Counselling the Person Beyond the Alcohol Problem: Intersubjective and Self Psychological Pathways to Human Understanding

236 Pages·2001·0.66 MB·English

by  Richard Bryant-Jefferies

Counselling the Person Beyond

the Alcohol Problem
of related interest:
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Edited by Kim Etherington
ISBN 1 85302 968 8
Counsellors in Health Settings
Edited by Kim Etherington
Foreword by Tim Bond
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Parental Substance Misuse and Child Welfare
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ISBN 1 85302 791 X
Good Practice in Counselling People Who Have Been Abused
Edited by Zetta Bear
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Narrative Approaches to Working with Adult Male Survivors
of Child Sexual Abuse
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Addictions and Problem Drug Use
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Edited by Mick Bloor and Fiona Wood
ISBN 1 85302 438 4
Understanding Drugs
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Surviving Post-Natal Depression
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Counselling the Person
Beyond the Alcohol Problem
Richard Bryant-Jefferies
Jessica Kingsley Publishers

London and Philadelphia
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any
material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic
means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this
publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in
accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90
Tottenham Court Road, London, England W1P 9HE. Applications for the
copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication
should be addressed to the publisher.
Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may
result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution.
The right of Richard Bryant-Jeffries to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
First published in the United Kingdom in 2001
by Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd
116 Pentonville Road
London N1 9JB, England
and
325 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.jkp.com
Second Impression 2002
Copyright © 2001 Richard Bryant-Jeffries
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Bryant-Jeffries, Richard.
Counselling the person beyond the alcohol problem / Richard Bryant-Jeffries.
p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-84310-002-9 (pbk. : alk. Paper)

1. Alcoholics--Counseling of. 2. Client-centered psychotherapy. 3.

Alcoholism--Psychological aspects. 4. Behaviour modification. I. Title.

HV5275 .B78 2001

362.292’86--dc21

2001029758
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 1 84310 002 9
Printed and Bound in Great Britain
by Athenaeum Press, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear
Contents
DEDICATION 7

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 8

PREFACE 9

Introduction 11

1 Entering the World of Alcohol Use 25

2 Alcohol in the Family 45

3 Application of a Person-Centred Approach 71

4 The Cycle of Change 103

5 From Pre-Contemplation to Taking Action 133

6 Maintaining Change and Responding

to Relapse 169

7 Bringing It All Together 193

8 Conclusion 217

REFERENCES 225

FURTHER READING 228

SUBJECT INDEX 231

AUTHOR INDEX 235
To Stuart,
who helped me when I was younger but whom I
could not help because I did not understand
what an alcohol problem was
Acknowledgements

First and foremost I wish to acknowledge the clients with whom I have
worked, who have brought me so much learning and who, in the final
analysis, have been and are the true inspiration for writing this book.
Hearing their experiences and their struggles, sharing in the process of
formulating strategies for sustainable change, or simply being there
with them as the one person who is listening, is a privileged position in
which to be. My most important training ground has been, without
doubt, the experience of working with the clients themselves. Without
them, this book could not, and would not, have been written.
Whenever I have mentioned to people that I am writing this book, I
have consistently received positive responses. Clients, professionals and
friends have all commented that there is a need for a book to help people
access ideas and informed perspectives on problematic drinking that
draws on person-centred ideas and the experience of working with
people who are affected by it. This has contributed to my perseverance
in completing this book.
I would like to thank Tony Merry, Dave Mearns and Sue Wilders for
their challenging and supportive comments on earlier drafts. I would
also like to give thanks to Pippa Glassock, David Voyle, Patrick Coyne
and the many others who have provided me with valuable feedback and
encouragement.
Finally, I want to thank Lynn Frances, my partner, who has
contributed not only her editorial skills to the production of this book,
but also consistent emotional support, especially during my periods of
self-doubt and of wondering if it would ever come together. Her ability
to be touched by the content of the book, and her belief in it has been a
source of encouragement throughout. Thank you, Lynn.
Note
The dialogues with clients in the book are fictional. Any actual words of
clients are reproduced here with the permission of those involved.
Preface
I do not know what prompted me to apply for the post of
Primary Health Care Alcohol Liaison Worker and Counsellor
with the Acorn Community Drug and Alcohol Service in
Surrey, other than that it somehow felt right. I had not previ­
ously had experience of working with people with alcohol
problems. It was late 1994 and I had recently left my job as a
Fundholding Manager at a GP surgery in Guildford, having
earlier completed my diploma training in person-centred
counselling and psychotherapy. I had chosen the person-
centred approach because it offered me a way of working with
people that made so much sense. My training reinforced my
belief in the importance of having genuine respect for other
people. I experienced the reality of the ‘facilitative climate’
through which growth can occur. I was fired up with the ideas
of Carl Rogers, keen to apply them in my new career of
counsellor.
It was while I filled in my application form that I knew it
was the job for me. I had not previously thought of working in
this area, yet looking back now I see that I owe a great deal to a
past experience that I had thought was forgotten. Some years
before, a manager of mine had had an alcohol problem and
while aware of it I had no idea what to do, or how to help. The
job application reconnected me with that experience. With
hindsight, I could have done something. At the time, though, I
was not in the right place within myself to offer anything; I
certainly had no concept of how damaging and life-threaten-
ing a serious alcohol problem can be. He died and somehow
the seriousness of his drinking did not impress itself on me
until his locker was discovered to be full of empty sherry
9