Paul Hurst - Details and Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Psych, MA, Dip TA Practice
Details
For effective counselling and/or psychotherapy to take place, it is important that the focus remains on the client. Where it is considered important and polite for those engaged in a social conversation to share the time fairly equally, and disclose information in the same way, in a therapy session the time split may well be 80/20 in favour of the client. The more information about themselves that the therapist shares, the more likely it will be that this leads to the attention moving away from the client. Whilst this may be more comfortable and pleasant, it is not the aim of therapy to have a pleasant conversation.
For this reason, please excuse me for not sharing here any personal information - or indeed details of my professional experience before retraining for a career more suitable for someone getting on a bit in years. That is not to say that my previous experience has no relevance here, it does - and in many ways - but giving details here will quite probably provide distractions. We are all expert at picking up on body language, facial expressions, the particular words chosen and how they are stressed, clothing and all the small ways we choose to define ourselves to the wider world. I'm sure that I 'leak' quite enough of these already, without giving away anything deliberately.
Legal and Professional Obligations
Enhanced D.B.S. (Disclosure & Barring Service) certificate Nº 001500856621
Insurance - £6 million via Balens / Zurich, for Pastoral Care and Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy
Data Protection - Registration Reference ZA187252
2024
Semi-retirement, left the BACP to concentrate on helping people work through the emotional and psychological struggles of middle age and the later years.
Member of the NRPSN.
2020
Accepted as a Police Firearms Officer Association (PFOA) approved counsellor
Finished the MA in Humanistic and Existential Pastoral Care. As well as a dissertation, this included further training in counselling as well as in coaching and philosophy, studies on ethics and world religions and training as a celebrant for non-religious naming, wedding and funeral ceremonies. I suppose I'm the nearest thing to an atheist priest!
2019
Mindfulness Practitioner Training
Passed training as a celebrant for Humanist naming ceremonies, weddings and funerals
Post-graduate diploma in pastoral care (modules accrued for MA in pastoral care. Exit qualification, studies continue)
2018
Post-graduate certificate in pastoral care (modules accrued for MA in pastoral care. Exit qualification, studies continue)
2017
'Philosophical Worldviews, Religions and Belief Systems' - Module for MA in pastoral care
Continuing professional development certificate - 'Contemporary approaches to psychotherapy with couples'
2016
'Starting Out in Healthcare Chaplaincy' course, Network for Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious Care in Health
Certificate of Proficiency (BACP)
Diploma in Psychotherapy (Dip. TA Practice)
Accredited as a non-religious pastoral care volunteer
2015
Introductory Certificate in Trauma Therapy
2014
Foundation Certificate in Clinical Hypnotherapy
Introductory Certificate in Mindfulness and Stress Reduction
2013
Foundation Certificate in 'Transactional Analysis Training in Counselling and Psychotherapy
BSc (Hons) in Psychology
