ABSTRACT
S. Grafanaki reports that research investigating the impact of counselling training and the experiences that trainees encounter during the formative years has frequently relied on quantitative methods to study the acquisition of counselling skills and qualities, often and often at the exclusion of the trainee’s internal perspective. However, there is a paucity of information regarding how the trainee is affected when the posture is not adopted, and the resultant impact of working with perceived inappropriately referred clients during placement on the trainee’s development has, thereby, remained unquestioned. The chapter aims to provide a qualitative account of trainees’ experiences, with particular interest in the seminal phase of counselling training that involves the important task of working with clients. Related to the study of self-confidence is the concept of trainee self-efficacy, which refers to the trainees’ beliefs about their ability to perform the tasks inherent in the counselling role, including the negotiation of challenging client scenarios.
