire
for
long
er s
essi
ons’
[I 2
4]‘D
iffi c
ulty
talk
ing’
[31]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
shou
ld b
e m
ore
pro-
activ
e’ [2
6]‘C
ouns
ello
r w
as to
o se
rious
’ [I 2
4]
Sch
ool l
imita
tions
e.g
. com
ing
out o
f le
sson
s [I
32]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
shou
ld b
e av
aila
ble
for
long
er p
erio
ds o
f tim
e’ [Q
24]
‘Not
hing
to ta
lk a
bout
/shy
’ [29
]‘L
ack
of in
put o
r di
rect
ion
from
the
coun
sello
r’ [2
4]‘G
ende
r is
sues
’ [Q
32]
Dis
like
of ‘m
issi
ng le
sson
s’ [I
24;
30]
‘Cou
nsel
lor
shou
ld b
e ar
ound
mor
e of
ten’
[I 2
4]‘In
abilit
y to
talk
’ [Q
32]
‘Wan
ted
coun
sello
r to
ask
mor
e qu
estio
ns’ [
31]
‘Diff
eren
ces
betw
een
coun
sello
rs’
[Q 3
2]
‘Sho
rter
wai
ting
time’
[I 2
4]‘W
ante
d m
ore
coun
sellin
g’ [3
1]B
rings
up
stuf
f don
’t w
ant t
o ta
lk
abou
t [I 3
2]‘W
ante
d m
ore
advi
ce/q
uest
ions
’ [2
9]‘M
ism
atch
with
cou
nsel
lor’
[Q 3
2]
Hol
iday
cov
er n
eede
d [I
32]
‘Wan
ted
mor
e se
ssio
ns’ [
29]
‘Aw
kwar
dnes
s’ [3
1]‘W
ante
d m
ore
advi
ce’ [
31]
Cha
nge
of c
ouns
ello
r [I
32]
‘Roo
m s
houl
d be
a lo
t mor
e ch
eerie
r an
d br
ight
er’ [
26]
‘Mor
e fre
quen
t and
/or
long
er
sess
ion’
[26]
‘Mor
e up
set t
hink
ing
abou
t the
pa
st’ [
Q 2
4]‘N
ot e
noug
h qu
estio
ns/a
dvic
e’ [3
0]‘C
ouns
ello
r te
nse’
[29]
‘Hot
drin
ks s
houl
d be
pro
vide
d’ [2
6]‘M
ore
sess
ions
/long
er s
essi
ons
wan
ted’
[30]
‘Exp
erie
nced
unc
omfo
rtab
le
feel
ings
’ [27
]‘W
ante
d co
unse
llor
to ta
lk m
ore’
[3
1]
‘Con
stan
t cha
ngin
g of
app
oint
men
t da
ys a
nd ti
mes
’ [25
]Lo
nger
ses
sion
s [I
32]
‘Clie
nt u
nabl
e/un
willi
ng to
focu
s’
[27]
‘Mor
e in
put f
rom
the
coun
sello
r’
[Q 2
4]
‘Mis
cella
neou
s pr
actic
al is
sues
’ [31
] ‘A
des
ire fo
r m
ore
sess
ions
’ [I 2
4]‘F
eelin
g ba
d/w
orse
dur
ing
coun
sellin
g’ [Q
32]
‘Con
tact
the
coun
sello
r di
rect
ly’
[I 24
]‘W
ould
like
mor
e co
unse
lling’
[26]
‘Dis
tres
s in
the
sess
ions
’ [Q
32]
21 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
No
cha
nge/
not
help
ful
(n=
7)N
ot
suffi
cien
tly c
onfi
den
tial o
r p
riva
te (n
=6)
Pup
ils u
naw
are
of
serv
ice
(n=
3)A
dd
itio
nal u
nhel
pfu
l fac
tors
(n
=10
)
‘Thi
ngs
that
did
n’t c
hang
e al
thou
gh
wan
ted
them
to’ [
30]
‘Not
as
confi
den
tial a
s it
shou
ld h
ave
been
’ [Q
24]
‘The
re a
re s
till m
any
pupi
ls in
the
scho
ol w
ho a
re u
naw
are
of h
ow
to g
o ab
out g
ettin
g he
lp fr
om th
e co
unse
lling
serv
ice’
[25]
‘Pro
pose
d di
ffere
nt fo
rmat
s or
st
rate
gies
’ [Q
24]
‘No
chan
ges
perc
eive
d’ [3
0]‘B
reak
ing
confi
den
tialit
y’ [Q
32]
‘Ser
vice
sho
uld
be p
rom
oted
m
ore’
[26]
‘Sho
uld
be a
ble
to d
o st
uff t
hat d
oes
not j
ust i
nvol
ve ta
lkin
g’ [2
6]
‘Not
hing
cha
nges
’ [32
]‘T
each
ers
wer
e in
suffi
cien
tly d
iscr
ete’
[I
24]
‘Ser
vice
sho
uld
be b
ette
r pu
blic
ised
’ [Q
24]
‘Too
man
y qu
estio
ns’ [
I 32,
29]
‘Not
hel
pful
’ [26
]‘R
oom
was
too
publ
icly
vis
ible
’ [24
]Tr
eate
d to
o yo
ung
[I 32
]
‘It d
id n
ot h
elp’
[Q 2
4]‘M
ore
priv
ate
loca
tion’
[26]
‘Wan
ted
less
freq
uent
ses
sion
s’ [3
1]
‘Inef
fect
ive
natu
re o
f cou
nsel
ling’
[Q
32]
Mor
e pr
ivac
y [I
32]
‘Unw
ante
d th
ough
ts’ [
27]
‘Cou
nsel
ling
did
not h
elp’
[29]
‘Too
stu
bbor
n to
pay
att
entio
n’
[Q 2
4]
‘Cou
nsel
ling
not b
eing
the
deci
sive
fa
ctor
’ [Q
32]
‘Lim
itatio
ns o
f cou
nsel
ling’
[Q 3
2]
Note
. n =
num
ber
of
cate
go
ries
fo
und
acr
oss
stu
die
s
21 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 22
[27]; ‘upset thinking about the past’ [24]; ‘awkwardness’ [31]; ‘feeling bad/worse during counselling’ and ‘distress in the sessions’ [32].
Wanting more counsellor input.Young people reported wanting more counsellor input in eight categories across five of the studies. This meta-category should be viewed in relation to the similar category within helpful factors. Some of the findings here support those, for instance advice and questioning were referred to as helpful and three studies have also found that clients stated they ‘wanted counsellor to ask more questions’ or ‘more advice’ [31]; ‘more advice/questions’ [29] or that there were ‘not enough questions/advice’ [30].
Some respondents also wanted more input generally from counsellors, or for counsellors to provide more active strategies e.g. ‘more input wanted from counsellor’, ‘lack of input or direction from the counsellor’ [24]; ‘counsellor should be more proactive’ [26]; ‘wanted counsellor to talk more’, ‘wanted more activities’ [31].
Counsellors’ personal factors.Most factors regarding counsellors’ personal qualities were reported as helpful; however three studies did include unhelpful aspects related to counsellors in seven categories. Most of these responses came from Sherry’s [32] study in which some clients experienced a change of counsellor which may have affected the results. This study included unhelpful factors related to ‘negative responses to counsellor’, ‘change of counsellor’, ‘differences between counsellors’, ‘mismatch with counsellor’ and ‘gender
issues’, although it should be noted that the number of responses were small e.g. only two clients. There is no information regarding the qualifications or experience of the counsellors to assess whether that may have been a factor in this study.
Other personal factors related to counsellors were reported by single respondents only in Cooper’s [24] study as the ‘counsellor was too serious’ and in Hough and Freire’s [29] study as the ‘counsellor tense’.
No change/not helpful. Five studies included comments from participants in seven categories, who felt that counselling did not help or there were no changes e.g. ‘it did not help’ [24]; ‘not helpful’ [26]; ‘counselling did not help’ [29]; ‘nothing changes’ and ‘ineffective nature of counselling’ [32]; ‘no changes perceived’ and ‘things that didn’t change although wanted them to’ [30].
This could be viewed more as an outcome factor rather than a factor in the therapy process, but it is not possible to determine this by the data supplied.
Not sufficiently confidential or private. As previously mentioned, confidentiality was regarded as an important helpful factor in most of the studies contained in this review, and a breach of confidentiality was viewed as betrayal [24]. A lack of confidentiality or privacy was reported as an unhelpful factor in six categories across three of the studies. In one study it was felt that the counselling was ‘not as confidential as it should have been’ [24] and in another the counsellor sending a letter home was considered
23 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
‘breaking of confidentiality’ [32]. It was not only counsellors who were considered at fault regarding confidentiality, as ‘teachers were insufficiently discrete’ was mentioned in Cooper’s [24] interviews.
There were also concerns over the counselling room, where lack of privacy was considered unhelpful at times e.g. ‘room too publicly visible’ [24]; ‘more private location’ [26]; ‘more privacy’ [32].
Pupils unaware of service.Respondents in three of the studies were concerned that other pupils may be unaware of the service, noting that many pupils are ‘unaware of how to go about getting help from the counselling service’ [26]. Young people made suggestions that the service should be ‘better publicised’ [24] or ‘promoted more’ [26].
Additional unhelpful factors.Ten categories of various additional unhelpful factors were found across six of the studies. Interestingly these were sometimes at odds with the factors previously mentioned, for instance in regard to questioning which has been mentioned as a helpful factor and a lack of questioning as being unhelpful. However two of the studies [29,32] found that ‘too many questions’ were seen as unhelpful. Questioning therefore seems to be an individual preference with some clients wishing less than others.
Counsellors’ strategies also appear in this meta-category with some respondents wanting counsellors to use ‘different formats or strategies’ [24], or that they ‘should be able to
do stuff that does not just involve talking’ [26]. Although only one respondent in Sherry [32] reported that they felt that they had been ‘treated too young’ by being offered toys and games, it is important to note that secondary school pupils may feel patronised by being asked to express themselves in this way.
DiscussionThis synthesis of the evidence suggests that young people find many aspects of school-based counselling helpful, as practiced in a predominantly person-centred/humanistic way (see Appendix 4). For instance, they value the opportunity to talk openly and be listened to, to get things off their chest, and to feel understood and accepted without judgement. They appreciated counselling being a self-directed process and providing the opportunity for insight, self-awareness and problem solving. The counsellor’s personal qualities such as being nice, friendly and trustworthy were also experienced as helpful. It was seen as important that the counsellor was an independent person who provided a new perspective in a confidential setting.
