Counselling with Equipoise
Naturally when clients attend for counselling sessions, there should be some thought given to any vested interest we, the counsellor, have in the outcome. If, for example, the sign on the door has ‘Smoking cessation counsellor’ written upon it, we can, to some extent, assume the work is focussed on actually altering that behaviour and the same could be said for alcohol and other drugs, weight management and so on. These situations, of course, differ from a client who has come for help in resolving ambivalence around whether they stay in a relationship or not… and this is where the notion of counselling with equipoise (impartiality to the outcome) comes in. This article considers some of the ways in which our attending behaviours impact decision making and motivational factors within the cl... »
