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Existing resources on the broad topic of mental health often explore how it is currently, and has historically been, understood and how this understanding has impacted the evolution of mental health care, policy and law. Many such resources largely ignore what this might mean in practice for how to work ethically and effectively with a person who is in mental distress. Equally, many books about counselling theory and practice engage seriously with building knowledge around the topics necessary for ethical and effective practice, yet they pay scant consideration to broader understandings of mental health and ill-health and how these have shaped the field of counselling and psychotherapy.