However, more surprisingly, given the humanistic orientation of the counselling, young people also indicated that they valued the more active strategies that their counsellors use. For instance, person-centred/humanistic practitioners would not usually be expected to provide ‘advice’, but this was something that the young people specifically highlighted as helpful. In some instances, the lack of more active strategies was also seen as being unhelpful. This suggests
23 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 24
that counsellors may be more effective with some young people if they adopt a more active stance in their work, and monitor closely whether young people may be perceiving them as too passive. It may also highlight the importance of the contracting stage of therapy: to be clear to young people as to what school-based counselling entails and to listen to what individuals are seeking, to continually review this throughout therapy and to adapt practice accordingly. This would seem especially pertinent where questioning is concerned as this appeared to be an individual preference, with some young people reporting questioning as helpful and others as unhelpful.
The most frequently cited helpful factor ‘having an opportunity to talk openly and be listened to’ was clearly the most important in the experience of young people. Dunne et al. [27] thought that the clients in their study may have valued the opportunity to talk more due to the cultural inhibitions of an all-boys school. However this review has shown this is not the case, as all of the other studies found the same result in mixed sex schools. In fact Hough and Freire [29] found that females rated ‘talking to someone who would listen’ and ‘getting things off chest’ as more helpful than males.
Although fewer participants mentioned negative experiences, this review was able to identify some unhelpful factors and areas for improvement. As already mentioned these tended to focus on practical matters, wanting more counselling or more counsellor input. However another factor that clients found difficult was feeling uncomfortable in sessions, especially regarding talking. This was also found in Hill et al. [15] and with adult clients in Timulak and Creaner [33]. Facing difficult emotions can be overwhelming but as Dunne et al. [27] suggest, it may be necessary in the therapeutic process. So although this is reported as an unhelpful factor it is not suggested that this be avoided, but that the therapist should be mindful of this difficulty and provide support when the client is feeling vulnerable.
Limitations
During the literature search many other evaluations of counselling services were identified. However, they could not be included in this review as, in some cases, only partial data was provided (for instance just a few examples of helpful factors), and in others, only un-coded data were available. Many had to be excluded as they did not meet the criterion regarding the data being analysed in a thorough manner. Harris and Pattison [18] also reported this limitation in their review where they found a lack of empirical evidence for counselling in school and community settings, especially regarding young people’s experiences. Although they discovered evidence of client satisfaction, they identified a lack of rigour in evaluations which excluded them from their review.
Paterson et al. [34] argue that one of the limitations of qualitative meta-analysis is the lack of access to the primary
data of the selected studies, so the meta-analysis is based on the published findings rather than the original data. Indeed it was not possible to obtain the original data for all of the studies included in this review. Only two contained the full data [29,32], with most providing examples of comments under each category. However the available data were thoroughly examined to verify the meta-category that each helpful or unhelpful factor was assigned to.
Another limitation of studies which explore client views is the subjective nature of the data. Dunne et al. [27] point out there is an assumption that participants are capable and willing to respond accurately regarding their experiences, which may not always be the case. Cooper [24–26] suggests that those clients who participate in interviews or return questionnaires may be predisposed to respond positively. This may be one reason why more helpful factors were reported here than unhelpful factors. The percentage of respondents giving comments regarding helpful factors was high in some studies (e.g. 83% in Cooper [24]), with few unhelpful comments, sometimes from single respondents only.
Some steps were taken to reduce the chance that participants were responding positively to please their counsellors. For instance, most of the studies were carried out by independent researchers; with clients being told their responses would be confidential (an exception to this is Dunne et al. [27] which was carried out by a counsellor/researcher, so questionnaires were sealed to provide some level of confidentiality).
Cooper [24] suggests that those clients who are unsatisfied with the counselling they received are less likely to participate in evaluations. It may also be difficult to gather the views of those clients who withdraw from therapy. If future research could discover the factors which these young people find unhelpful, it may be possible to alter the therapeutic process to reduce dropout rates.
Implications for practice
By focusing on the views of young people it is hoped that this report will improve their experiences of school-based counselling, as practitioners will be able to prioritise the factors that young people rate as most important. This could lead to more effective services, which are responsive to client needs. The helpful factors reported in this review may be useful for counsellors when considering their practice, while the unhelpful factors may identify areas in need of improvement. It is possible for instance, that some of the practical issues connected to providing a counselling service within a school setting may be easily rectified.
Confidentiality is valued by young people, and lack of confidentiality is viewed as unhelpful. Complete confidentiality is not possible and this should be explained clearly to clients, for example regarding child protection issues [35], however certain steps could be taken to
25 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
improve matters. For instance, care should be taken over the private location of the counselling room, and the confidentiality of appointments. Instead of notes being passed in class regarding appointment times [32], more contemporary means of communication e.g. contact via a webpage or school intranet, or appointment times sent via text [36] could solve this problem. Counsellors may need to be flexible regarding timing of sessions, arranging these at different times so that pupils do not miss the same lessons repeatedly, or provide sessions during lunchtime or after school.
Another practical issue highlighted by young people is lack of awareness of services and they suggest that services should be better promoted. In primary schools, counsellors often attend assemblies and visit classes, but this may prove more difficult in larger secondary schools. However, with health and wellbeing now being part of the curriculum, it may be possible for counsellors to become more prominent: for instance, through PSE (Personal and Social Education) classes.
A factor that may not be so easy to resolve is that of counsellor availability, as this often depends on the funding of the service. Many young people reported ‘wanting more counselling’ so it appears that the number or length of sessions is inadequate for their needs. This dissatisfaction has been repeated in other reports [16,17,19] and suggests that extended funding may be required for school-based services.
With the growth of UK school-based counselling it is increasingly important for services to be evaluated thoroughly and findings to be disseminated. If future studies included clear protocols (as in Cooper’s studies [24–26]), they could be easily replicated across other services. Research should not only focus on the effectiveness of services but also consider young people’s views. Current initiatives such as Counselling MindEd, and development of competencies and accreditation for counsellors working with young people [14], should continue to improve the practice of school-based counselling.
ConclusionPrevious research has shown the effectiveness of school-based counselling (e.g. Hill et al. [15]) and that the majority of young people find it helpful (e.g. 88% in Hough & Freire [29]). The qualitative research included in this review examines how young people experience counselling and what they find helpful and unhelpful in the process.
A thorough literature search was carried out and nine studies were found to fit the criteria for inclusion. A qualitative meta-analysis was conducted to synthesise the findings from these primary studies. This provided a coherent picture of young people’s experiences of school-based counselling.
The main finding of this systematic review is that young people in counselling most value the opportunity to talk openly and be listened to. Other factors also seen as important are the chance to get things off their chest, to feel understood, accepted and not judged. Young people value counselling being a self-directed process, providing an opportunity for insight, self-awareness and problem solving. The counsellor’s independence and personal qualities, as well as the confidentiality of counselling are all considered helpful. In addition, counsellor strategies such as guidance and advice are viewed as helpful, and lack of counsellor input is sometimes regarded as unhelpful. These findings support Cooper’s [24,26] proposal that school-based counsellors working within a broadly humanistic framework, may be most helpful when adopting a flexible, ‘pluralistic’ approach [37] to meet the individual needs of young people and incorporate strategies when required.
Although the reporting of unhelpful factors was found to be low, there are a number of issues which would be useful to consider when developing a counselling service. These include practical issues such as missing lessons, wanting more counselling as well as more counsellor input, confidentiality, pupils being unaware of the service, and finding it difficult to talk.
There is a need for further rigorous research to be carried out in this area and for findings to be disseminated. Young people’s voices should be heard and specific questions regarding their experiences should be asked.
It is hoped that this systematic review will contribute to a clearer understanding of the process of counselling from the young person’s perspective, and that by taking account of clients’ views this may lead to more effective practice.
ReferencesReferences marked with an asterisk indicate studies included in the qualitative meta-analysis.
1. Office for National Statistics, Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain 2004 ONS Survey, 2005, Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke.
2. Scottish Government, Needs assessment report on child and adolescent mental health, 2003, Public Health Institute of Scotland: Edinburgh.
3. Connolly, P. et al, Pupils’ emotional health and wellbeing: A review of audit tools and a survey of practice in Northern Ireland post-primary schools, 2011, Centre for Effective Education, Queen’s University: Belfast.
4. Sinclair, J. and S. Holden, The mental health surveillance of adolescents, within a school setting, Mental Health Review Journal, 2013, 18(2): p. 83–92.
25 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 26
5. Kim-Cohen, J. et al, Prior juvenile diagnoses in adults with mental disorder: Developmental follow-back of a prospective longitudinal cohort. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2003, 60, 709–717.
6. Department of Health, National service framework for children, young people and maternity services: Executive summary, 2004, Department of Health: London.
7. Scottish Government, Children and young people’s mental health: A framework for promotion, prevention and care, 2005, Scottish Government: Edinburgh.
8. Learning and Teaching Scotland, Being well – doing well: A framework for health promoting schools in Scotland, 2004, Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit: Edinburgh.
9. Scottish Government, A curriculum for excellence: Building the curriculum 1 – The contribution of curriculum areas, 2006, Scottish Government: Edinburgh.
10. McGrath, H. and T. Noble, Bounce back: A wellbeing and resilience program, 2011, Pearson: Port Melbourne.
11. Department for Education and Skills, Excellence and enjoyment: Social and emotional aspects of learning (guidance), 2005, DfES: Nottingham.
12. Cooper, M., Scottish secondary school students’ preferences for location, format of counselling and sex of counsellor, School Psychology International, 2006, 27: p. 627–638.
13. Quinn, P. and S. Chan, Secondary school students’ preferences for location, format of counselling and gender of counsellor: A replication study based in Northern Ireland, Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 2009, 9(3): p. 204–209.
14. Cooper, M., School-based counselling in UK secondary schools: A review and critical evaluation, 2013, University of Strathclyde: Glasgow.
15. Hill, A. et al, Evaluation of the Welsh school-based counselling strategy: Final report, 2011), Welsh Government Social Research: Cardiff.
16. Campbell, E., R. Shannon and T. Geraghty, Mental and emotional health in schools: A survey of young people’s views on accessing counselling in schools, 2013, Children’s Law Centre and National Children’s Bureau NI: Belfast.
17. Pattison, S. et al, Counselling in schools: A research study into services for children and young people in Wales, 2007, BACP: Lutterworth.
18. Harris, B. and S. Pattison, Research on counselling children and young people: A systematic scoping review, 2004, BACP: Rugby.
19. Cooper, M., Counselling in UK secondary schools: A comprehensive review of audit and evaluation data, Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 2009, 9(3): p. 137–150.
