Brightstone Clinic is a not-for-profit community clinic set up by Brightstone Community Services CIC. The clinic is able to offer clinical placements for students of Counselling, Psychotherapy, Trauma Therapy and similar courses.
Students
We ask students to provide us with a statement from their training body that they are ready to start seeing clients under supervision. We also ask students to attend an induction day with group sessions and interviews where we form our own judgment about their readiness to see clients. Students should have had at least six hours of personal therapy before they receive clients, and we expect them to continue in therapy while on placement at the Clinic.
Clients
Clients are offered a free clinical assessment in the first instance by a qualified and experienced therapist, trained to assess risk and who determines whether the clients would be suitable as a training client. Clients who are too complex for the trainees are offered alternative referral routes and those who are suitable are referred to the trainees for counselling.
Supervision
Students are closely supervised by our own qualified supervisors for the duration of the placements. Supervision is weekly for the first 4 weeks and then fortnightly, or at other intervals agreed with the trainee's college. Supervisors write progress reports on the trainees as required and are available for emergency back up if needed. We also require that all our trainees are in individual counselling themselves whilst seeing clients through the Clinic.
Outcome measures
Our clients progress through the Clinic will also be recorded by the use of CORE as an outcome measure and we are also looking to use Post Traumatic Growth Inventories to record the positive gains that can be made following therapeutic interventions. We are open to trainees from counselling courses but also are considering offering placements to other students eg. of the MSc in Psychological Trauma Practice Route.
Status of trainees
Trainees have self-employed status while working at the clinic, they are not employees or volunteers. They collect reduced fees from their clients and pay for room hire, administration costs and supervision fees. They are required to hold their own professional indemnity insurance.
Ethical codes
All trainees agree to work within the Code of Ethics of a recognised professional organisation, such as the UKAHPP, the UKCP or the BACP.
Liaison
We welcome close contact with training bodies on your requirements from a placement, to help us improve the quality of their students learning experience.