Going backwards to go forwards

I’m going to start by going backwards (trust me, this will make sense).?

Have you had that experience when you find or start something new and think ‘I wish I’d done this years ago’??

That’s exactly where I am with therapist training. ?I feel I’ve found my thing and I’m excited to learn more and develop my skills.?

At the age of 54 you might think ‘about bloody time’, or even ‘it’s too late for me now’. ?

Taking that second point first,?it’s never too late! ?I’ve seen people start university in their 60’s and gain a new lease of life.?

But back to the point about finding my place. ?If I’m honest, I wouldn’t have been ready, or at least as capable of doing this, 10 or 15 years ago. ?Maybe I’m just a late developer? (there are some in my family who would definitely agree)?

In general I believe experience is rarely wasted, it’s just what we decide to do with it, and my life and work experiences have helped me to be prepared and ready to take on this next stage.

I’m training with some exceptional people of all ages, so I’m not saying that you need age and experience to be an effective therapist. ?But it doesn’t hurt. ?There are many jobs and professions that it’s tough to break into when you have a few more miles under your wheels, but therapy isn’t one of them. ?I know I can make my life experience an asset.?

The main reason I didn’t go down this road 15 years ago was that I didn’t know about the options. ?I thought to work as a therapist I’d need to go back to university and complete another degree before taking specialist training, and I just didn’t have the chops for that (financial or otherwise). ??

Then about a year ago I discovered that I could complete a COSCA certificate in counselling skills and that would act as a foundation course and allow me access onto the CBT Diploma.?

(COSCA – Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland)?

(CBT – Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy)?

So that’s what I did. ?20 weeks, 2 evenings a week, 3 hours at a time. ?It was great to be learning something new, and I was training with a great bunch of people, but 2 nights per week, for 20 weeks, on top of busy life and work, was a challenge. ??

I settled into it, and in a strange way I missed the routine of it when it was over. ?I couldn’t work like that long-term, but there was a definite sense of achievement in pushing myself out of my comfort zone and pushing my endurance for a few months.?

I also learned a phenomenal amount. ?This course helped me develop the core skills and established fundamental principles that underpin therapeutic work. ?I’m going to start by sharing and reflecting on what I learned on this programme and then roll into the specific CBT training.?

Anyway, that’s enough of me and my background, let's get into the learning and reflection. The core conditions of Acceptance, Genuineness and Empathy were a fundamental part of the COSCA programme, so I’ll get into those next time.?

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