20. McKenzie, K. et al, An evaluation of a school counselling service with direct links to Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) services, British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 2011, 39: p. 67–82.
21. Fox, C. L. and I. Butler, Evaluation of the NSPCC schools teams, 2003, Keele University: Keele.
22. Timulak, L., Meta-analysis of qualitative studies: A tool for reviewing qualitative research findings in psychotherapy, Psychotherapy Research, 2009, 19(4–5): p. 591–600.
23. Elliott, R. and L. Timulak, Descriptive and interpretive approaches to qualitative research in J. Miles and P. Gilbert (Eds), A handbook of research methods in clinical and health psychology (p. 147–159), 2005, Oxford University Press: Oxford.
24. *Cooper, M., Counselling in schools project: Evaluation report, 2004, Counselling Unit, University of Strathclyde: Glasgow.
25. *Cooper, M., Analysis of the evaluation data in East Renfrewshire Youth Counselling Service (ERYCS): Development and evaluation of a full-time secondary school and community based youth counselling service in Scotland 2005, 2006, East Renfrewshire Council: East Renfrewshire.
26. *Cooper, M., Counselling in schools project phase 2: Evaluation report, 2006, Counselling Unit, University of Strathclyde: Glasgow.
27. *Dunne, A., W. Thompson and R. Leitch, Adolescent males’ experience of the counselling process, Journal of Adolescence, 2000, 23: p. 79–93.
28. *Freire, E., and M. Cooper, Glasgow counselling in schools project: Evaluation report 2006/2007, 2008, University of Strathclyde: Glasgow.
29. *Hough, M. and E. Freire, East Dunbartonshire: Counselling service evaluation report 2005/2007, 2007, University of Strathclyde: Glasgow.
30. *Lynass, R., O. Pykhtina and M. Cooper, A thematic analysis of young people’s experience of counselling in five secondary schools in the UK, Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 2012 12(1): p. 53–62.
31.*McArthur, K., Change processes in school-based humanistic counselling: A qualitative interview study. Paper presented at the 19th BACP Research Conference, 2013, Birmingham.
27 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
32. *Sherry, J., LEA-organised counselling in secondary schools in Dudley, 1999, Dudley Counselling Service: Dudley.
33. Timulak, L. and M. Creaner, Qualitative meta-analysis of outcomes of person-centred and experiential psychotherapies in M. Cooper, J. C. Watson and D. Holldampf (Eds.), Person-centred and experiential therapies work: A review of the research on counselling, psychotherapy and related practices, 2010, PCCS Books: Ross-on-Wye.
34. Paterson, B. L. et al., Meta-study of qualitative health research: A practical guide to meta-analysis and meta-synthesis, 2001, Sage: Thousands Oaks, CA.
35. British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, Good practice guidance for counselling in schools, 2011, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy: Rugby.
36. Smith, S., Evaluation of person-centred counselling service at Ashton Community Science College, Preston, 2013), unpublished raw data.
37. Cooper, M. and J. McLeod, Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2011, Sage: London.
38. British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, Definition of counselling, retrieved from website 1/2013: www.bacp.co.uk
39. Cooper, M. et al, Randomised controlled trial of school-based humanistic counselling for emotional distress in young people: Feasibility study and preliminary indications of efficacy, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 2010, 4: p.1–12.
40. Elliot, R., Client Change Interview Schedule, Unpublished research instrument, 1996, Department of Psychology, University of Toledo.
41. McArthur, K., M. Cooper, and L. Berdondini, L. School-based humanistic counseling for psychological distress in young people: Pilot randomized controlled trial, Psychotherapy Research, 2013, 23(3): p. 355–365.
42. Elliott, R. Client Change Interview protocol, 1999, retrieved from website 6/2013: http://experiential-researchers.org/instruments/elliott/changei.html
AppendicesAppendix 1 – Definitions of key terms
Counselling: In this review counselling is defined as one-to-one therapy involving a trained practitioner who is working with a young person to ‘help them bring about effective change or enhance their wellbeing.’ [38].
School-based counselling: In the UK the term school-based counselling is preferred to ‘school counselling’ [14] and refers to counselling which is situated within a school building; not at an external location e.g. health establishment. This therapy is not necessarily centred on school-related issues. Most UK school-based counsellors associate with relational forms of therapy e.g. person-centred/humanistic approaches [14].
Young people: For the purposes of this review ‘young people’ refers only to those who are in secondary education and are of ages 11 to 18 years.
Experiences: The young people’s perspectives or subjective views of the counselling sessions they participated in.
Helpful and unhelpful factors: Reasons young people give for finding counselling helpful or unhelpful (or how they think the counselling experience could be improved). Only those factors related to the therapy process, not the outcome, are included in this review.
Appendix 2 – Search strategies
Search terms for all databases. � (counselling OR counseling) � AND � (school OR secondar* OR high OR adolescen* OR youth) � AND � (help* OR significan* OR experienc*) � AND � (research OR audit OR evaluat*)
* symbolises variations of the keywords.
PsycINFO – advanced search.Search terms used in title and abstract.
Limiters:Publication date: start 1998 end 2013Record type: dissertation, journal, journal article, peer reviewed journalLanguage: EnglishAge Group: School age (6–12 years) and Adolescence (13–17 years)Population: Human
Web of Knowledge – advanced search.Search terms used in topic.
Limiters:Timespan: From 1998 to 2013Search Language: EnglishResearch Domains – social sciences, arts humanitiesResearch Areas – psychology, education – educational research, sociology, social sciences – other topics, social issues.Document type: article
27 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 28
EBSCO Host – advanced search.Search terms used in title and abstract.
Limiters:Publication date: 1998–2013Source types: academic journalsSubject: counseling, educational counseling, counselor and client, qualitative research, counseling psychology, counseling – research, students – attitudes
Google Scholar – general search.Search terms used in general search.
As Google Scholar has few opportunities to limit a search, the first 1,000 results sorted by relevance, were searched (from a total of 555,000).
Limiters:Time: 1998–2013Search English papers: articles
Appendix 3 – List of organisations
Organisations whose websites were searched and who were contacted requesting ‘grey literature’. All searches were conducted from March to May 2013.
2as1ACIS Youth Counselling
Cabrini Children’s SocietyCatholic Children’s SocietyClear MindsCommunication Now Ltd.ConscireCounselling in SchoolsDialogueDudley LEA Counselling ServiceEast Renfrewshire Youth Counselling Service (ERYCS)EntrustIndependent Counselling Service for SchoolsLifelinkNSPCCPlace2BeReach Out Counselling in SchoolsRelateSchool and Family Support Service (Angus)The Bridge FoundationThe Children’s Law Centre in BelfastThe Institute for Conflict Research in Northern IrelandThe Wellbeing SanctuaryTime 4 MeTime 4 YouTogether in CommunicationValley TrustWHCM CounsellingWigan Family WelfareYouth Access
29 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Appe
ndix
4: Fu
rthe
r deta
ils o
f th
e st
udies
inclu
ded
in th
e qu
alita
tive
meta
-ana
lysis
Bib
liog
rap
hic
det
ails
The
rap
y ty
pe
Det
ails
of
resp
ond
ents
Aim
sD
esig
nK
ey fi
ndin
gs
rele
vant
to
thi
s re
view
Eva
luat
ion
of
pap
er
Aut
hor:
She
rry,
J.
Titl
e: L
EA
-org
anis
ed
coun
sellin
g in
sec
onda
ry
scho
ols
in D
udle
y: C
lient
s’
view
s on
ser
vice
s.
So
urce
: Dud
ley:
Dud
ley
Cou
nsel
ling
Ser
vice
Year
: 199
9
[32]
Bro
adly
hu
man
istic
Pup
ils fr
om
16 s
econ
dary
sc
hool
s in
D
udle
y.
Age
d 11
–17
Fem
ale
– 97
Mal
e –
76
An
eval
uatio
n of
the
coun
sellin
g se
rvic
e pr
ovid
ed in
Dud
ley
seco
ndar
y sc
hool
s –
to s
umm
aris
e th
e vi
ews
and
expe
rienc
es o
f pu
pils
who
hav
e m
ade
use
of
the
coun
sellin
g se
rvic
e, a
nd to
id
entif
y so
me
of th
e po
tent
ial
issu
es fo
r se
rvic
e de
velo
pmen
t.
A q
uest
ionn
aire
was
di
strib
uted
to p
ast
and
exis
ting
serv
ice
user
s. A
sub
-gro
up o
f th
ose
who
retu
rned
qu
estio
nnai
res
wer
e in
divi
dual
ly in
terv
iew
ed
(this
sub
-gro
up
wer
e se
lf-no
min
ated
in
divi
dual
s). I
nter
view
s w
ere
sem
i-str
uctu
red
and
last
ed fo
r ap
prox
imat
ely
15
min
utes
.
Qua
litat
ive
resp
onse
s fro
m th
e qu
estio
nnai
res
wer
e ar
rang
ed in
gen
eral
gr
oupi
ngs
and
wer
e fu
rthe
r so
rted
into
th
emes
.
Qua
litat
ive
resp
onse
s fro
m th
e in
terv
iew
s re
gard
ing
help
ful
and
unhe
lpfu
l fac
tors
w
ere
only
arr
ange
d in
gen
eral
gro
upin
gs
of p
ositi
ve, n
eutr
al/
mix
ed, n
egat
ive.
The
mai
n he
lpfu
l fac
tors
repo
rted
w
ere
the
oppo
rtun
ity to
talk
mor
e op
enly,
bei
ng u
nder
stoo
d, a
nd
gett
ing
help
with
pro
blem
s.
Oth
er h
elpf
ul fa
ctor
s w
ere
the
confi
den
tialit
y of
the
serv
ice,
the
coun
sello
r be
ing
like
a fri
end,
the
inde
pend
ence
of t
he c
ouns
ello
r, an
d no
t bei
ng ju
dged
.
The
mai
n un
help
ful f
acto
rs
men
tione
d w
ere
nega
tive
resp
onse
s to
the
coun
sello
r, ge
nder
issu
es, l
imita
tions
of
coun
sellin
g (e
.g. w
antin
g m
ore)
, fe
elin
g ba
d du
ring
coun
sellin
g.
Oth
er u
nhel
pful
fact
ors
wer
e th
e en
viro
nmen
t, di
ffere
nces
bet
wee
n co
unse
llors
, and
bre
akin
g of
co
nfi d
entia
lity.
Que
stio
nnai
res
wer
e re
turn
ed b
y 38
% o
f pa
st a
nd e
xist
ing
serv
ice
user
s. A
lthou
gh
this
is a
low
retu
rn r
ate,
it d
oes
cons
ist o
f 17
3 re
spon
dent
s.
