In April 2009 we published a great interview with Anda Davies in our official newsletter, Institute Inbrief. Anda is an Institute Graduate and current Team Member as an Associate Lecturer for the Bachelor of Counselling. In this interview, Anda gave some insights into our current Bachelor qualification and her involvement with AIPC.

EDITOR: Hi Anda and thank you for joining us. You have been involved with counselling for over 20 years. How did it all get started?

ANDA: I got into counselling back when I was in high school. My mum was a counsellor at Lifeline and I used to go and help make care packages for in-need families and individuals. Although I didn’t know it then, it definitely planted the seed for my future. I’ve always enjoyed helping people so I thought why not make it a career! Twenty years later I am still as passionate about counselling as I was back then!

EDITOR: What area of counselling do you find most challenging?

ANDA: Wow, I find all areas of counselling can be challenging! I really enjoy working in the area of social justice and human rights. I am drawn to client groups that do not always fit into the ‘normal mode’ in society. I have worked predominately in the area of homelessness and all the issues that this encompasses - challenging, yet highly rewarding.

EDITOR: How long have you been involved in counsellor education and in what capacities?

ANDA: I started working for the Institute in 1999 as an assessor for the Diploma of Professional Counselling. I was able to do this whilst maintaining my own private counselling practice. I found that I enjoyed the academic side of counselling and throughout my years at AIPC I have been given the opportunity to work in many areas - education, project development, policy and procedures - and now as an Associate Lecturer with the Bachelor Degree.

When the Institute announced they were going to provide a Bachelor Degree I was very excited and wanted to be involved in some capacity. As the opportunity arose to take up the position of associate lecturer, I jumped at it!

The past 10 years working for the Institute have helped me prepare for my role in the Degree as I have a strong understanding of the private education sector and distance education. I have also studied for my Masters through distance learning, so I have an appreciation for the unique conditions our students can experience. 

EDITOR: What do you enjoy most about being the Associate Lecturer in the Degree?

ANDA: Where do I start? Firstly, the students. All the students who have enrolled in the Degree have such a passion for counselling and I gain so much from my interactions with them. Whilst there are many benefits in studying externally, there are also challenges due to the fact that most people are not used to this mode of study. I appreciate the honesty and openness that the students bring to their studies.

Our students come from all over the world which I feel adds further depth to the tapestry of experience and knowledge that is passed on. Although the majority of our interactions are via email or telephone, twice a year we run a residential school program and this gives students a chance to meet and collaborate on a more personal level.

Another aspect of my role that I enjoy is the teaching. I love that I have the chance to share my knowledge of both the degree and counselling with others. I am presently involved with a number of subjects which provides me with a broad teaching scope. I have been involved with the Degree since its introduction last year which I find very exciting.

I also like that I am able to further expand the quality of the academic materials in regard to the study guides and assessment pieces. To see both the course and the students develop is absolutely inspiring. There is certainly never a dull moment!

EDITOR: You have mentioned the Bachelor’s residential school program. What does this program involve and how is it structured?

ANDA: Residential schools are run over two weeks at the conclusion of each semester. Attendance is compulsory; however it does depend on the subject/s the students are taking as to how long they need to attend. Some subjects only require a two and half day attendance! We currently hold the schools at AIPC’s Head Office here in Brisbane. 

Aside from discussing counselling concepts intensively for 2 weeks, residential school gives me the chance to meet our students face to face.  I think the residential schools are a great time for the students to network and they help many to feel more comfortable with their studies. 

Although I encourage students to contact me at any time if they are having concerns, it is not until after residential school and when they have met me that they feel comfortable to ask questions. 

EDITOR: What do you see as the future for AIPC and its Bachelor Degree?

ANDA: Counselling and the need for counsellors in all fields are expanding and I see the Degree and the Institute as a vital part of this expansion.

The future? I look forward to seeing more students enrolling, graduating and moving on to fulfilling careers in the field of counselling.

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Louise is originally from Manchester, England, and moved to Brisbane in February 2006. She has a BSc(hons) Psychology in which her honours project included state/trait anxiety analysis in comparison to the ability to consciously control autonomic functions using biofeedback. 

Louise has also completed Master Practitioner Level studies in Neuro Linguistic Programming, a Train The Trainer NLP Certification, and Post Graduate Diplomas in Counselling (Family Therapy, Loss & Grief). Before working for AIPC, she worked for a company which provided non-drug intervention to people with learning difficulties.

She had a wide range of roles including the assessment of clients, training staff, producing clinical protocols and working in quality control. Her role with the Institute (Project and Accreditation Manager) allows her to work within two of her favourite approaches; research and production of training materials.

