Counselling Psychology in the UK: a critical-humanistic perspective

Abstract

In this broad analysis of the history, current state and future prospects of Counselling Psychology as a distinct branch of the Psychology discipline, we first describe how Counselling Psychology emerged historically, and we then review the ways in which Counselling Psychology offers something quite distinct from the mainstream discipline, and which could even begin to resemble a kind of genuinely ‘critical psychology’. We offer a nine-point ‘prospectus’ setting out the value of Counselling Psychology, focusing in particular on its specifically humanistic contributions within Psychology; we also consider its limitations. We urge that non-defensive and engaged attention be given to serious critiques of the psychological therapies, and we advocate ongoing, genuinely critical engagement with such challenges, such that an authentically critical-radical Counselling Psychology might become a genuine possibility.

Keywords:

• Counselling Psychology
• history
• professional identity
• critical perspectives
• future prospects

Acknowledgement

Sincere thanks to the two anonymous peer reviewers for their most helpful feedback on the article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Richard House, Ph.D., is a Stroud-based chartered psychologist, freelance educational consultant/campaigner and writer. Formerly Senior Lecturer at the Universities of Winchester (Education) and Roehampton (Psychology), he co-edits the Humanistic Psychology journal Self & Society, helped co-found the Independent Practitioners Network and the Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy, wrote Therapy Beyond Modernity (Karnac Books, 2003) and In, Against and Beyond Therapy (PCCS Books, 2010), and (with Del Loewenthal) co-edited Against and For CBT (PCCS Books, 2008).

Colin Feltham is Emeritus Professor of Critical Counselling Studies, Sheffield Hallam University and External Associate Professor of Humanistic Psychology, University of Southern Denmark. His most recent publications are Counselling and Counselling Psychology: A Critical Examination (PCCS Books, 2013), Keeping Ourselves in the Dark (Nine-Banded Books, 2015) and Depressive Realism: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Routledge, in preparation).