Frequently asked questions on the report assessment

Hello all,

I thought I would jot down a few FAQs for the report assessment. This is normally a very straightforward exercise and you all have excellent topics to write about, thanks to the sound research you already conducted for your oral presentations.

FAQs

Q. How important is the word count?

A. It is important, as the unit descriptor asks for 650 words minimum and that is imperative as an immovable SQA starting point. I have set an upper word limit as 1000 which helps you focus your research.

Q. Do I have to use the MS Word table function to construct my contents page?

A. No, I haven't asked for that level of prescription, but I would advise that if you are good at making a table up from Word, please use those skills. (I'm not a master at that myself incidentally!) If you are in my camp, please just type up the contents page manually. This often saves on time.

Q. What is the process of submitting the report?

A. Everybody will e mail me their final report by e mail, anytime before 11th January 2022. I will then save that in a folder and mark them all in the "flexible working week" and mail you back individually with detailed feedback. You then make the necessary changes (if there are any) and upload to Turnitin on Moodle. This will be opened up around 14/1/22. This checks for similarity issues and whether all recommended amendments have been made.

Q. What generally speaking are the avoidable mistakes that learners make when they submit their drafts to you?

A. Submissions often contain errors such as: no date on the front cover, word count, contents page doesn't have numbered headings, no page numbers, contractions are used and the weblinks in the final section don't have the date they were last accessed.

Q. Am I right in saying that you don't want us to use the word I in the reports?

A. Yes, that is correct. It isn't an essay, so the report should be analytical and evaluative. If you look at the exemplar reports I showed you, you will see they don't start with "I was asked to...". Rather, the phraseology is "Stan Free was requested by Mark Hetherington (Lecturer in Communication) to write a report on the topic of..." There should be no personalisation in the reports, which means the reporting should be objective. I will send you a short document on using formal English after the class on 30th November. This has some handy tips and tricks to help you. 

Q. Once the report is uploaded to Turnitin, what is the accepted similarity percentage?

A. Now, that is an interesting question, because I guess there isn't a definitive answer to that. Sometimes the headings can bump up the %, as can the references and other issues, such as statistics. But the general rule is, the lower the better! I will look at each report independently, but you should be careful to check you don't see large chunks of text which infers there could be some unreferenced copy and pasting at work! I would be surprised to see any evidence of that given the level of study you are working at, but it is certainly worth reinforcing. If the report needs to be resubmitted with some minor amendments, I will advise you on a one to one basis where, when and why!

Q. Could I change my report topic?

A. Yes, you can. But my general advice is to stick with the same subject you presented so well on for the first assessment as the research is already done, or in progress (more info. can always come to light, as the process is by definition, dynamic). If you DO change topic, please a) make sure it is still Counselling related and b) consult with me before you start writing and researching. Please don't forget to diarise (in some way) when your other assessments are due in. That should always be a consideration when thinking about assessment submissions!

Q. How many sources of information should I use to provide a detailed report at this level?

A. Again, whilst there is no specific guidance on this within the unit descriptor, I would advise that three sources absolutely minimum would be the order of the day. But rarely have I seen just three assessing this outcome over many years, as learners are so engrossed in their respective areas of research. As a very rough and not particularly scientific piece of advice, my advice is at least one source per 200 words, which works really well most of the time. 

Q. Can I use graphics, tables, statistics in my report?

A. Yes you can. It is a formal document, and sometimes this enhances the document and is often dependent on the research topic whether you would include this type of information.

If any more questions come up, I will address them either here, within our Zoom sessions and/or via e mail.

I hope this helps!

Mark

Harvard Referencing

Here is a short video on referencing, which I think is pretty accessible.

Also helpful is this quick link from colleagues at Anglia Ruskin University, whose work I have often admired. 

QuickHarvardGuide2019.pdf (aru.ac.uk)

All the best, Mark

Alannah's poem - Dear Samantha...

Dear Samantha

If I disobey anything you tell me to do,

If I really swallow the food I chew

I must stick my finger down my throat again, and all the food must come up despite all the pain 

You have become my only true friend 

I fear one day our relationship may end 

But I know your here for a while so I hide our relationship behind a smile 

I hate you because you are taking over me. But I love you because you are making me the girl I want to be 

Why do I love you when all you do is put me down ? Making me starve until I fit into the smallest gown 

With the loss of each pound I'm closer to my goal with your help I'll make this broken girl whole 

Filled with fear in every bite I take 

My plan will be ruined with just a bite of that cake 

Counting calories and fearing how much I weigh.

I am beginning to learn your hear to stay 

My reflection has become something I fear, while wiping away each tear

The pains in my stomach never seem to go away 

It rumbles with hunger while in bed I lay

Every little bit of food I take in 

Must come back up to make me thin. 

Congrats., round 4!

Hello everybody,

Very well done to both Alannah and Lorraine, who delivered two great presentations on the topics of Bulimia Nervosa and Anxiety. 

I too applaud both presenters with their honesty and openness in their delivery.

Any feedback on the two talks today are welcomed as always, in the comments section below. 

We then looked at the oral presentation assessment as way of discussing what you learned, what we all learned as a group and finishing with my reflective comments too.

I was very impressed across the board with the standard of the talks. Everybody should be proud of themselves for the work you produced.

Next week I will look at report writing, research, the second assessment and some (hopefully) helpful hints.

Until Tuesday then, have a lovely week.