71 c
lient
s (4
1% o
f tho
se c
ompl
etin
g qu
estio
nnai
res)
resp
onde
d to
an
invi
tatio
n to
add
com
men
ts re
gard
ing
the
clie
nt’s
ex
perie
nce
of c
ouns
ellin
g. T
his
follo
wed
a
mor
e st
ruct
ured
ser
ies
of q
uest
ions
e.
g. ‘D
id y
ou fe
el fr
ee to
dis
cuss
any
thin
g w
ith th
e co
unse
llor?
’ whi
ch m
ay h
ave
infl u
ence
d so
me
of th
e su
bseq
uent
co
mm
ents
e.g
. reg
ardi
ng ‘t
alki
ng m
ore
open
ly’.
The
rese
arch
er w
as in
depe
nden
t of
the
coun
sellin
g se
rvic
e, b
ut th
ere
is
no m
entio
n of
aud
iting
of t
he re
sults
. H
owev
er a
ll of
the
com
men
ts fr
om th
e qu
estio
nnai
res
are
incl
uded
und
er e
ach
them
e fo
r th
e re
ader
to v
iew
.
Sho
rt s
emi-s
truc
ture
d in
divi
dual
inte
rvie
ws
wer
e co
nduc
ted
with
sel
f-no
min
ated
in
divi
dual
s, w
ho h
ad a
lread
y re
turn
ed
a qu
estio
nnai
re. A
s th
ese
clie
nts
volu
ntee
red
to b
e in
terv
iew
ed, i
t may
be
that
they
wer
e m
ore
pred
ispo
sed
tow
ards
th
e co
unse
lling
serv
ice.
Inte
rvie
ws
wer
e no
t rec
orde
d, re
spon
ses
wer
e w
ritte
n do
wn.
Inte
rvie
w d
ata
was
un
code
d, s
orte
d in
to g
ener
al g
roup
s on
ly.
29 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 30
Bib
liog
rap
hic
det
ails
The
rap
y ty
pe
Det
ails
of
resp
ond
ents
Aim
sD
esig
nK
ey fi
ndin
gs
rele
vant
to
thi
s re
view
Eva
luat
ion
of
pap
er
Aut
hors
: Dun
ne, A
., Th
omps
on, W
., &
Lei
tch,
R
.
Titl
e: A
dole
scen
t mal
es’
expe
rienc
e of
the
coun
sellin
g pr
oces
s
So
urce
: Jou
rnal
of
Ado
lesc
ence
Year
: 200
0
[27]
Clie
nt-c
entr
ed
ther
apy
and
real
ity th
erap
y
Pup
ils fr
om o
ne
all-b
oys’
sch
ool
in Ir
elan
d.
Age
d 14
–18
Fem
ale
– 0
Mal
e –
11
To in
vest
igat
e th
e re
port
ed
expe
rienc
es
of c
ouns
ellin
g se
ssio
ns o
f ad
oles
cent
boy
s.
An
open
-end
ed
ques
tionn
aire
on
the
clie
nt’s
exp
erie
nce
of h
elpf
ul a
nd
hind
erin
g ev
ents
, w
as c
ompl
eted
at t
he
end
of e
ach
sess
ion
for
all p
artic
ipan
ts
(exp
erie
nces
of 2
3 co
unse
lling
sess
ions
)
5 of
the
clie
nts
(follo
win
g 12
ses
sion
s w
hich
wer
e au
dio-
tape
d) w
ere
also
in
terv
iew
ed re
gard
ing
the
part
s of
the
sess
ions
they
had
id
entifi
ed
as h
elpf
ul o
r un
help
ful.
The
clie
nt c
omm
ents
on
the
Hel
pful
/U
nhel
pful
Eve
nts
Form
w
ere
tran
scrib
ed,
as w
ere
the
tape
s of
the
post
-ses
sion
in
terv
iew
s. T
hese
w
ere
com
bine
d,
divi
ded
into
mea
ning
un
its, a
naly
sed
and
cate
goris
ed.
The
mai
n he
lpfu
l fac
tors
clie
nts
repo
rted
wer
e th
e op
port
unity
to
talk
abo
ut p
robl
ems
and
feel
ings
, al
ong
with
the
ease
of t
alki
ng.
The
posi
tive
feel
ings
, rel
ease
of
tens
ion,
bei
ng u
nder
stoo
d,
havi
ng a
new
per
spec
tive,
pr
oble
m s
olvi
ng, c
larif
ying
idea
s an
d fo
cusi
ng, w
ere
also
see
n as
he
lpfu
l. Th
ey fo
und
coun
sello
r fa
ctor
s su
ch a
s en
cour
agin
g to
ta
lk, l
iste
ning
and
sum
mar
isin
g as
he
lpfu
l.
Ano
ther
hel
pful
fact
or w
as th
at
coun
sellin
g w
as d
iffer
ent t
o ot
her
conv
ersa
tions
, allo
win
g th
e cl
ient
s to
‘let
thin
gs o
ut’.
Few
unh
elp
ful f
acto
rs w
ere
men
tione
d bu
t the
se in
clud
ed
expe
rienc
ing
unco
mfo
rtab
le
feel
ings
, unw
ante
d th
ough
ts, a
nd
not b
eing
abl
e to
focu
s.
Due
to th
e fa
ct th
at th
is s
tudy
onl
y in
volv
ed a
sm
all n
umbe
r of
par
ticip
ants
(1
1) fr
om o
ne s
choo
l, se
en b
y on
e co
unse
llor,
the
fi ndi
ngs
can
only
be
gene
ralis
ed to
oth
er s
choo
l-bas
ed
coun
sellin
g se
rvic
es w
ith c
autio
n. A
lso
as
it w
as a
n al
l-boy
s’ s
choo
l, th
ere
wer
e no
fe
mal
e pa
rtic
ipan
ts in
this
stu
dy.
The
clie
nts
wer
e ch
osen
and
invi
ted
to
part
icip
ate,
so
ther
e m
ay b
e so
me
bias
.
The
coun
sello
r w
as th
e ch
ief r
esea
rche
r in
th
e st
udy.
Thi
s co
uld
have
affe
cted
clie
nts’
w
illing
ness
to re
port
neg
ativ
e vi
ews
but
ther
e w
as s
ome
atte
mpt
to li
mit
this
im
pact
– q
uest
ionn
aire
s w
ere
seal
ed a
nd
clie
nts
told
that
the
coun
sello
r-re
sear
cher
w
ould
not
look
at t
hese
unt
il th
e en
d of
te
rm.
Cat
egor
ies
wer
e au
dite
d by
a c
olle
ague
.
Que
stio
nnai
res
aske
d sp
ecifi
cally
abo
ut
help
ful/u
nhel
pful
fact
ors,
and
inte
rvie
wee
s w
ere
furt
her
ques
tione
d on
this
.
This
is th
e on
ly s
tudy
in th
e re
view
that
m
easu
red
help
ful a
nd u
nhel
pful
fact
ors
afte
r ea
ch s
essi
on r
athe
r th
an p
ost-
ther
apy.
31 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Bib
liog
rap
hic
det
ails
The
rap
y ty
pe
Det
ails
of
resp
ond
ents
Aim
sD
esig
nK
ey fi
ndin
gs
rele
vant
to
thi
s re
view
Eva
luat
ion
of
pap
er
Aut
hors
: Hou
gh, M
. &
Frei
re, E
.
Titl
e: E
ast
Dun
bart
onsh
ire:
Cou
nsel
ling
serv
ice
eval
uatio
n re
port
20
05/2
007.
So
urce
: Gla
sgow
: U
nive
rsity
of S
trat
hcly
de.
Year
: 200
7
[29]
Not
sta
ted
Pup
ils fr
om
10 s
econ
dary
sc
hool
s in
Eas
t D
unba
rton
shire
.
Age
d 11
–18
appr
oxim
atel
y
(S1
to S
6)
Fem
ale
– 48
%
(app
rox.
108
)
Mal
e –
52%
(a
ppro
x. 1
16)
Eva
luat
ion
of th
e E
ast
Dun
bart
onsh
ire
coun
sellin
g se
rvic
e.
Pos
t-co
unse
lling
ques
tionn
aire
s w
ere
com
plet
ed a
t the
end
of
the
clie
nt’s
ser
ies
of
coun
sellin
g se
ssio
ns
(64.
2%) o
r at
the
end
of a
term
(35.
8%).
The
ques
tionn
aire
in
clud
ed a
str
uctu
red
ques
tion
whi
ch a
sked
re
spon
dent
s to
rat
e se
ven
reas
ons
why
co
unse
lling
may
hav
e he
lped
them
.
Als
o th
ree
open
qu
estio
ns a
sked
for
othe
r re
ason
s w
hy
coun
sellin
g w
as
help
ful o
r no
t hel
pful
, an
d ho
w th
e se
rvic
e co
uld
be im
prov
ed.
The
resp
onse
s to
the
stru
ctur
ed
ques
tion
wer
e ra
nked
acc
ordi
ng
to h
ow m
any
clie
nts
answ
ered
‘a lo
t’ to
ho
w h
elpf
ul e
ach
fact
or w
as.
Qua
litat
ive
resp
onse
s w
ere
sort
ed in
to
cate
gorie
s.
Str
uctu
red
resp
onse
s to
hel
pfu
l fa
cto
rs w
ere
rank
ed:
1. ta
lkin
g to
som
eone
who
wou
ld
liste
n
2. c
onfi d
entia
lity
3. g
et th
ings
off
ches
t
4. re
ceiv
ing
sugg
estio
ns/a
dvic
e
5. b
eing
ask
ed q
uest
ions
6. fi
nd o
ut w
hy y
ou th
ink,
feel
and
be
have
in th
e w
ay y
ou d
o
7. w
ork
out n
ew a
nd b
ette
r w
ays
to b
ehav
e
The
mai
n qu
alita
tive
resp
onse
s re
gard
ing
help
ful f
acto
rs w
ere
the
oppo
rtun
ity to
talk
and
be
liste
ned
to, t
he c
ouns
ello
r’s
acce
ptan
ce, s
elf-
unde
rsta
ndin
g,
havi
ng s
omeo
ne th
ere,
get
ting
thin
gs o
ff on
e’s
ches
t, fe
elin
g un
ders
tood
, hav
ing
time
out,
and
confi
den
tialit
y.
Oth
er h
elpf
ul fa
ctor
s w
ere
usef
ul
advi
ce, n
ot b
eing
told
wha
t to
do
and
the
coun
sello
r be
ing
nice
.
