Counselling Placements at apas

Conditions

apas does offer a limited number of placements to students on approved counselling courses.  However, apas does not guarantee acceptance of any such student, until it can be assured of that student’s competence.

apas sees its main duty of care as being towards its clients, many of whom are very vulnerable.  For this reason, any student whom apas engages in an unpaid capacity will be offered face-to-face counselling work only if and when they have proved their ability, care and commitment during telephone work.

Students wanting placements are required to work initially solely as Telephone Advice Workers (TAWs).  Suitable candidates for interview will be selected from application forms received and those selected at interview will be given approximately 60 hours of initial training.  After this they will be required to serve an 8 hour apprenticeship.

After successful TAWs are trained and set on, they will be required to attend formal supervision a minimum of once a week for the first month, once a fortnight for the second month and once in the third month.  (All TAWs should note that informal supervision is always available).  During this time, TAWs will be set a competence evaluation exercise and may be listened in to check on their competence.

Only TAWs who successfully complete all these conditions will be eligible for a face-to-face placement at apas.

Students undertaking face-to-face work will be expected to deliver this punctually and reliably in addition to their work on the telephone rota.

Fees

All training, supervision, administrative support and indemnity is provided free to Telephone Advice Workers, in exchange for a commitment to 4 hours per week on the alcoline rota for the period of one year.  Travelling expenses are reimbursed.

Students wanting face-to-face work will similarly receive all further training, informal supervision, administrative support and indemnity free.  However, they will be required to receive clinical supervision from apas supervisors and they will be charged £20 per hour for this.  Normally a counselling student should expect to receive one hour’s supervision for every four clients they are seeing.

Working Practices

Students on placement will be treated like any other apas worker, in terms of the expectations of the agency.  All workers are required to abide by apas policies and procedures at all times.  Any matters arising, apparent conflict of interests or working practices must be discussed immediately with the apas line manager.  Students should understand that they are only indemnified by the agency providing they abide by apas policies and procedures.

Students should not regard apas clients as their guinea pigs.  Just because a student is studying ‘person centred therapy’ this month, does not entitle them to practise using it on an apas client.  What works with substance misusers is predominantly cognitive and behavioural interventions.  Other methods may be useful in particular contexts and situations, but the student must allow their interventional methods to be directed by the apas supervisor who has oversight of the comprehensive care plan.  All methods should be tailored to the needs of the client, not the needs of the student.

Students will be allocated clients who have already been assessed by as suitable by an apas supervisor.

Evaluation

Students’ attendance and performance in service delivery and supervision will be monitored and recorded, as will their behaviour in terms of modelling.  apas will be happy to produce reports and references to students who successfully fulfil all requirements.