Home
About WYCC
Contact people in WYCC
How to join WYCC
How to get into co-counselling
Local CCI co-counselling events
Residential CCI co-counselling events
CCI
Contact

Feeling Rusty? (re-printed from the CCI page)

‘‘Maybe I’ll go to a residential, but I feel very rusty and may not know anyone…’’

Do you have any of these thoughts? If you are attracted to these events but are feeling rusty or out of touch with co-counselling I would encourage you to come anyway and experience the support, freedom and encouragement that are on offer.

But what if you are thinking, ‘I don’t want to go to an event where I don’t know many people and everyone else seems to know the ropes’. I have sympathy with this feeling as when I first arrived at Laurieston Hall in 1995 there were loads of people who seemed to be totally comfortable with each other, whereas I was nervous inside whilst trying to look cool to the outside world. I ended up having a fantastic time. One very helpful thing for me is the support groups – always knowing that there is an ongoing group each evening where I can bring my immediate stuff to if need be. I have written more about that at www.co-counselling.co.uk > The CCI network, workshops and residentials.

And what if you are thinking: ‘I have forgotten all those interventions I learned on the fundamentals course.’ Yes, there are a lot of possibilities on the menu of co-counselling interventions, but the only skills you need as a minimum to do co-counselling are:

1. to be able to give someone else your aware caring attention (‘Free Attention’) when it is someone else's turn to work on their distress, and
2. to be able to keep to the co-counselling contract:

confidentiality
equal time
no violence
no drugs
respect
to be able to say no if your co-counselling client asks you to do something that you do not want to do

I am not suggesting that it doesn’t help to know the other skills – by all means get yourself a brush-up session with someone, attend another fundamentals course, maybe with a different teacher, or look at the CCI website (www.co-counselling.org), but never underestimate the power of Free Attention – it’s something you will rarely get elsewhere. And as a counsellor, Free Attention is the basis of your role – the key is to listen whilst:

1. letting go of any felt pressure that you are obliged to provide your client with a good experience: that’s their responsibility, and
2. being able to cope with rejection, if your client does not want to work with your intervention.

Richard Mills
January 2006