The
mai
n qu
alita
tive
resp
onse
s re
gard
ing
unhe
lpfu
l fac
tors
wer
e ha
ving
not
hing
to ta
lk a
bout
, w
antin
g m
ore
sess
ions
and
mor
e ad
vice
or
ques
tions
. How
ever
ot
her
unhe
lpfu
l fac
tors
repo
rted
w
ere
too
man
y qu
estio
ns a
nd th
e co
unse
llor
bein
g te
nse.
A la
rge
sam
ple
size
of 2
24 p
upils
co
mpl
eted
the
post
-cou
nsel
ling
ques
tionn
aire
. Thi
s w
as 7
3.2%
of p
upils
w
ho a
tten
ded
the
coun
sellin
g se
rvic
e,
whi
ch is
an
exce
llent
resp
onse
rat
e.
93 o
f tho
se w
ho c
ompl
eted
the
ques
tionn
aire
(31.
4%) g
ave
at le
ast o
ne
qual
itativ
e an
swer
rega
rdin
g he
lpfu
l or
not
help
ful a
spec
ts o
f cou
nsel
ling.
The
stru
ctur
ed s
ectio
n of
the
ques
tionn
aire
(con
tain
ing
7 su
gges
tions
of
hel
pful
fact
ors)
may
hav
e in
fl uen
ced
the
subs
eque
nt q
ualit
ativ
e re
spon
ses
give
n. O
nly
the
qual
itativ
e re
spon
ses
are
incl
uded
in th
e sy
nthe
sis
of re
sults
for
this
re
view
.
The
qual
itativ
e re
spon
ses
from
the
ques
tionn
aire
are
sor
ted
into
cat
egor
ies,
an
d th
e co
mm
ents
them
selv
es a
re a
lso
all
incl
uded
, sho
win
g w
hich
cat
egor
ies
they
w
ere
assi
gned
to.
This
is a
n ex
tens
ive
pape
r co
ntai
ning
mor
e de
taile
d in
form
atio
n th
an is
incl
uded
in
this
revi
ew e
.g. p
re-
and
post
-cou
nsel
ling
scor
es o
n th
e Y
P-C
OR
E.
31 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 32
Bib
liog
rap
hic
det
ails
The
rap
y ty
pe
Det
ails
of
resp
ond
ents
Aim
sD
esig
nK
ey fi
ndin
gs
rele
vant
to
thi
s re
view
Eva
luat
ion
of
pap
er
Aut
hor:
Coo
per,
M.
Titl
e: E
ast R
enfre
wsh
ire
Yout
h C
ouns
ellin
g S
ervi
ce
(ER
YC
S):
Ana
lysi
s of
the
eval
uatio
n da
ta.
So
urce
: Eas
t R
enfre
wsh
ire: E
ast
Ren
frew
shire
Cou
ncil.
Year
: 200
6
[25]
Per
son-
cent
red
mos
t co
mm
on
appr
oach
(9
3%)
(als
o sy
stem
ic
and
CB
T)
Pup
ils fr
om
7 se
cond
ary
scho
ols
in E
ast
Ren
frew
shire
.
Age
d 11
–17
Fem
ale
– 57
Mal
e –
33
Eva
luat
ion
and
deve
lopm
ent o
f the
E
RY
CS
cou
nsel
ling
serv
ice.
‘Clie
nt A
sses
smen
t of
Cou
nsel
ling’
qu
estio
nnai
res
cont
aini
ng b
oth
stru
ctur
ed a
nd o
pen
ques
tions
wer
e gi
ven
to c
lient
s w
ho h
ad
com
plet
ed th
erap
y.
The
ques
tionn
aire
in
clud
ed tw
o op
en
ques
tions
rega
rdin
g us
eful
ele
men
ts o
f co
unse
lling
and
how
co
unse
lling
coul
d be
im
prov
ed.
Thes
e qu
alita
tive
resp
onse
s w
ere
code
d in
to c
ateg
orie
s.
(Cou
nsel
lors
al
so c
ompl
eted
qu
estio
nnai
res
but
that
dat
a is
not
in
clud
ed in
this
re
view
.)
Clie
nts
repo
rted
that
by
far
the
mos
t hel
pfu
l fac
tor
of th
erap
y (o
ut o
f 13
them
es id
entifi
ed)
was
fo
und
to b
e ‘T
alki
ng a
nd b
eing
lis
tene
d to
’, an
d to
a le
sser
ext
ent
‘Gui
danc
e an
d ad
vice
’. O
ther
he
lpfu
l fac
tors
wer
e ca
tego
rised
as
mis
cella
neou
s, c
onfi d
entia
lity,
sp
ecifi
c im
prov
emen
ts, a
nd
‘eve
ryth
ing’
. Clie
nts
also
m
entio
ned
gett
ing
thin
gs o
ff on
e’s
ches
t, in
depe
nden
ce o
f co
unse
llor,
prob
lem
-sol
ving
, se
lf-es
teem
, fee
ling
unde
rsto
od,
non-
judg
emen
tal,
insi
ght a
nd
awar
enes
s.
‘Not
hing
’ was
the
high
est
rate
d re
spon
se to
the
ques
tion
of u
nhel
pfu
l fac
tors
. Sin
gle
resp
onse
s w
ere
mad
e re
gard
ing
cons
tant
cha
ngin
g of
app
oint
men
ts, c
ouns
ello
r to
be
in s
choo
l mor
e, p
upils
bei
ng
unaw
are
of th
e se
rvic
e.
This
stu
dy h
as a
n ex
celle
nt re
spon
se r
ate
of 7
8% o
f clie
nts
(a s
ampl
e of
90)
. Thi
s m
ay b
e du
e to
ther
e be
ing
a cl
ear
prot
ocol
fo
r di
strib
utio
n of
que
stio
nnai
res
at th
e en
d of
term
and
the
end
of c
ouns
ellin
g.
66 c
lient
s (7
3% o
f tho
se w
ho c
ompl
eted
qu
estio
nnai
res,
whi
ch is
a h
igh
prop
ortio
n)
mad
e qu
alita
tive
resp
onse
s re
gard
ing
usef
ul e
lem
ents
of t
hera
py.
34 c
lient
s (3
8%) g
ave
resp
onse
s re
gard
ing
unhe
lpfu
l ele
men
ts, a
lthou
gh m
ost o
f th
ose
wer
e co
ded
unde
r ‘n
othi
ng’ a
s un
help
ful.
Onl
y th
ree
clie
nts
men
tione
d sp
ecifi
c un
help
ful f
acto
rs.
The
qual
itativ
e re
spon
ses
from
the
ques
tionn
aire
are
cod
ed in
to c
ateg
orie
s,
with
onl
y ex
ampl
es o
f the
type
of
resp
onse
s be
ing
give
n in
the
pape
r.
Dat
a w
as a
naly
sed
exte
rnal
ly to
the
coun
sellin
g se
rvic
e. C
lient
s w
ere
info
rmed
th
at c
ouns
ello
rs w
ould
not
see
thei
r fo
rms,
so
clie
nts
wer
e no
t res
tric
ted
in th
eir
resp
onse
s.
This
is a
n ex
tens
ive
pape
r co
ntai
ning
mor
e de
taile
d in
form
atio
n th
an is
incl
uded
in th
is
revi
ew e
.g. c
ouns
ellin
g w
as a
ssoc
iate
d w
ith s
igni
fi can
t red
uctio
ns in
leve
ls o
f ps
ycho
logi
cal d
iffi c
ultie
s on
the
Str
engt
hs
and
Diffi
cul
ties
Que
stio
nnai
re (S
DQ
).
33 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Bib
liog
rap
hic
det
ails
The
rap
y ty
pe
Det
ails
of
resp
ond
ents
Aim
sD
esig
nK
ey fi
ndin
gs
rele
vant
to
thi
s re
view
Eva
luat
ion
of
pap
er
Aut
hor:
Coo
per,
M.
Titl
e: C
ouns
ellin
g in
sch
ools
pro
ject
: E
valu
atio
n re
port
.
So
urce
: Gla
sgow
: C
ouns
ellin
g U
nit,
Uni
vers
ity o
f Str
athc
lyde
.
Year
: 200
4
[24]
Pre
dom
inan
tly
pers
on-c
entr
ed
appr
oach
(oth
er e
lem
ents
br
ough
t in
e.g.
th
e te
achi
ng
of re
laxa
tion
met
hods
)
Pup
ils fr
om
thre
e se
cond
ary
scho
ols
in
Gla
sgow
.
Age
d 11
–18
appr
oxim
atel
y
(S1
to S
6)
Que
stio
nnai
res:
Fem
ale
– 61
Mal
e –
56
Inte
rvie
ws:
Fem
ale
– 8
Mal
e –
11
An
eval
uatio
n of
the
Gla
sgow
C
ouns
ellin
g in
S
choo
ls P
roje
ct.
Mul
ti-m
etho
d,
plur
alis
tic d
esig
n,
com
bini
ng q
ualit
ativ
e an
d qu
antit
ativ
e ev
iden
ce fr
om m
ultip
le
pers
pect
ives
(thi
s re
view
onl
y lo
oks
at
the
evid
ence
from
yo
ung
peop
le).
All
clie
nts
wer
e as
ked
to c
ompl
ete
a po
st-c
ouns
ellin
g sa
tisfa
ctio
n qu
estio
nnai
re,
cont
aini
ng q
uant
itativ
e ra
ting
item
s an
d op
en-
ende
d qu
alita
tive
item
s. Q
ualit
ativ
e ite
ms
from
this
qu
estio
nnai
re w
ere
anal
ysed
and
cod
ed
into
cat
egor
ies.
Sem
i-str
uctu
red
inte
rvie
ws
(10
to 3
0 m
ins
appr
ox.)
with
fo
rmer
clie
nts
wer
e re
cord
ed, t
rans
crib
ed,
anal
ysed
, the
mes
id
entifi
ed,
then
cod
ed
into
cat
egor
ies
with
th
e he
lp o
f NV
ivo
(a
qual
itativ
e an
alys
is
softw
are
pack
age)
.
Mos
t fre
quen
t res
pons
e re
gard
ing
help
ful f
acto
rs w
as
the
oppo
rtun
ity to
‘tal
k an
d be
lis
tene
d to
’. ‘G
ettin
g th
ings
off
one’
s ch
est’
was
als
o a
com
mon
re
spon
se.
Thos
e in
terv
iew
ed m
ainl
y va
lued
th
e co
unse
llor
liste
ning
, ask
ing
ques
tions
, bei
ng fr
iend
ly a
nd
unde
rsta
ndin
g, n
ot ju
dgem
enta
l or
dire
ctiv
e, a
nd o
fferin
g su
gges
tions
an
d ad
vice
. The
y al
so v
alue
d th
e op
port
unity
to ta
lk, t
o re
fl ect
, to
exp
lore
alte
rnat
ive
way
s of
be
havi
ng, a
nd g
ettin
g th
ings
off
thei
r ch
est.
