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Welcome from the editor

It was not until I had commissioned Jon Blend to write for us about ‘step situations’ thatÌýI realised I had experience of this myself in a small way – it’s become so commonplaceÌýthat it can slip under the radar. Suzi Godson wrote in Radio Times recently (but weÌýfinalised our article first – honestly!): ‘The number of children who live out of suitcases,Ìýtravelling between homes and parents, is accelerating at an unbelievable pace. StepfamiliesÌýare now the fastest growing family type in Britain… Yet because social, as opposed toÌýbiological, parenting is such a recent phenomenon, there’s remarkably little support availableÌýfor children struggling to cope with the changes in their lives.’¹ÌýA week later, GeorginaÌýJohnson, writing in The Telegraph, said: ‘There have been several times in the past whenÌýI would have liked the support of a well-informed counsellor.’²

So here you are – our guide for the want-to-be-well-informed counsellor!ÌýWe do like to look around the edges and bring you articles on topics that are perhapsÌýnot addressed in counselling books. Stepfamilies is one, diabetes is another. It was goodÌýto interview Rachel Besser about the emotional struggles of children and young peopleÌýdiagnosed with diabetes Type 1. This was also shown graphically on The Hospital³ onÌýChannel 4 recently. Even in the midst of a basically medical situation, there is obviouslyÌýmuch that we, as therapists, might do to help.

Worryingly, the latest document from Lord Layard⁴ confirms that ‘in most areas, accessÌýto specialist psychological help for children is quite severely rationed. Only a quarter ofÌýchildren with mental health problems are currently receiving specialist help’. Margot LevinsonÌýhas something to say about provision for children under an IAPT model, and I would beÌýhappy to hear your own views on this and other issues relevant to CCYP.

Provision of supervision for school counsellors, on the other hand, has become Val Taylor’sÌýfocus as she undertakes a research PhD. My hope is that, as we track her progress for aÌýwhile, we will feel empowered to follow in her footsteps, however faint-hearted we haveÌýfelt up to now about higher levels of study or researching our profession. As Terry HanleyÌýshares with us his thoughts from this year’s presentations at the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ Research Conference,ÌýI believe that Val’s findings will one day be up there with the rest. What about yours?

Eleanor Patrick
Editor

References

1 Radio Times. 17-23 July 2010.
2 The Telegraph. 24 July 2010. www.telegraph.co.uk/family/7904824/Creating-a-stepfamily-Homemaker-mother-or-old-boot.html
3 The Hospital. Channel 4, 16 August 2010.
4 Layard R. Campaign for psychological therapy: the case. 2010. http://cep.lse.ac.uk/textonly/_new/staff/layard/pdf/054_Campaign_Psychological_Therapy_18-02-10.pdf

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