1. Inside the
organisation
Ever thought about setting up as an employee assistance provider?
Sharon McCormick did just that when she started The Listening Centre.
Providing occupational employee support to organisations across the
Midlands she talks to Nicola Banning about providing a niche in the market
Why did you decide to train to become a counsellor?
When I was 22 I accessed counselling following a trauma.
During this time I made some remarkable discoveries, one
of which was how life changing good therapy could really
be! This experience ignited my interest in counselling and
made me consider this as a career option.
What did you do before you became a counsellor?
I joined the Royal Air Force when I was 17 and served
eight years as an aerospace systems operator; an equivalent
civilian role would be an air traffic controller. When I left
the RAF I worked in private sector HR roles whilst studying
counselling at college for four years.
How did your experience in HR lead you to set up The
Listening Centre?
Working in this setting gave me a unique insight into
how organisations both help and hinder their staff. I
discovered the difficulties and frustrations HR faced in
seeking out professional, cost-effective, local interventions.
As my studies progressed, I then became aware of how
individuals help and hinder themselves. Examining the
employee-HR-employer triangle objectively, highlighted
to me the services that were scarce and/or missing and yet
increasingly in demand. This was instrumental in creating
The Listening Centre.
Can you tell me about it?
The Listening Centre is an employee assistance provider
(EAP) covering the Central England region. We place
quality, integrity and professionalism at the core of our
business. What makes us unique is that there is no one else
who does what we do in the Midlands. Being local and
flexible, we deliver first-class pro-active occupational
support services to the employer’s most valuable asset
– their people. Our customers range from large public
sector NHS Trusts and local authorities to small private
sector production manufacturing companies.
For the most part we’re commissioned to provide
workplace counselling. We also allow our customers to
cherry-pick complimentary services as and when required.
This allows companies to access what they need when they
need it without the need to sign up to an all-inclusive and
expensive EAP.
What’s a typical day at The Listening Centre?
Thankfully there is no typical day because we are not a
typical organisation! As we’re governed by people who are
predictably unpredictable we can get a call at any time to
assist in any one of the services we offer. We are free from
bureaucratic processes so we may be designing a training
workshop in stress management for one of our customers
when we get a call to attend to a critical incident within the
same week. We may be involved in a case management
review when a call comes in to arrange workplace mediation
for a client. Whilst all that is going on, our team is delivering
counselling in and around the Midlands. Diaries permitting,
we regularly get together where one of our team delivers an
hour’s input in our areas of specialisms. We also take this
opportunity to bring the team up to date on best practice,
ethical issues and future developments. As we offer such a
tailored service to our customers, we can design a service to
meet their needs at a time and place that is specific to the
companies, organisations and individuals we work with.
The Listening Centre is very proud to be in the position
of being at the forefront in the development and education
of people entering into the counselling profession. So right
now I’m working on recruiting a trainee counsellor to be
located in one of our customer’s premises to be mentored
and supervised by our own team. This is unprecedented in
the commercial world as there is no financial gain. However
we feel incredibly passionate about nurturing and
developing our profession in the right direction.
Who is in your team at The Listening Centre?
We currently have 18 practitioners whose orientation and
expertise vary considerably. What unites us is a minimum
standard of being professionally trained and qualified in
our respective occupations. For example, our counsellors
and psychotherapists hold academically recognised
qualifications, as do our teachers, mediators, HR
consultants and critical incident de-briefers.
Between us, we specialise in: brief solution-focused
therapy, infertility, bereavement, cognitive behavioural
therapy (CBT), eating disorders, workplace mediation,
psycho-education, trauma, high intensity IAPT, personality
disorders, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), abuse,
addiction, young people, motivational interviewing,
mentoring and critical incident debriefing.
This pool of expertise provides the best possible service
for our customers but it can also enable a cross-transfer of
skills that continuously develops our team.
What kind of feedback do you get from your clients
and organisations?
The feedback we receive from both customers and clients
shows us that we are clearly meeting the needs of both
parties. This is really positive to us because it demonstrates
we are doing a good job. We also encourage our customers
and service users to suggest ways in which their experience
could be improved and we always act on this where possible.
What skills/qualities have got you where you are today?
I think it’s probably a combination of a number of factors
such as being genuine; having a passion for fairness,
common sense and a real zest for life! I never take myself
too seriously and take every (appropriate) opportunity
to laugh when I can. Finally, I know what skills we need
for the team and when I see professionals who have
characteristics that would complement The Listening
Centre I invite that person into the team to develop and
consolidate our strengths.
Why do you do what you do?
Many core qualities of counselling such as integrity,
resilience and competence mirror my own. I discovered that
I had a niche for filling a ‘gap in the market’ and for the past
10 years I have been in the fortunate position of doing the
job that I love, which has extended to teaching others
considering taking this up as a career. To offer a range of
specialist services in the local community challenges and
stretches me every day. This helps develop me as a
practitioner and allows me to work alongside some
incredible people. It’s extremely rewarding!
What three things do you value most about your
work and running the centre?
1 My team, because without them we would not be able
to offer and deliver the varied, flexible first-class services
that we do
2 The fulfilment my role gives me which facilitates diversity
and challenge in equal measure
3 That we are operating an ethical, cost-effective localised
service that is prescribed by our customers and clients.
Do you have any advice to other workplace counsellors
about marketing themselves in business?
Yes, I have two tips:
1 Don’t try and re-invent the wheel. Selling a product or
service is the same the world over, so do your homework
on marketing and selling, and don’t be afraid to get out of
your comfort zone and be persistent! You may not be
able to take on national contracts but there is nothing
stopping you from approaching local businesses to let
them know you exist.
2 Hang up your counsellor hat whilst applying tip number 1.
Remember that you are primarily selling yourself which, I
know often goes against the grain for therapists. But if
you want to get ahead you need to stand out and
demonstrate your unique selling point (USP). This
requires a different set of skills so switch off the analysis,
work out who your target market is and focus on how you
can add value to their business.
Who inspires you?
I find Richard Branson is a great role model, because despite
being dyslexic he went on to achieve brilliant things. He
comes across as a genuinely nice guy and is a fiercely
passionate humanitarian. Clients inspire me because they’re
brave enough to take a look at themselves with a view to
potentially changing something. That takes serious courage
and I know because I’ve tried it!
Do you have any reflections on our profession and
where we are today?
Yes. Bad practice is the cancer in this profession. The
‘horror stories’ we read about degrade what the majority
of counsellors strive to achieve. This is why I’m a great
supporter of BACP and recognise the importance of having
an Ethical Framework. As BACP registered counsellors,
we’re in the position where both employers and service
users place their trust in us and (justifiably) expect us to
provide a professional service. Not only should this be a
‘given’ within the therapy room but for me it extends to
how we conduct ourselves in the workplace generally. We
are all obliged to lead by example, work collectively to raise
standards and expand our skill base to ensure that we are
taken seriously and continue to champion this much valued
and privileged vocation.
Do you know someone who makes a valuable contribution
inside their organisation? If so, please email the editor
e: counsellingatwork.editorial@bacp.co.uk
Sharon McCormick
is the Chief Executive of
The Listening Centre, an
organisation specialising in
workplace employee
assistance in the Midlands
region. She is also a BACP
Accredited Counsellor,
Workplace Mediator and
Adult Lecturer. www.
thelisteningcentre.co.uk
2726
Counselling at work Spring 2013INTERVIEW www.bacpworkplace.org.uk INTERVIEW