Con
fi den
tialit
y w
as a
n im
port
ant
fact
or fo
r 63
% o
f int
ervi
ewee
s.
The
mai
n un
help
ful f
acto
r m
entio
ned
was
the
lack
of i
nput
by
the
coun
sello
r. O
ther
unh
elpf
ul
fact
ors
men
tione
d w
ere
the
dura
tion
of s
essi
ons,
too
serio
us,
mis
sing
cla
sses
, lac
k of
priv
acy.
Imp
rove
men
ts s
ugge
sted
wer
e th
at th
e co
unse
llor
shou
ld b
e ar
ound
mor
e, p
upils
sho
uld
be
able
to c
onta
ct th
e co
unse
llor
dire
ctly,
and
wai
ting
times
sho
uld
be s
hort
er.
The
high
resp
onse
rat
e to
que
stio
nnai
res
(69%
) may
be
due
to s
tand
ardi
sed
eval
uatio
n pr
otoc
ols
bein
g cl
ear
(pro
toco
ls
incl
uded
in th
e pa
per).
97 (8
3%, w
hich
is a
hig
h pr
opor
tion
of
resp
onde
nts)
gav
e an
ans
wer
rega
rdin
g he
lpfu
l fac
tors
. Onl
y se
ven
(6%
) gav
e an
ans
wer
rega
rdin
g un
help
ful f
acto
rs.
24 (2
1%) g
ave
an a
nsw
er re
gard
ing
impr
ovem
ents
to th
e se
rvic
e.
Som
e ex
ampl
es o
f com
men
ts a
re g
iven
un
der
each
cat
egor
y.
Incl
udes
in-d
epth
des
crip
tions
of t
he
met
hodo
logi
cal s
teps
use
d in
the
eval
uatio
n pr
oces
s. T
he d
ata
anal
ysis
m
etho
d is
cle
arly
des
crib
ed.
Inte
rvie
w p
roto
col i
s in
clud
ed in
the
pape
r. Th
ose
willi
ng to
be
inte
rvie
wed
m
ay h
ave
felt
mor
e po
sitiv
ely
tow
ards
the
coun
sellin
g se
rvic
e. H
owev
er th
e qu
estio
n re
gard
ing
com
plia
nce
to b
e in
terv
iew
ed
was
fi rs
t ask
ed a
t the
com
men
cem
ent
of c
ouns
ellin
g to
hel
p re
duce
any
pro
-co
unse
lling
bias
.
The
resu
lts w
ere
audi
ted
by a
n ex
tern
al
spec
ialis
t in
coun
sellin
g re
sear
ch.
This
stu
dy v
iew
ed th
e ke
y is
sues
from
a
rang
e of
vie
wpo
ints
(you
ng p
eopl
e,
teac
hers
and
cou
nsel
lors
), al
thou
gh
only
thos
e re
gard
ing
youn
g pe
ople
are
in
clud
ed in
this
revi
ew.
33 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 34
Bib
liog
rap
hic
det
ails
The
rap
y ty
pe
Det
ails
of
resp
ond
ents
Aim
sD
esig
nK
ey fi
ndin
gs
rele
vant
to
thi
s re
view
Eva
luat
ion
of
pap
er
Aut
hor:
Coo
per,
M.
Titl
e: C
ouns
ellin
g in
sc
hool
s pr
ojec
t pha
se II
: E
valu
atio
n re
port
.
So
urce
: Gla
sgow
: C
ouns
ellin
g U
nit,
Uni
vers
ity o
f Str
athc
lyde
.
Year
: 200
6
[26]
Pre
dom
inan
tly
pers
on-c
entr
ed
appr
oach
(oth
er e
lem
ents
br
ough
t in
e.g.
th
e te
achi
ng
of re
laxa
tion
met
hods
, use
of
art
and
pla
y m
ater
ials
)
Pup
ils fr
om
10 s
econ
dary
sc
hool
s in
G
lasg
ow.
Age
d 11
–18
appr
oxim
atel
y
(S1
to S
6)
Fem
ale
– 53
%
(app
rox.
140
)
Mal
e –
47%
(a
ppro
x. 1
24)
To e
valu
ate
the
succ
essf
ulne
ss
of th
e co
unse
lling
serv
ice
in th
e se
cond
pha
se
of th
e G
lasg
ow
Cou
nsel
ling
in
Sch
ools
Pro
ject
; an
d to
eva
luat
e th
e im
pact
of t
he
coun
sellin
g on
cl
ient
s’ c
apac
ities
to
stu
dy a
nd le
arn.
Als
o to
exp
lore
the
valu
e of
the
serv
ice
to s
choo
ls’ p
asto
ral
care
pro
visi
ons;
th
e re
latio
nshi
p be
twee
n co
unse
lling
and
wid
er s
uppo
rt
serv
ices
; the
po
tent
ial i
nteg
ratio
n of
cou
nsel
ling
with
the
Soc
ial
and
Em
otio
nal
Lear
ning
Fra
me
(SE
LF) a
sses
smen
t sy
stem
.
Plu
ralis
tic d
esig
n,
com
bini
ng q
ualit
ativ
e an
d qu
antit
ativ
e m
etho
dolo
gies
and
ob
tain
ing
mul
tiple
pe
rspe
ctiv
es.
Pos
t-co
unse
lling
ques
tionn
aire
s w
ere
dist
ribut
ed to
all
cons
entin
g cl
ient
s.
Qua
litat
ive
item
s fro
m
the
ques
tionn
aire
wer
e th
emat
ical
ly a
naly
sed.
Inte
rvie
ws
wer
e al
so
cond
ucte
d bu
t are
not
in
clud
ed in
this
revi
ew
as th
ey d
id n
ot c
over
he
lpfu
l or
unhe
lpfu
l fa
ctor
s.
Clie
nts
mos
t fre
quen
tly s
aid
that
the
coun
sellin
g w
as
help
ful b
ecau
se it
gav
e th
em
an o
ppor
tuni
ty to
talk
and
be
liste
ned
to. O
ther
hel
pful
fact
ors
men
tione
d w
ere
gett
ing
thin
gs
off o
ne’s
che
st, i
ndep
ende
nce
of
coun
sello
r, fe
elin
g un
ders
tood
, ha
ving
som
eone
ther
e,
confi
den
tialit
y, in
sigh
t, us
eful
gu
idan
ce/a
dvic
e, c
ouns
ello
r’s
acce
ptan
ce a
nd th
at c
ouns
ellin
g w
as a
sel
f-di
rect
ed p
roce
ss.
The
only
unh
elp
ful f
acto
rs
men
tione
d w
ere
wan
ting
mor
e co
unse
lling,
and
cou
nsel
ling
as
gene
rally
not
hel
pful
.
Imp
rove
men
ts s
ugge
sted
wer
e th
at th
e co
unse
llor
shou
ld b
e m
ore
proa
ctiv
e an
d us
e ot
her
stra
tegi
es, s
essi
ons
coul
d be
m
ore
frequ
ent o
r lo
nger
, the
room
co
uld
be b
right
er a
nd in
a m
ore
priv
ate
loca
tion,
the
serv
ice
shou
ld
be p
rom
oted
mor
e an
d pe
rhap
s ho
t drin
ks s
houl
d be
pro
vide
d.
This
pap
er c
onta
ins
a la
rge
sam
ple
size
of
264
, whi
ch is
an
exce
llent
resp
onse
ra
te o
f 80%
of c
lient
s co
mpl
etin
g po
st-c
ouns
ellin
g qu
estio
nnai
res.
Thi
s hi
gh re
spon
se r
ate
is p
ossi
bly
due
to
stan
dard
ised
eva
luat
ion
prot
ocol
s be
ing
in p
lace
.
129
part
icip
ants
(49%
of q
uest
ionn
aire
re
spon
dent
s) g
ave
a qu
alita
tive
answ
er
rega
rdin
g he
lpfu
l or
unhe
lpfu
l fac
tors
.
Som
e ex
ampl
es o
f com
men
ts a
re g
iven
un
der
each
cat
egor
y.
A d
escr
iptio
n of
the
met
hodo
logi
cal
prot
ocol
s is
incl
uded
in th
e pa
per.
Res
ults
wer
e au
dite
d by
the
eval
uatio
n’s
Chi
ef In
vest
igat
or, p
lus
a fi n
al re
liabi
lity
chec
k.
This
pap
er is
a c
ompr
ehen
sive
and
in
-dep
th a
naly
sis
of a
sch
ool-b
ased
co
unse
lling
serv
ice,
con
tain
ing
a lo
t mor
e de
taile
d in
form
atio
n th
an is
incl
uded
in th
is
revi
ew e
.g. t
he im
pact
of c
ouns
ellin
g on
le
arni
ng.
35 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Bib
liog
rap
hic
det
ails
The
rap
y ty
pe
Det
ails
of
resp
ond
ents
Aim
sD
esig
nK
ey fi
ndin
gs
rele
vant
to
thi
s re
view
Eva
luat
ion
of
pap
er
Aut
hors
: Fre
ire, E
., &
C
oope
r, M
.
Titl
e: G
lasg
ow
coun
sellin
g in
sch
ools
pr
ojec
t: E
valu
atio
n re
port
20
06/2
007.
So
urce
: Gla
sgow
: U
nive
rsity
of S
trat
hcly
de.
Year
: 200
8
[28]
Not
sta
ted
(but
mos
t pr
obab
ly
pers
on-
cent
red
like
the
prev
ious
ev
alua
tions
of
this
cou
nsel
ling
serv
ice)
Pup
ils fr
om
12 s
econ
dary
sc
hool
s in
G
lasg
ow.
Age
d 11
–18
appr
oxim
atel
y
(S1
to S
6)
Fem
ale
– 56
%
Mal
e –
44%
Eva
luat
ion
of
the
Gla
sgow
C
ouns
ellin
g in
S
choo
ls P
roje
ct.
Clie
nts
wer
e as
ked
to c
ompl
ete
the
ques
tionn
aire
at t
he
end
of te
rm a
nd th
e en
d of
ther
apy.
The
ques
tionn
aire
co
ntai
ned
stru
ctur
ed
ques
tions
, plu
s tw
o fo
llow
-up
open
qu
estio
ns a
llow
ing
for
qual
itativ
e re
spon
ses
rega
rdin
g he
lpfu
l and
un
help
ful f
acto
rs.
