Counselling client voices – the sixties speak.

The Sixties denote a time of social change emerging from the post-War years marked by significant intellectual and cultural developments in the period 1958-1972, including the emergence of counselling as a radical new vision for the well-being of individuals and society.  Dr Alistair Ross is leading a new project to develop an oral history of clients receiving counselling in the Sixties (1958-1972).

While there are brief histories of counselling, student counselling, and pastoral counselling there is little reference to the client voice or experience. Similarly the clients’ experience of counselling has yet to be heard, even in dedicated journals (Oral History; and Oral History Review). Following Lynd’s call for an oral history from below the client voice and experience of counselling is waiting to be heard.