The Doctor–Counsellor Relationship

Abstract

Counsellors in primary care are thought to be a good thing (Waydenfeld and Waydenfeld, 1980; Diekstra and Jensen, 1988; House, 1993; Jewell, 1993; Dammers and Wiener, 1995). In Chapter 1 we described the opportunities their presence provides for people to talk about their personal and family problems with someone trained, impartial and sympathetic. More patients now accept that stress relief can be obtained by talking to someone about themselves, their lives and personal problems. In this chapter we focus on the nature of the relationship between GP and counsellor.