Each counsellor will have a specialty area of interest for their theoretical approach, population they work with and issues they assist their clients with.

As a starting place, listed below are a few resources that I have found or others have pointed me to that I have found helpful.

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Professional Associations & Counsellor Regulation

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• BC Association for Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) – most counsellors in BC are registered with this organization.  Now has guidance on jurisdiction and virtual counselling, and member-inspired groups called “communities of practice” conversation circles.

• Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) – many helpful “Chapters” to belong to for sharing ideas and professional development

• Federation of Associations for Counsellor Regulation in BC (FACT BC) – advocacy as well as links to many specialty professional associations

• American Counselling Association (ACA)

 

Some favourite professional development resources for doing therapeutic work

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• Diane Gehart’s textbooks and downloadable resources for conceptualizations for individual and relationship counselling: https://masteringcompetencies.com/

 

I agree with the recommendation on the BCACC code of ethics, standards & guidelines page: it is a really good idea to have a copy of the manual (2013) Balancing conflicting interests: A counsellor’s guide to the legal process” by Maureen McEvoy and Gayla Reid.   [Currently the 3rd edition is still the most recent – published March 2013.  The cover has a picture of rocks stacked near the ocean.]

I call this “the spiral bound book” and have found it to be an invaluable resource for when I have a question about how to approach ethics & legal aspects of counselling in BC. It can be purchased through the publisher at the Justice Institute of BC (JIBC): the Centre for Counselling and Community Safety here.

 

Self-care for counsellors

• Several “self” focused webinars on the Satir Institute of the Pacific website in their Online Links section

• A good idea every now and then to check in with your “professional quality of life” through the ProQOL survey

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