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Whilst CCI uses long-established tools from mainstream therapies, co-counselling has important differences from these:
- Two co-counsellors divide up their session time equally, taking turns to be either the person doing the listening/helping (‘counsellor’, for want of a better word) or the person working on himself or herself (‘client’, for want of a better word).
- Both people have learned the same set of techniques and tools on a 5-day course
- No money changes hands
- It can take place in a group too, at the many events that we hold.
Co-counselling is a practice of structured working with equals, which, after training, you can use for the rest of your life, working with one or more co-counsellors, in a safe and supportive framework. Using the repertoire of co-counselling methods you can choose to work on your self, and change the way you are in the world.
Co-Counselling is a powerful and accessible form of therapy with a 40 year history. It draws on a range of approaches - Gestalt, Psychoanalytic, Person-Centred, Process Oriented Psychology (POP), Cognitive, and Reichian. It focuses on both body and mind to produce insight. Whilst the foundation course is aimed to be a therapeutic experience in its own right, it gives participants the skills to continue to use co-counselling for their own personal development afterwards.
These techniques are used to work on the self, with regard to three areas: patterns, discharge and re-evaluation. These areas are adressed on the course, and in summary are:
- patterns of behaviour that get in the way of creative living (eg withdrawing from contact),
- physical discharge of bottled up or hitherto hidden emotions (eg crying or laughter), and
- re-evaluation or review of the truth about who I am and where I come from: making sense of my present behaviour and relating it to both my current life and to my past.
Co-counselling International aims to encourages a culture of validation. Being direct with people about our positive feelings is something that can feel very difficult: it can be difficult both to give and receive compliments and appreciations. This is something that is worked on in co-counselling: we actively celebrate ourselves and others. This can feel like a big challenge, and the co-counselling course helps work on this. I have drawn immensely from this culture: it has helped me rise above my inner shame and self-doubt, move away from embarrassment about telling someone what I like about them, and has helped me move towards enjoying success and being proud of who I am.
The forum where this has been so influential for me is the co-counselling residential events. At these events and on co-counselling courses there is an option to write celebrations to others on 'celebration posters'. (See the picture below.)
There is also an important fun element in the co-counselling culture, so we play games and enjoy ourselves in a celebratory way too - it's not only about looking at our serious sides. At the residentials there is often a DIY caberet: if you decide to take a turn it can feel like you are in front of the most sympathetic audience in the world.
Cabaret at a residential
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Fear
Anger
Sadness
Joy
Assertiveness tips
Messages from the past
Mad, Bad, Sad and Glad
Coming soon:
Shame and Guilt
The 7 Deadly Sins
Here and Now
Defences
The truth...
Content v. Process
Envy and Jealousy
Ambivalence
Selling Yourself
Count your blessings?
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