Saturday 31^st May 2025 10.00am-15.00pm

Historically men are underrepresented on counselling training courses and often go through their training as the only man or at best they may have a single fellow male traveller. According to a 2014 BACP survey of its membership the gender (im)balance within counselling is 84% female to only 16% male.

https://www.bacp.co.uk/bacp-journals/therapy-today/2017/march-2017/is-counselling-womens-work/#:~:text=Pay%20and%20prospects,female%20to%20only%2016%25%20male.

What is this dynamic like for male trainees and how does this affect interactions and discussions with the rest of the group and the often, female tutors and supervisors.

The day will look at the training experiences of male counsellors, exploring the ‘uniqueness’ for everyone involved in this setting and what this might mean for wider conversations around mental health.

Topics to be addressed: 

• Introduction, inspiration and background to the topic, noticing where we are culturally.
• Men as “contextual minority”; exploring the idea, think about the ‘token man’.
• “Hearing from the men” – drawing from interviews with male trainees.
• Wider implications for counselling and mental health.
• Implications for training courses, for tutors and supervisors?

Tutor 

Joe Rees is a psychodynamic counsellor who trained with GCS. Currently working as a tutor helping to deliver the training at GCS, Joe draws on his experience as a trainee and now counsellor, as well as his experiences coming into counselling from an industry that is a predominantly male environment, and his own journey on understanding what it is to be a man in today’s world.

Time

Saturday 31^st May 2025 10.00am-15.00pm.

Venue

Gloucestershire Counselling Service

Alma House, 52 / 53 High Street
Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 1AP

Book Tickets

To book your space, please register below.

£35.00 Per Person for External Attendees

£30.00 Per Person for Internal Attendees