All the best,

Mark

Therapy: How to find a counsellor

 Therapy: How to find a counsellor - BBC News

I thought this short video might be of interest to you. Please click on the link above, it is quite short, around 3 minutes in duration.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

BBC reporter Jordan Dunbar looks at the options available and how to make sure you're getting the best type of support.

Link to the organisation Sarah works for - Persona Development and Training

Morning all,

This is the link to the Counselling organisation that Sarah works for: https://personacounselling.com/about-persona-development-training/

If you are interested in this, you could, perhaps, think about doing your Diploma with them after you have completed your HN qualifications.

I hope this finds you all well.

Mark

Thank you so much, Sarah

Today's post is one of appreciation and professional admiration for Sarah, who I am sure we would all agree, delivered a wonderful session this afternoon. She fielded all your brilliant questions, thematically, whether they were sent to us beforehand, or asked naturally in relation to the many diverse topics of conversation. Just fantastic. Organic, dynamic and all inclusive learning right there within that short time. 

As way of a brief overview of what was discussed then, here goes...

Sarah was very clear to signpost that her thoughts were her own, and not necessarily those of all, or other therapists. She opened up by giving us a privileged insight into her own career path, remembering, the journey is in progress for us all, it doesn't necessarily ever end! 

I was particularly impressed with how Sarah worked with the group, so naturally. You were seeing a professional, caring expert at work there, always careful to mention you by name and skilfully giving some examples of her own life experiences, including coping with grief as means of providing context.

The theory (I know some of you love a bit of theory, some are still being persuaded) aspect was very clear. It IS important, as Sarah, Jacqui and I would all agree, which helps make sense of the practical nature of arguably any subject, whatever it may be. The theoretical concepts help build the foundations, as is the import of personal development. Another key point was that you will ultimately get to know yourself on a better/different level when practising therapy, or indeed if you are in therapy. Client communication and in fact all communication is extremely important. And that is what we are developing in this Unit, namely oral, written, listening and reading analysis. It all ties in, seamlessly, but nevertheless. needs to be learned.

Supervision became another principal theme on the day, where Sarah discussed how essential a person centred approach is. The allocation of supervisors was also cross-referred to and this led into some interesting discourse about ethics and professionalism.

The question of self-care routine was next up and that really opened up some healthy communication. Sarah noted that she had no routine per se, but had strategies. She stated that we are all likely to do things differently, but for her, the outdoors is essential, with walking, swimming and the like being particularly helpful to her. For others, it could be the gym, skincare regimes, dog-walking and so on. This led onto some discussion about the emotional impact of supporting people and all that this entails. 

When the subject of starting up a practise was posed, Sarah suggested (her opinion) that you don't do that straight away after graduation. The safety aspect and pros and cons of working from home were also discussed in this section, with some excellent proactive questions being asked, which were both sensible and practical. Neutrality of the room was also noted as being really crucial to promote a relaxed environment.

In terms of competition, and I guess that IS the right word contextually, it was noted that there is certainly a need for therapy and therapists and most likely, even more (potential) clients. Sarah talked about how she utilised her excellent networking skills when she decided to start her own Counselling business and does not advertise as such. Being comfortable with a client is so important and how and why you might decide a prospective client is not the right 'fit' for you was talked through. 

When we looked at the pandemic and how this has changed the world of Counselling, this led neatly onto the topic of educational learning. There was some interesting debate around the practicalities of such. Sarah reflected on the point that going online, wrestling with Zoom (as we all did, educators, counsellors, learners, children, doctors etc,) was arguably / probably where Counselling was actually heading anyway. I found this segment particularly interesting as I see you as such a collegiate group, yet one who have never met in person yet. Jacqui's comments about the dynamics of classes changing when in a face to face context was fascinating. The watchword in this part of the q and a was really about accessibility for me. This developed into the theme of current trends, which helped us focus on key issues such as isolation, anxiety, and the client perspective. Sarah outlined her objective pros and cons at this juncture. 

The session finished with a short dialogue about qualifications and levels. The best advice from the three of us was to look into the qualifications which suit your needs the best and if University study is where you are heading, Strathclyde University was heralded as a good starting point. As always though, my (Mark's) advice is to speak with Kathleen and Len who will have the best in-house recommendations for you, depending on your respective career paths. One thing is for sure and that is this - that you ALL display many great skills and traits that are essential to become professional Counsellors. And remember, once qualified, everybody is a colleague. 

I am certain that there was much more communicated than previously noted, but I am very keen for you to comment in the section below as to what you enjoyed about the session. There are no specific prompts, just some feedback on what you gained from Sarah's wise counsel.

I shall leave you with these websites that Sarah discussed and thank you to Lisa too for alerting us to a podcast which will, I am sure, be of great use to us all. 

Sarah, I have a feeling I may ask you back in the Ne'er sometime if you are willing!

Business Gateway | Business Gateway (bgateway.com)

Counsellor Online Resources and CPD • Counselling Tutor

Podcast Archives • Counselling Tutor

Counselling Directory - Find a Counsellor Near You (counselling-directory.org.uk)

ONLINE CPD FOR COUNSELLORS & PSYCHOTHERAPISTS - onlinevents.co.ukonlinevents.co.uk

Home - Person-Centred Therapy Scotland (pctscotland.co.uk)

Improving children’s mental health in schools – Place2Be

I THINK that is them all, I certainly hope so. If I missed anything out, please holler and I will add the link in for everybody.

I look forward to your comments as always and thank you to everybody who attended today, it was a truly memorable and informative experience.

Yours aye,

Mark