Special Edition – Studying with Dyslexia

During the UK academic breaks, Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly produce occasional special editions of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, in which they provide a 'deep dive' into a specific topic important to counselling and psychotherapy. In this episode, Rory talks with Yvonne Lomas about her experiences with dyslexia as both a student and a teacher. They also give tips for studying with dyslexia. Yvonne (who is Rory's daughter) found primary and secondary school challenging, especially in reading tasks. She was later diagnosed at college as borderline dyslexic. The fact that people with undiagnosed dyslexia often learn coping strategies can serve to conceal their dyslexia from teachers and others - or to make it seem milder than it actually is. Yvonne found that there was good learning support available when studying for her undergraduate degree in information and library management. She now also holds a master's degree in education and a level 6 teaching qualification. Yvonne works with children with specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia. Dyslexia and the challenges of studying are topics that arise frequently in our Facebook group (which includes over 20,000 people - students, tutors and qualified counsellors - interested in the world of counselling and psychotherapy). Many of the learning techniques for dyslexia that are covered in this special-edition podcast will be useful to all learners, whether or not they have dyslexia. The Q & A show-notes below summarise the points covered in the discussion and are not a full transcript; please listen to the podcast itself to hear the detailed version and gain more tips and insights on studying with dyslexia. However, a full transcript is also available. You can download our handout on studying with dyslexia here. Alternatively, it is available in the Handouts Vault and Counselling Study Resource (CSR). Ken and Rory are both dyslexic and so understand the challenges of studying when you have dyslexia. They have created a whole section in the CSR (under 'Study Help') on dyslexia. There, you can see the video version of this interview with Yvonne, and many other useful resources. The CSR also contains lots of 'cheat lists' (like the checklists recommended by Yvonne) to help you in your counselling studies. Thank you to Yvonne for sharing her experiences with us. She wishes all listeners the best of luck with their studies, and above all reminds us: don't let dyslexia stand in the way of your dreams! Links and Resources Counselling Skills Academy Advanced Certificate in Counselling Supervision Basic Counselling Skills: A Student Guide Counsellor CPD Counselling Study Resource Counselling Theory in Practice: A Student Guide Counselling Tutor Training and CPD Facebook group Website Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner’s Guide Online and Telephone Counselling Course

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