In this issue
Features
Practice
Counselling in prisons (free article)
Peter Jones examines the specific聽challenges of counselling聽offenders in prison, and outlines聽the work of the Counselling in聽Prisons Network
Being fully present
Steve Nolan considers what it聽means to be fully with a person聽who is dying
Resources
Writing as therapy
Therapeutic and reflective writing聽can support both client and聽counsellor, says Gillie Bolton
People
My spirituality
For Pam Jokhun, spiritual聽development has been a way of聽letting go of negative thinking聽and pain
Special focus
Retreats
Perspectives
All you need is love
Turiya Martyn Gough explores the聽healing role of unconditional love聽within the therapeutic relationship
Sufficient unto the day?
How should therapy balance聽concepts of past, present and聽future? Is spirituality relevant and聽is it necessarily religious? asks聽Edwin Salter
Embedded counselling聽鈥� a response
John Foskett explores issues聽arising from the recent Task and聽Finish Group report
Regulars
From the chair
All articles from this issue are not yet available online. Divisional members and subscribers can download the pdf from the聽罢丑谤别蝉丑辞濒诲蝉听archive.
Welcome from the editor
When we are young, time聽seems endless and聽unboundaried. As we get聽older, however, mortality becomes聽a more tangible concept. As a child,聽I recall confiding to my mother聽that I feared the feeling of being聽alone when I died, as no one could聽be, or come, with me. I remember her replying gently聽that she supposed, in the end, we are all in the same聽situation. The words, as I understood them, comforted聽me considerably.
In this issue palliative care chaplain and counsellor,聽Steve Nolan, describes from a chaplain鈥檚 perspective聽the challenge of knowing how to ease the spiritual聽pain of a terminally ill person who realises that they聽soon will cease to be. He talks about the importance聽of being able to fully be with people who are close聽to death, and I am reminded of my childhood fear,聽above. His message, I believe, speaks to the child in聽all of us.
In this issue鈥檚 cover article, Peter Jones writes that聽the counsellor who works in the prison setting is聽particularly prone to 鈥榖urnout鈥�. As founder of the聽Counselling in Prisons Network, Peter understands聽particularly well the special therapeutic challenges聽that working in this environment can pose. The聽Counselling in Prisons Network is working at an聽international level to highlight good practice,聽promote ethical standards and lessen the feeling of聽isolation for counsellors working in this environment.
Also in this issue there is an insight into the聽therapeutic role of creative writing by reflective and聽therapeutic writing author, Gillie Bolton. Gillie explains聽how writing can help us in difficult times to reconnect聽with who we are, whether we are client or therapist.聽
The subject of the special focus this time is retreats.聽The spiritual retreat is moving with the times and聽broadening to cater for a growing potential audience.聽From lengthy, silent retreats to weekends where the聽emphasis is simply on taking a break from the daily聽routine, there is, it seems, a retreat to suit all. We include a selection of聽viewpoints on a subject that is relevant to anyone聽with an interest in developing themselves and their聽personal spirituality.
Thank you to everyone who has replied to the聽questionnaire 鈥業s Thresholds getting it right?鈥� which聽appeared in the last issue. Your responses are really聽appreciated and are providing invaluable feedback聽for the future planning of your journal. If you haven鈥檛聽responded and would like to, there is still time.聽You will find the questionnaire within the journal聽pages on the APSCC website.
Finally, this will sadly be the last issue that will聽be designed by Fran Shall. Fran has done a wonderful聽job for Thresholds, and I would like to thank her聽personally through this column. I shall miss her for聽her professionalism, and simply for being a lovely聽colleague to work with.
Jacqui Gray
Acting Editor