ABSTRACT
This chapter talks about the various specialisations counselling psychologists may pursue, and the diverse working contexts they might find themselves in. A more single-minded counselling psychologist may choose to specialise in just one aspect of professional activity, such as psychotherapeutic practice, service management, research, academia/training, supervision, or consultancy. Others combine one or more of these activities into a "portfolio career". Hayley describes appreciating the balance between NHS and private work, and this echoes the sentiments of many other CoPs. Research has enriched and enlivened the authors' own practice and professional career, not to mention enhanced his employability, and the author would argue that doing research that really matters and that benefits both individual clients and society at large is an important way of realising the humanistic ethos at the heart of counselling psychology, as well as promoting lifelong learning and development. The possibilities for the creative, entrepreneurial counselling psychologist are vast indeed, limited only by the individual professional's imagination.
