I don’t know if this qualifies as a burning question, but I wanted to ask what you would recommend to someone thinking of training as a psychotherapist? My own personal journey is that I have been in 12-step recovery for addiction, on and off since my late 20s. I am now 52 and I have also spent a number of years in therapy. I won’t attempt to describe all my interactions with therapy here, but my experience of having and learning about therapy in the past five years has widened my interest in and understanding of the nature and reach of trauma, it feels like the right time for me to train in psychotherapy and counselling.
I have read about your one-year, part-time foundation course in counselling, starting next January, which could be a good place for me to start, but I wanted to ask about your route into therapy and what you’d recommend. KR, Wandsworth
Michaela says
First of all I just wanted to congratulate you on your “journey” and your decision to train in psychotherapy and counselling.
I am glad you’ve looked into the TAC foundation course as I do think that would be a good place to start. I would always recommend starting with a foundation year so you that you can explore if this is the right career path for you. My only other piece of advice is that, if you do go ahead and go on to do a Certificate course, make sure that it is accredited with a professional body such as the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) or UKCP (UK Council for Psychotherapy).
My own route into psychotherapy and counselling was more of an ongoing journey. I didn’t start with a foundation course, but did a three-year training as a counsellor first, then went on to a four-year course in psychotherapy. And, later in my professional career, I did further trainings as a clinical supervisor and as a psychosexual and relationship therapist.
From your letter [which we have cut due to limited space], I can see that you are a good verbal communicator and that your life experiences have enabled you to develop good listening skills, and a deep understanding of any difficulties the people you are listening to may be experiencing. So I think you are a good candidate for psychotherapy training and wish you all the very best with it!
