A question for counsellors and pyschotherapists

[Electrotrinco]

I've just finished my L2 Counselling course, about to embark on L3, and if all goes well, will likely go onto do L4 straight after.

For L2 and L3 there is no obligation to be in personal therapy, or to have had personal therapy. In fact, I have had over 12 years of psychotherapy (Freudian, and most recently transpersonal) and I see a very established therapist once a month currently (after about a 10 year break from therapy).

However, I'm already feeling like I'm done. I don't want to do it anymore, we've reached the end. I went for certain issues, they feel more resolved.

I'm only going now because L3 'suggests' we have 6 hours of personal therapy during the course.

My fear is that if I go onto L4, I'll be obligated to have a lot of personal therapy. It's a requirement. And that fills me with dread. I've done so much work in that area, the idea of retreading ground is not pleasant.

Am I right in thinking that my prior experience with therapy is irrelevant, I have to go through it if I do the course?

Is there any way around it?

Dread huh?
(Retired psychotherapist, not buying that you're 'resolved', not for a single minute.)

The requirement is specific to the course you’ve chosen, choose another.

when I was teaching the courses I taught always took into account previous therapy (degree/masters course)

good luck

Yes, dread. That's my feeling. And no, of course, no one is ever 'resolved' - I said the issues I went for are 'resolved'.

It's entirely my right to feel that I don't want more extensive therapy.

Thank you, that's really helpful.

A good training course will bring up a whole lot of stuff that you thought was resolved, that’s why personal therapy is a course requirement for many courses. The self development aspect is the part that really makes a difference to the type of therapist you are. You could, for example, try therapy from a different modality to your previous experience which will look at stuff from a different perspective if you don’t want regular psychodynamic therapy.

It is of course your right to not want to do it, but despite extensive therapy before training, I really found the space pretty much essential to keep me steady during training.

Thanks, this is really helpful. A therapist friend suggested the same - going into therapy from a different modality. I think this might be the way forward.

I did level 4, my course required 10 hours of personal therapy. I viewed it as an opportunity to see it from the client perspective and also observe the counsellor. I didn’t take anything major but did discuss esteem issues. Yes it had to be taken during the duration of the course.

You could also use it to explore different aspects of yourself rather than going over the same issues you did originally. The group work in training often throws up all kinds of issues - I spent fair amount of time exploring why I had reactions to particular people or situations in group sessions which was really helpful both in training and when I started practice.

I offer therapy for students meeting their requirements. Some come and basically dial it in which is a waste of their time, if you have to do it you might as well make it work for you.

I did my L4 following about two years of weekly therapy, and in my view, any good course will have the requirement for personal therapy. Partly because some people won’t have done any/much personal therapy, but mostly because the client work will spark a lot of material in you, even if the classroom self-development work feels quite familiar (although if your course includes any group work then that will most likely bring up some new areas to explore too). Obviously you’ll have supervision to talk about client work, but when the client work triggers something in you (which it will do, especially at the beginning!) then personal therapy is a great space to work through that in more depth.

Saying that, some of my coursemates who had done more therapy prior to L4 did find the required personal therapy a bit tiresome at times so you wouldn’t be alone in feeling that way I’m sure! I think using the time to focus on what is coming up for you in the course and in client work is a good way of keeping the personal therapy interesting and fresh for you. Another way of making the personal therapy useful for you would be to choose a therapist who is in some way challenging for you to work with or not who you usually go for - e.g. in terms of gender/age or in terms of their modality. And then challenge yourself to discuss how it feels to work with them.

Is it a CPCAB course?

It’s only 10 hours. And the fact you’re dreading more counselling worries me. You are in denial about something and this WILL drop you progressing as a counsellor yourself.

Tbh, I would expect you to have ongoing therapy/supervision/mentoring throughout your practice and going onwards indefinitely. Please don’t underestimate the value of having someone to ‘hash things out’ with. Working with individuals who are exploring difficult issues will bring things up and having space to talk about that is important. That ‘dread’ is somewhat concerning, every time you go back to explore an issue it will bring up new insights.

It should be mandatory on a really good counselling course, one that’s at qualifying level. The diploma / degree is, at times, emotionally shredding and it’s common that unexpected stuff comes up for students that you need some kind of therapeutic support with. I found the group work very tough for many reasons…the personal development group arena in particular can feel torturous to be in.

I did the Level 7 and one way I got through it was with my counsellor’s help (probably helped he’d done that course years earlier and he was a person centred / psychodynamic integrated therapist - I realised I desperately needed psychodynamic help). I’d had counselling before but none was that effective. The counselling on my Level 7 was mandatory but my friend did the Level 5 and having counselling wasn’t mandatory on that course. She says it doesn’t matter to her and had therapy before and since completing.

I don’t think I would have much trust in you as a counsellor if you can’t see the benefit of ongoing work and the importance of your own therapy in self development. Your comments suggest that, actually, now might not be the right time for you to be undertaking training as a therapist.

You do have ongoing supervision but not therapy unless you feel the need. Supervision can be therapeutic but it serves a different purpose to therapy. I can understand someone having had long term therapy, like @Electrotrinco feeling a bit therapied out, but therapy in training is a different thing and is, in my view, an important element of training. Asking the question doesn’t mean someone isn’t ready for training.

When I did my training we had to have 30/40 hours so a lot.
I had been in and out of therapy for years and thought Id made peace with most of my shit, however I ended up revisiting and working through some of it with a different understand and perspective, it was amazing and so valuable.
I also learnt from the therapists ( I went to 4 before I found my one) I learnt what type of therapist I wanted to be and also what I didn't want to be, how to really show real empathy and also how to sit with silence, so much I can't list.
At this point you are resistant, let yourself feel the process as what you need in this job is a complete open mind, it will give you a different perspective of the journey.
Good luck OP.

Yes

Baguettesandcheeseforever and Jennie -

I hear what you're saying. I need to interrogate what the issue is for me; I can totally see the value in onoing therapy whilst I'm working with clients. Of course. And supervision.

Possibly the issue is with current therapist, maybe I've reached stalemate.

I certainly don't undervalue therapy - proven by having had it for 12 years.

This is a really helpful answer. It captures where I'm at and what I'm hoping to find.

I agree - I don't feel it means I'm not ready for training. I think that's unfair. I'm just raising lots of questions and trying to work through this stuff before I move forward.

Perhaps try a different modality if allowed in your training requirements
Ive had many years of psychoanalysis (3 x week) and when I did my masters there was a requirement to have more psychotherapy so I chose a different approach and EMDR which was useful and different.