This thesis focuses on the trainee counsellor’s experience of speaking a second language in counselling practice. It is based on a single in-depth case study, examining the author’s experience of practice during her training and in her first post-qualification years. Through a detailed exposition of the practitioner’s countertransference experience in relation to her use of a second language, it identifies three positions, termed ‘Worrying and Stumbling’, ‘Connecting and Attuning’ and ‘Relaxing and Playing’. Detailed practice examples are provided to illustrate each position. Like Klein’s use of the term, positions are conceptualised not as chronological or fixed stages, but as ways of being in relation which can dominate or recede at any time. In contrast to the problem-focused perspective that characterises existing research on second language use in counselling, this thesis provides evidence of the opportunities that arise in the therapeutic relationship when the counsellor is working in a second language, even arguing that second language use can be an asset. As counselling and psychotherapy become increasingly globalised, with counsellors and clients often no longer sharing the same native tongues, this thesis makes a timely contribution to research focused on the counsellor’s experience in this setting. Shedding new light on the experience of trainees working in a second language, it offers insights to counselling educators, researchers, practitioners and trainees.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:743710 |
Date | January 2018 |
Creators | Liu, Xuebing |
Contributors | Bondi, Liz |
Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
Source Sets | Ethos UK |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/29618 |
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