On Training To Be A Therapist

Having become aware during his own training of the enormous and varied pressures that students of psychotherapy and counselling have to face, often without any real source of support, the author seeks to explore the professional and personal difficulties, anxieties, emotions and pitfalls engendered by this unique and often destabilizing process from what he terms a 'student's eye view'. Trainees frequently feel overwhelmed by an exhausting round of studying, clinical placements, supervision, and personal therapy, and are often engaged in a juggling act between training, family and work. The fundamental objective of the book is to confront and to ameliorate these demands and difficulties and to highlight the fact that therapy training can and should be an enjoyable and fulfilling process in itself. Among the many issues looked at are the ways in which training can change us as people, how it can affect our personal relationships, the dangers of adhering too strictly to theory, the terrors of essay writing, difficult issues with clients such as unplanned contact and sexuality, making the most of supervision, personal therapy, and many more. On Training to be a Therapist has been designed for use as a standard text on training courses at all levels. It is aimed principally at psychotherapy and counselling students, but will also appeal to qualified practitioners, tutors and supervisors looking for a different perspective.