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Counsellors’ experiences of providing counselling to students in university‐level institutions in Ireland: An evolving phenomenon
Author(s) -
Harrison Grace,
Gordon Evelyn
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
counselling and psychotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.38
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1746-1405
pISSN - 1473-3145
DOI - 10.1002/capr.12441
Subject(s) - superordinate goals , interpretative phenomenological analysis , context (archaeology) , mental health , psychology , identity (music) , value (mathematics) , quality (philosophy) , lived experience , phenomenon , medical education , service (business) , pedagogy , social psychology , medicine , qualitative research , psychotherapist , sociology , computer science , social science , paleontology , philosophy , physics , economy , epistemology , quantum mechanics , machine learning , acoustics , economics , biology
Background The mental health of university‐level students has become a global concern due to the increased level and complexity of mental health presentations among students and the rise in demand for university‐level counselling services, often the primary source of support for these students. However, to date, few studies have explored counsellors’ experiences of working in this context. Aim To explore counsellors’ experiences of providing counselling to students in university‐level institutions in Ireland. Method This interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study used one‐to‐one semi‐structured interviews to capture the lived experience of qualified counsellors who were actively providing counselling in university‐level institutions ( N = 8). Data were analysed following the six stages of the IPA analytic method. Findings Two superordinate themes were identified: ‘fighting for recognition’ captures participants’ struggle to gain and/or maintain a sense of value in their professional identity and to explain the complexity of their role to others; and ‘zigzagging’ describes how they need to respond flexibly and creatively to meet student needs in a context that is unpredictable and evolving. Conclusion The study highlights the growing complexity of the university‐level student counsellor role and identifies the challenges and rewards associated with working in this context. It suggests the importance of role recognition and counsellor capacity to adjust to protect their well‐being and ultimately the quality of the service provided to students.