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Co-Counselling International (UK) Homepage

This web site is about Co-Counselling International (CCI). If you are interested in re-evaluation counselling, founded by Harvey Jackins, see the RC website. If you did not know that there are two main networks of co-counsellors, there is an explanation here.

What is Co-Counselling?

Co-counselling is reciprocal peer counselling:

• Reciprocal: co-counsellors take it in equal turns to be client and counsellor.
• Peer: everyone is equal, there are no "experts" trying to "sort out" other people.
• Counselling: it is a bit like other forms of counselling in that one person listens while the other talks (or "works" in other ways), but there the similarity ends. It is the person being client who is in charge of the session and the person being counsellor mainly just gives very good attention.

Co-counsellors make their own arrangements to meet up, usually in pairs, for co-counselling sessions.

Co-counselling sessions are free.

Co-counselling can be used to help us get better at most things and in most ways. It can be used to deal with day to day life problems or it can be used to deal with deep personal distress. It is for anyone, not just for people with "problems" - you do not have to be ill to get better.

Co-counselling is a highly effective tool for personal development. Somehow, perhaps because the client is in charge, no one is pushing the client to do anything they do not choose to do and everything is accepted unconditionally, co-counsellors move more quickly in dealing with issues than if they had, say, a skilled therapist trying to guide them in useful directions.

Co-counsellors in particular develop emotional competence, that is they become comfortable with emotions and the expression of emotion both in themselves and in others. Co-counsellors find that they can:

• Release pent up emotions in ways and situations that feel safe.
• Allow their emotions to do what human beings evolved them for, to help them to handle danger, aggression and abandonment more effectively, to have fun and feel more loving.
• Relate with other more clearly and effectively because they do not have to do all the things that people do to avoid emotions.

Getting Started in Co-Counselling

How is CCI Co-Counselling (UK) organised?

In a way, it isn't. As co-counselling is a peer activity the appropriate sort of organisation is based on everyone being equal. In the UK that means that we have no formal overall organisation. Things are organised on the basis of individuals and groups taking the initiative to organise them. These are examples of things that are organised for co-counsellors in the UK:

• Fundamentals of co-counselling courses - 10 or more a year.
• Local networks of co-counsellors to co-ordinate activities and keep co-counsellors in touch with each other
• Regular meetings where people can have co-counselling sessions or "peer groups" of co-counsellors who meet regularly to support each other, have sessions or do whatever else they choose to do.
• One day get togethers to co-counsel, learn further skills or do anything else that the participants choose to do
• Residential gatherings from two to seven days doing the same sorts of things as the one day events, often with a choice of several things to do at any one time. Also these events offer the experience of just being with other people who are working on their own self development and, in particular, learning how to relate well with others. Six or more a year
• Newsletters, e-mail lists and web sites to help with coordinating and informing people about activities.

It is entirely up to individual co-counsellors to what extent they take advantage of any of these. CCI co-counselling, by its nature, strongly supports people to be self directed which can include anything from self directedly deciding not to take part in anything to self directedly organising a major international event.

CCI activities are generally self funding, in other words each event or newsletter covers its own costs, and costs are generally kept to a minimum. No one is paid for organising CCI activites. The facilitation at gatherings is shared by the participants. Activities can range from a groups that meet together to work on an issue like bereavement or gender with everyone sharing the facilitation. Or there may be sessions facilitated by co-counsellors who happen to be highly skilled trainers or therapists.

Generally, CCI co-counsellors are welcome to CCI events anywhere in the world where they take place. International events, residential gatherings of around a week to which co-counsellors from different countries are particularly welcome, take place regularly in Europe, New Zealand and The USA.

Children: Some events include provision for co-counsellors to bring their children. Sometimes there is formal childcare provision during mornings and afternoons when particular activities are taking place. In other cases parents come prepared take responsibility for their children throughout and other participants (including other parents) may organise some informal childcare. People as young as 13 have trained to be co-counsellors and they would be entitled to attend co-counselling events in their own right (subject, of course, to their parent's agreement).