Meanings of prevention and cure for the counselling psychologist

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the meanings of cure and prevention as related to the perspective of the counselling psychologist, who has both psychological and counselling training, and research skills. Elton-Wilson’s (1995) definition of counselling psychology includes the phrases “a therapeutic alliance with clients” and “practitioner scientist”. For me, the former is about working together in a therapeutic relationship, where hopefully the client’s experience is therapeutic and I for my part, learn from that relationship. Regarding the latter, as a practitioner psychologist I can use scientific method in the positivist sense, but my subjectivity, my clients’ narrative accounts, and the almost unquantifiable experience that forms part of the counselling relationship, are also invaluable.