Enhancing counsellor development: A manual for planning a conference for counsellors in Canada’s North

Counsellors working in Canada’s North face many unique challenges such as “workload and complexity of client issues, geographical and social isolation, and high personnel and staff turnover” (O’Neill et al, 2013, p.3). This project will describe those challenges in more detail as well as strengths that are part of rural and remote communities and practice. This project will also include the rationale for bringing counsellors together for a multi-day conference. The terms counsellor, therapist and practitioner will be used interchangeably and refer to those practicing counselling therapy. A definition of counselling therapy provided by The Federation of Associations for Counselling Therapists in BC is as follows: The practice of counselling therapy assists people experiencing difficulties in relationships, or within themselves, and enhances their growth and well-being, by making use of relational, conversational, somatic, expressive, or educational methods and techniques informed by established counselling and psychotherapeutic theories, research, ethical standards, human diversity, and the range of human traditions (FACTBC, 2019, p.3). This project supplies a conference planning guide which will include information on funding sources, conference topics and themes, and a series of checklists and appendices that provide details of necessary steps for planning a conference. The theme for this conference is trauma informed care and I have incorporated five main principles (as developed by Fallot & Harris, 2006) of safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, empowerment, and choice into the overall structure and plan for the conference.