Qua
litat
ive
resp
onse
s fo
r en
d of
term
and
en
d of
ther
apy
are
incl
uded
in th
is s
tudy
.
Res
pons
es w
ere
code
d in
to c
ateg
orie
s.
The
mos
t fre
quen
t res
pons
e re
gard
ing
help
ful f
acto
rs w
as
the
oppo
rtun
ity to
talk
and
lis
ten.
Thi
s w
as fo
llow
ed b
y th
e op
port
unity
to g
et th
ings
off
one’
s ch
est,
the
inde
pend
ence
of
the
coun
sello
r, th
e co
unse
llor’s
pe
rson
al q
ualit
ies,
insi
ght a
nd s
elf-
unde
rsta
ndin
g. A
lso
men
tione
d w
as th
e co
unse
llor
givi
ng a
dvic
e,
unde
rsta
ndin
g, c
onfi d
entia
lity,
ac
cept
ance
, and
pro
blem
sol
ving
.
No
info
rmat
ion
rega
rdin
g un
help
ful f
acto
rs.
292
post
-the
rapy
que
stio
nnai
res
give
a
resp
onse
rat
e of
63%
. How
ever
qu
alita
tive
resp
onse
s ar
e ta
ken
from
al
l que
stio
nnai
res
(381
incl
udin
g th
ose
com
plet
ed a
t the
end
of t
erm
).
This
pap
er c
onta
ins
the
larg
est n
umbe
r of
re
spon
dent
s gi
ving
a q
ualit
ativ
e an
swer
re
gard
ing
help
ful a
spec
ts o
f cou
nsel
ling.
26
8 of
thos
e w
ho c
ompl
eted
the
ques
tionn
aire
s (7
0.3%
) gav
e qu
alita
tive
answ
ers,
alth
ough
it is
not
cle
ar h
ow
man
y of
thes
e ar
e po
st-t
hera
py o
r en
d of
te
rm.
No
exam
ples
of t
he q
ualit
ativ
e co
mm
ents
ar
e gi
ven.
No
avai
labl
e da
ta re
gard
ing
unhe
lpfu
l fa
ctor
s.
35 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives © BACP 2013 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives 36
Bib
liog
rap
hic
det
ails
The
rap
y ty
pe
Det
ails
of
resp
ond
ents
Aim
sD
esig
nK
ey fi
ndin
gs
rele
vant
to
thi
s re
view
Eva
luat
ion
of
pap
er
Aut
hors
: Lyn
ass,
R.,
Pyk
htin
a, O
., &
Coo
per,
M.
Titl
e: A
them
atic
ana
lysi
s of
you
ng p
eopl
e’s
expe
rienc
e of
cou
nsel
ling
in fi
ve s
econ
dary
sch
ools
in
the
UK
So
urce
: Cou
nsel
ling
and
Psy
chot
hera
py R
esea
rch:
Li
nkin
g re
sear
ch w
ith
prac
tice
Year
: 201
2
[30]
Hum
anis
tic/
pers
on-c
entr
edP
upils
from
fi v
e se
cond
ary
scho
ols
– th
ree
in G
lasg
ow a
nd
two
in C
ount
y D
urha
m.
Age
d 13
–15
Fem
ale
– 8
Mal
e –
3
To g
ain
an
unde
rsta
ndin
g of
yo
ung
peop
le’s
ex
perie
nce
of w
hat
they
foun
d he
lpfu
l an
d un
help
ful a
bout
th
e co
unse
lling
they
re
ceiv
ed.
Plu
ralis
tic m
etho
d,
quan
titat
ive
data
pr
esen
ted
alon
gsid
e qu
alita
tive
data
.
This
stu
dy w
as
part
of a
larg
er
rand
omis
ed c
ontr
olle
d tr
ial o
f sch
ool-
base
d th
erap
eutic
co
unse
lling
[39]
.
End
of t
hera
py
sem
i-str
uctu
red
inte
rvie
ws
follo
wed
a
stan
dard
ised
inte
rvie
w
prot
ocol
, bas
ed o
n E
lliott
’s [4
0] C
lient
C
hang
e In
terv
iew
, w
hich
was
ada
pted
fo
r us
e w
ith y
oung
pe
ople
.
Inte
rvie
ws
wer
e re
cord
ed, t
rans
crib
ed,
and
qual
itativ
e re
spon
ses
wer
e th
emat
ical
ly a
naly
sed.
The
mos
t com
mon
ly c
ited
help
ful a
spec
ts o
f cou
nsel
ling
wer
e re
late
d to
talk
ing
or g
ettin
g th
ings
out
, cou
nsel
lor’s
per
sona
l qu
aliti
es, b
eing
abl
e to
talk
abo
ut
thin
gs th
at th
ey fe
lt un
able
to ta
lk
to fa
mily
/frie
nds
abou
t, ha
ving
ot
her
help
alo
ngsi
de c
ouns
ellin
g,
feel
ing
liste
ned
to/u
nder
stoo
d an
d co
nfi d
entia
lity/
priv
acy.
Oth
er h
elpf
ul a
spec
ts m
entio
ned
wer
e be
ing
trea
ted
as a
n eq
ual/
not b
eing
told
wha
t to
do,
trus
ting
the
coun
sello
r, co
unse
llor
feed
back
/diff
eren
t per
spec
tive,
lo
okin
g at
way
s to
cha
nge,
at
mos
pher
e/ro
om, t
hing
s ab
out
self
that
hel
ped
mak
e us
e of
co
unse
lling.
Unh
elp
ful a
spec
ts o
f cou
nsel
ling
wer
e th
at s
ome
thin
gs d
idn’
t ch
ange
alth
ough
wan
ted
them
to,
mor
e or
long
er s
essi
ons
wan
ted,
m
issi
ng le
sson
s, a
nd n
ot e
noug
h ad
vice
or
ques
tioni
ng.
Sm
all s
ampl
e si
ze, o
nly
11 c
lient
s in
terv
iew
ed.
This
stu
dy w
as p
art o
f a la
rger
ra
ndom
ised
con
trol
led
tria
l, so
all
inte
rvie
wee
s re
ceiv
ed a
sim
ilar
coun
sellin
g in
terv
entio
n. T
he a
utho
rs s
tate
that
the
inte
rvie
wee
s w
ere
repr
esen
tativ
e of
all
youn
g pe
ople
rece
ivin
g co
unse
lling
(not
se
lf- o
r te
ache
r-se
lect
ed).
How
ever
bei
ng p
art o
f thi
s la
rger
stu
dy
mea
nt th
at c
ouns
ellin
g in
terv
entio
ns w
ere
shor
ter
term
than
in th
e ot
her
stud
ies
(2-6
se
ssio
ns).
Inte
rvie
ws
wer
e ca
rrie
d ou
t at t
he e
nd
of th
erap
y an
d fo
llow
ed a
sta
ndar
dise
d pr
otoc
ol. I
nter
view
que
stio
ns a
re
cont
aine
d in
the
pape
r; th
ese
incl
ude
spec
ifi c
ques
tions
rega
rdin
g he
lpfu
l and
un
help
ful f
acto
rs.
The
them
atic
ana
lysi
s of
the
inte
rvie
w
tran
scrip
tions
is c
lear
ly e
xpla
ined
.
Som
e ex
ampl
es o
f com
men
ts a
re g
iven
un
der
each
them
e.
The
anal
ysis
was
aud
ited
by a
sec
ond
rese
arch
er.
Bib
liog
rap
hic
det
ails
The
rap
y ty
pe
Det
ails
of
resp
ond
ents
Aim
sD
esig
nK
ey fi
ndin
gs
rele
vant
to
thi
s re
view
Eva
luat
ion
of
pap
er
Aut
hors
: Fre
ire, E
., &
C
oope
r, M
.
Titl
e: G
lasg
ow
coun
sellin
g in
sch
ools
pr
ojec
t: E
valu
atio
n re
port
20
06/2
007.
So
urce
: Gla
sgow
: U
nive
rsity
of S
trat
hcly
de.
Year
: 200
8
[28]
Not
sta
ted
(but
mos
t pr
obab
ly
pers
on-
cent
red
like
the
prev
ious
ev
alua
tions
of
this
cou
nsel
ling
serv
ice)
Pup
ils fr
om
12 s
econ
dary
sc
hool
s in
G
lasg
ow.
Age
d 11
–18
appr
oxim
atel
y
(S1
to S
6)
Fem
ale
– 56
%
Mal
e –
44%
Eva
luat
ion
of
the
Gla
sgow
C
ouns
ellin
g in
S
choo
ls P
roje
ct.
Clie
nts
wer
e as
ked
to c
ompl
ete
the
ques
tionn
aire
at t
he
end
of te
rm a
nd th
e en
d of
ther
apy.
The
ques
tionn
aire
co
ntai
ned
stru
ctur
ed
ques
tions
, plu
s tw
o fo
llow
-up
open
qu
estio
ns a
llow
ing
for
qual
itativ
e re
spon
ses
rega
rdin
g he
lpfu
l and
un
help
ful f
acto
rs.
Qua
litat
ive
resp
onse
s fo
r en
d of
term
and
en
d of
ther
apy
are
incl
uded
in th
is s
tudy
.
Res
pons
es w
ere
code
d in
to c
ateg
orie
s.
The
mos
t fre
quen
t res
pons
e re
gard
ing
help
ful f
acto
rs w
as
the
oppo
rtun
ity to
talk
and
lis
ten.
Thi
s w
as fo
llow
ed b
y th
e op
port
unity
to g
et th
ings
off
one’
s ch
est,
the
inde
pend
ence
of
the
coun
sello
r, th
e co
unse
llor’s
pe
rson
al q
ualit
ies,
insi
ght a
nd s
elf-
unde
rsta
ndin
g. A
lso
men
tione
d w
as th
e co
unse
llor
givi
ng a
dvic
e,
unde
rsta
ndin
g, c
onfi d
entia
lity,
ac
cept
ance
, and
pro
blem
sol
ving
.
No
info
rmat
ion
rega
rdin
g un
help
ful f
acto
rs.
292
post
-the
rapy
que
stio
nnai
res
give
a
resp
onse
rat
e of
63%
. How
ever
qu
alita
tive
resp
onse
s ar
e ta
ken
from
al
l que
stio
nnai
res
(381
incl
udin
g th
ose
com
plet
ed a
t the
end
of t
erm
).
This
pap
er c
onta
ins
the
larg
est n
umbe
r of
re
spon
dent
s gi
ving
a q
ualit
ativ
e an
swer
re
gard
ing
help
ful a
spec
ts o
f cou
nsel
ling.