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Dr Clive Jones joined the team as Education Manager in November 2007. Graduating with a PhD in Psychology from the University of Southern Queensland in 1999, Clive holds undergraduate and post graduate degrees in psychology and education. He obtained these qualifications through the University of Southern Queensland, University of New England, University of Newcastle and The Australian College of Physical Education. He also holds a Diploma of Professional Counselling through AIPC.  

Clive is a registered Psychologist and registered Teacher. He is a full member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), a full member of the Australian Psychological Society’s College of Counselling Psychologists, and an accredited supervisor with the Psychologists Board of Qld. He is also a full member of the Australian Psychological Society’s College of Sport Psychologists.

Clive’s primary focus in writing, teaching and practice as a counsellor and psychologist is in counselling, clinical practice and also in the area of high performance elite sport. Combined, this includes counselling and clinically-based writing, teaching and therapeutic practice in relation to the general community and also a special focus on clinical sport psychology, stress & burnout in elite competitors and the psychology of high performance. He also has a particular interest in teaching strategies for degree programs that develop practise expertise in undergraduate counselling and psychology students.

Clive began counselling from the age of 18! Starting off in volunteer work through a range of community service organisations, a youth drop-in centre and playing a major role in a schizophrenic support group, he also grew in his experience as a counsellor through face-to-face consulting in private practice and at Lifeline. He became involved in school based counselling through his employment as a teacher and was contracted as an expert consultant to assist in the running and evaluation of a school-based behavioural and rehabilitative service for troubled adolescent boys.

Since 1997, Clive has been the executive director, principal supervisor and primary clinician of a counselling & clinically-based practice servicing around 70 clients per week through an extensive referral network of health/allied health organisations & professionals (e.g., psychiatrists, paediatricians, general practitioners, hospital psych wards, community groups, schools, funeral directors, WorkCover, Veterans Affairs, Centrelink, etc). While leaving this role at the end of 2007 to pursue his involvement here at the Institute, Clive continues in his board responsibilities for the organisation.  Maintaining a comprehensive caseload through these referrals, the counselling staff he has supervised includes counsellors, psychologists, social workers, provisionally registered Psychologists and students (psychology, counselling and social work trained) on practice placement.  

In his ‘younger days’ while volunteering as a counsellor, Clive gained a broad range of sporting experience as a coach, physical education teacher, fitness centre manager and competitive triathlete. He was also a seeded competitor in the World Championship Triathlon in Nice, France way back in 1987. He has provided confidential mental health services for athletes, coaches and their families since 1994 and is currently listed as a preferred sport psychology provider with the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS).

In 1994 Clive obtained his first adjunct position as a university lecturer. This was through Griffith University’s Faculty of Education and Professional Studies.

Since 2003 Clive increased his academic responsibilities significantly through writing, coordinating and teaching a range of undergraduate and postgraduate subjects in psychology and counselling through Griffith University School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University School of Education & Professional Studies, Bond University Faculty of Humanities & Social Science and Bond University Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine.

A major area of university course development and teaching for Clive has been in the areas of counselling psychology, developmental psychology and sport psychology where he has written subjects and taught extensively in these areas at an undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate university level. 

Throughout his University teaching career Clive has had responsibility for subject convening, writing and teaching courses in Abnormal Psychology, Advanced Counselling Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Contemporary Issues in Lifespan Development, Developmental Psychology, Educational Counselling, Educational Psychology, Teaching to Difference, Personality & Individual Difference, Social Psychology, Cross Cultural Psychology, Sport Psychology,  The Psychology of High Performance, Communication Skills for Physiotherapists, Communication-Negotiation & Leadership and also Physical Education. 

Clive currently maintains an adjunct position of Assistant Professor through the Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine at Bond University.

On a more personal level, Clive has been married since 1983 and has 2 sons. He loves playing his bass guitar and still gets the occasional paying gig as a musician! His eldest son plays the drums, so Clive jams with him at home (with mattresses in the windows).  Clive also loves going to the gym with his youngest son, spending time with his wife of 24 years and keeping close ties with his family and friends.

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Pedro Gondim joined the Institute in 2004 and since then has taken part on a variety of projects. After being responsible for conducting marketing research in the majority of 2004, he became part of the editorial team of the Institute InBrief eZine and the Professional Counsellor Journal.

Currently, he is directly involved in most of the Institute’s publications and social media projects (including this Blog and AIPC’s Twitter Profile). 

Pedro is also involved in a range of educational initiatives from the Institute. He holds a Bachelor Degree of Information Systems and a Diploma in Business Studies.  

If you have any questions or suggestions about the Blog’s content or structure, you can email him to blog@aipc.net.au. He is definitely looking forward to hearing from you!

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