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Marriage Guidance Councils
The Scottish Marriage Guidance Council was established in 1947 and local Marriage Guidance Councils were started as follows:
1947
Edinburgh MGC; Glasgow MGC
1952
Aberdeen MGC
1953
Dundee MGC
1954
Central Scotland MGC; Dumfries and Galloway MGC
1955
Ayrshire MGC
1956
Perth and Perthshire MGC
1961
Fife MGC; Inverness and District MGC; Wigtownshire MGC
1962
Motherwell, Wishaw and District MGC
1965
Greenock and District MGC
1968
Dunbartonshire MGC
1970
Border MGC
1977
Caithness MGC
Selection of counsellors for training started 1953. Selection conferences are held for an entire weekend; there are usually 16 candidates from whole of Scotland and a panel of selectors including a psychiatrist, a psychologist, an SMGC tutor, a counsellor and a member of Council. There is about a 50% acceptance rate.
After training a counsellor's work is assessed by psychiatrist and a counsellor. A candidate is either accepted, not accepted or deferred for specified time. From 1977 onwards candidates received very detailed analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. In 1976 additional training in psychosexual counselling commenced for a limited number of Lothian Marriage Counselling Service counsellors.
The original training course comprised 24 weeks in local centres but concentrated weekend courses were developed to meet the needs of trainees and were found to be preferable. There was a change from didactic training to more experiential around 1975.
Young people consulting counsellors and requests from youth groups led to an early introduction of specific training for assessed counsellors to lead small group discussions on relationships. In 1977 the training course became two years at SMGC in Edinburgh including the group dynamics training in the second year.
June 1981
During the 1980s and 1990s the training of counsellors went through a radical change with less emphasis being placed on the "growth of the individual" and more on the couple dynamics. While retaining much of the psycho-dynamic training more emphasis has been placed on cognitive work and counsellors have to submit a lengthy portfolio in order to be accredited. They also have to have completed 300 hours of supervised work with clients.
Counselling is becoming more professional and rigorous standards are being set by the National body, now called Couple Counselling Scotland, the British Association of Counselling and the Confederation of Scottish Counselling Agencies.
Lothian Marriage Counselling Service, one of the 14 services in Scotland, remains the largest service offering 7,000 appointments a year. Other services offered are Surviving-the-Break-up groups, a Telephone Helpline Service, and a Psycho-sexual service.
March 1999 |
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Archival history |
Selected case notes of the Lothian Marriage Counselling Service were first deposited on indefinite loan in the Scottish Record Office in 1981, and further deposits have taken place at irregular intervals thereafter. They comprise the notes for 1947, the year in which the Service was established (as the Edinburgh Marriage Guidance Centre), and those for 1951 and every fifth year thereafter. The notes do not include the file covers, which gave details of the clients concerned, and other personal identification has been removed or deleted. The following notes on Marriage Guidance Councils have been contributed by the Counsellors' Adviser (1981) and the Service Manager (1999 addition). |