26
8 of
thos
e w
ho c
ompl
eted
the
ques
tionn
aire
s (7
0.3%
) gav
e qu
alita
tive
answ
ers,
alth
ough
it is
not
cle
ar h
ow
man
y of
thes
e ar
e po
st-t
hera
py o
r en
d of
te
rm.
No
exam
ples
of t
he q
ualit
ativ
e co
mm
ents
ar
e gi
ven.
No
avai
labl
e da
ta re
gard
ing
unhe
lpfu
l fa
ctor
s.
37 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Bib
liog
rap
hic
det
ails
The
rap
y ty
pe
Det
ails
of
resp
ond
ents
Aim
sD
esig
nK
ey fi
ndin
gs
rele
vant
to
thi
s re
view
Eva
luat
ion
of
pap
er
Aut
hor:
McA
rthu
r, K
.
Titl
e: C
hang
e pr
oces
ses
in s
choo
l-bas
ed
hum
anis
tic c
ouns
ellin
g: A
qu
alita
tive
inte
rvie
w s
tudy
.
So
urce
: Pap
er p
rese
nted
at
the
19th B
AC
P
Res
earc
h C
onfe
renc
e,
Birm
ingh
am (r
esul
ts
rece
ived
thro
ugh
pers
onal
co
mm
unic
atio
n w
ith
auth
or).
Year
: 201
3
[31]
Hum
anis
ticP
upils
from
th
ree
seco
ndar
y sc
hool
s in
so
cial
ly d
epriv
ed
area
s of
G
lasg
ow.
Age
d 13
–16
Fem
ale
– 6
Mal
e –
8
To e
xplo
re th
e pr
oces
ses
of
chan
ge fo
r yo
ung
peop
le in
sch
ool-
base
d hu
man
istic
co
unse
lling.
Ana
lysi
s of
qua
litat
ive
data
col
lect
ed
durin
g a
rand
omis
ed
cont
rolle
d tr
ial
of s
choo
l-bas
ed
hum
anis
tic c
ouns
ellin
g [4
1].
Sem
i-str
uctu
red
inte
rvie
ws
wer
e co
nduc
ted
appr
oxim
atel
y 12
w
eeks
afte
r th
e st
art
of c
ouns
ellin
g, u
sing
an
ada
pted
ver
sion
of
the
Clie
nt C
hang
e In
terv
iew
pro
toco
l [42
].
Inte
rvie
ws
wer
e re
cord
ed, m
eani
ng
units
tran
scrib
ed,
units
gro
uped
to fo
rm
cate
gorie
s.
The
mos
t hel
pfu
l fac
tors
rela
ted
to c
ouns
ello
rs, w
ere
thei
r pe
rson
al
qual
ities
, ind
epen
denc
e, li
sten
ing,
ad
vice
, tal
king
, und
erst
andi
ng a
nd
coun
sello
r-le
d ac
tiviti
es.
The
mos
t fre
quen
tly m
entio
ned
help
ful f
acto
r re
late
d to
clie
nts
was
the
oppo
rtun
ity to
talk
abo
ut
emot
ions
, as
wel
l as
talk
ing
abou
t sp
ecifi
c em
otio
ns o
r su
bjec
ts.
Hel
pful
rela
tiona
l fac
tors
incl
uded
co
mfo
rt a
nd e
ase
in re
latin
g,
dial
ogue
, lik
ing
and
clos
enes
s,
and
trus
t.
Pra
ctic
al h
elpf
ul fa
ctor
s w
ere
confi
den
tialit
y, ti
min
g of
ses
sion
s,
and
the
scho
ol c
onte
xt.
Clie
nts
also
men
tione
d be
ing
aske
d qu
estio
ns, h
avin
g tim
e to
th
ink,
and
num
ber
of s
essi
ons.
The
mos
t fre
quen
tly m
entio
ned
unhe
lpfu
l fac
tors
wer
e di
ffi cu
lty
in ta
lkin
g, a
wkw
ardn
ess,
and
va
rious
pra
ctic
al is
sues
.
Oth
er u
nhel
pful
asp
ects
m
entio
ned
wer
e, w
antin
g th
e co
unse
llor
to ta
lk m
ore,
ask
mor
e qu
estio
ns, g
ive
mor
e ad
vice
, an
d m
ore
activ
ities
. Clie
nts
also
men
tione
d w
antin
g m
ore
coun
sellin
g or
less
freq
uent
se
ssio
ns.
Sm
all s
ampl
e si
ze, 1
4 cl
ient
s in
terv
iew
ed.
This
stu
dy is
par
t of a
larg
er r
ando
mis
ed
cont
rolle
d tr
ial,
so a
ll cl
ient
s w
ho w
ere
inte
rvie
wed
had
bee
n al
loca
ted
to a
sim
ilar
hum
anis
tic c
ouns
ellin
g in
terv
entio
n.
Inte
rvie
ws
wer
e ca
rrie
d ou
t app
roxi
mat
ely
12 w
eeks
afte
r th
e st
art o
f cou
nsel
ling
and
follo
wed
a s
tand
ardi
sed
prot
ocol
. Spe
cifi c
qu
estio
ns o
n he
lpfu
l and
hin
derin
g fa
ctor
s w
ere
aske
d, a
s w
ell a
s al
low
ing
for
gene
ral
com
men
ts.
Exa
mpl
es o
f cat
egor
ised
com
men
ts w
ere
not a
vaila
ble
for
this
revi
ew.
10%
of c
ateg
orie
s w
ere
audi
ted
by a
se
cond
rese
arch
er.
37 Helpful and unhelpful factors in school-based counselling: clients’ perspectives
Bib
liog
rap
hic
det
ails
The
rap
y ty
pe
Det
ails
of
resp
ond
ents
Aim
sD
esig
nK
ey fi
ndin
gs
rele
vant
to
thi
s re
view
Eva
luat
ion
of
pap
er
Aut
hor:
McA
rthu
r, K
.
Titl
e: C
hang
e pr
oces
ses
in s
choo
l-bas
ed
hum
anis
tic c
ouns
ellin
g: A
qu
alita
tive
inte
rvie
w s
tudy
.
So
urce
: Pap
er p
rese
nted
at
the
19th B
AC
P
Res
earc
h C
onfe
renc
e,
Birm
ingh
am (r
esul
ts
rece
ived
thro
ugh
pers
onal
co
mm
unic
atio
n w
ith
auth
or).
Year
: 201
3
[31]
Hum
anis
ticP
upils
from
th
ree
seco
ndar
y sc
hool
s in
so
cial
ly d
epriv
ed
area
s of
G
lasg
ow.
Age
d 13
–16
Fem
ale
– 6
Mal
e –
8
To e
xplo
re th
e pr
oces
ses
of
chan
ge fo
r yo
ung
peop
le in
sch
ool-
base
d hu
man
istic
co
unse
lling.
Ana
lysi
s of
qua
litat
ive
data
col
lect
ed
durin
g a
rand
omis
ed
cont
rolle
d tr
ial
of s
choo
l-bas
ed
hum
anis
tic c
ouns
ellin
g [4
1].
Sem
i-str
uctu
red
inte
rvie
ws
wer
e co
nduc
ted
appr
oxim
atel
y 12
w
eeks
afte
r th
e st
art
of c
ouns
ellin
g, u
sing
an
ada
pted
ver
sion
of
the
Clie
nt C
hang
e In
terv
iew
pro
toco
l [42
].
Inte
rvie
ws
wer
e re
cord
ed, m
eani
ng
units
tran
scrib
ed,
units
gro
uped
to fo
rm
cate
gorie
s.
The
mos
t hel
pfu
l fac
tors
rela
ted
to c
ouns
ello
rs, w
ere
thei
r pe
rson
al
qual
ities
, ind
epen
denc
e, li
sten
ing,
ad
vice
, tal
king
, und
erst
andi
ng a
nd
coun
sello
r-le
d ac
tiviti
es.
The
mos
t fre
quen
tly m
entio
ned
help
ful f
acto
r re
late
d to
clie
nts
was
the
oppo
rtun
ity to
talk
abo
ut
emot
ions
, as
wel
l as
talk
ing
abou
t sp
ecifi
c em
otio
ns o
r su
bjec
ts.
Hel
pful
rela
tiona
l fac
tors
incl
uded
co
mfo
rt a
nd e
ase
in re
latin
g,
dial
ogue
, lik
ing
and
clos
enes
s,
and
trus
t.
Pra
ctic
al h
elpf
ul fa
ctor
s w
ere
confi
den
tialit
y, ti
min
g of
ses
sion
s,
and
the
scho
ol c
onte
xt.
Clie
nts
also
men
tione
d be
ing
aske
d qu
estio
ns, h
avin
g tim
e to
th
ink,
and
num
ber
of s
essi
ons.
The
mos
t fre
quen
tly m
entio
ned
unhe
lpfu
l fac
tors
wer
e di
ffi cu
lty
in ta
lkin
g, a
wkw
ardn
ess,
and
va
rious
pra
ctic
al is
sues
.
Oth
er u
nhel
pful
asp
ects
m
entio
ned
wer
e, w
antin
g th
e co
unse
llor
to ta
lk m
ore,
ask
mor
e qu
estio
ns, g
ive
mor
e ad
vice
, an
d m
ore
activ
ities
. Clie
nts
also
men
tione
d w
antin
g m
ore
coun
sellin
g or
less
freq
uent
se
ssio
ns.
Sm
all s
ampl
e si
ze, 1
4 cl
ient
s in
terv
iew
ed.
This
stu
dy is
par
t of a
larg
er r
ando
mis
ed
cont
rolle
d tr
ial,
so a
ll cl
ient
s w
ho w
ere
inte
rvie
wed
had
bee
n al
loca
ted
to a
sim
ilar
hum
anis
tic c
ouns
ellin
g in
terv
entio
n.
Inte
rvie
ws
wer
e ca
rrie
d ou
t app
roxi
mat
ely
12 w
eeks
afte
r th
e st
art o
f cou
nsel
ling
and
follo
wed
a s
tand
ardi
sed
prot
ocol
. Spe
cifi c
qu
estio
ns o
n he
lpfu
l and
hin
derin
g fa
ctor
s w
ere
aske
d, a
s w
ell a
s al
low
ing
for
gene
ral
com
men
ts.
Exa
mpl
es o
f cat
egor
ised
com
men
ts w
ere
not a
vaila
ble
for
this
revi
ew.
10%
of c
ateg
orie
s w
ere
audi
ted
by a
se
cond
rese
arch
er.
Contact usBritish Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
BACP House15 St John’s Business ParkLutterworth LE17 4HB
t: 01455 883300f: 01455 550243e: [email protected]: www.counsellingminded.com
© BACP 2013
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