Humour in Counselling

Since Freud first began his journey into Psychoanalysis the Talking Therapies have grown exponentially. Training is rigorous and conforms to exacting rules and regulations such as those commensurate within the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (2010), which are intended to protect the client and counsellor alike! Therefore, this work questions why the role of humour in therapy is poorly understood, to verify if humour is used, whether it is taught and if there is evidence of its benefits and general awareness? Anecdotal evidence is reviewed and the benefits/negatives of humour are also cited, however, due to the paucity of research its dearth is prominent. Findings support that humour was only mentioned in training but still used by virtually all within therapy session. Lack of research, training, and awareness therefore indicates that humour as a medium in therapy is indeed poorly understood. This work may shed some light to those; considering talking therapy whether qualified or not, those deciding on research to enlighten this under-researched subject and those genuinely interested in this exciting concept.