ABSTRACT
The counsellor may need to take proactive steps to elicit the services of the lead GP or the practice manager to carry out a formal introduction to the staff and to the workings of both the building and the organizational running of the practice, when first being employed or entering a placement in a general practice (GP) surgery. For instance, in some surgeries, there may be a separate waiting area for counselling, or the counselling room may be in an area quite separate from the general workings of the surgery. Explicit clues about organizational dynamics of the setting can be gathered during the counsellor's introduction to the staff in the surgery, and induction into the workings of that unique setting. At his/her induction, the counsellor must be ready to take some responsibility for gleaning what they feel they need to know about procedures, protocols, and surgery opening times.
