Prof Rita Mintz | University of Chester

Emeritus Professor

I started my career as a primary school teacher in California. After teaching youngsters for a number of years I undertook Counsellor training at the University of Illinois and progressed to do a PhD in Counselling at the University of Michigan.

My early interests included Careers Counselling and Guidance, and I worked as part of a team at the University of Michigan to develop and produce careers guidance materials which were used extensively in the USA. In Britain, I worked as a Student Counsellor at the University of Keele and developed a strong interest in the needs of mature students. My more recent Counselling work has been in an NHS Staff Support Service. I have been at the University of Chester since 1992.

Past Member of Learning Resources Users' Forum
Past member of School of Science and Health Board of Studies

I have a small counselling practice and have worked for many years with clients from the NHS, Local Authorities and the Social Services. I have been an External Examiner for a range of Counselling and Careers Guidance programmes including the Diploma in Counselling Skills at the University of Staffordshire, Counselling Skills Module at the Welsh National Training Board and the Diploma in Careers Guidance at (formerly) North East London Polytechnic. I have developed and delivered a range of courses for the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services and have also been an abstractor for the British Journal of Guidance and Counselling.

Module Tutor for a range of MA in Counselling Studies modules
Supervisor for MA Dissertations

Teaches on the M.A. in Clinical Counselling. My main contributions are in the areas of Loss and Grief and Human Growth and Development. I also facilitate Personal Development Groups.

Some of my academic interests include managing transitions and change; gender issues; the social, cultural and political context of counselling; the evolution of counselling practitioner's personal model of counselling.

Mintz, R (2009). Introduction to Qualitative Research Information Sheet. Lutterworth: BACP.

Reeves, A. and Mintz, R. (2001).Counsellors' Experience of Working with Suicidal Clients: An Exploratory Study. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, Vol. 1, No. 3: 172-76.

In the past I have developed Careers Guidance materials which have been published and utilized throughout the USA. While at the University of Keele, I wrote a number of study skills booklets and was the joint author of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services booklet on Careers in Counselling.