• What makes an Competent Psychotherapist ?
• How does one develop a sense of Professional Identity?

Both as a past trainee, a Psychotherapist and Trainer of Psychotherapists  I have  frequently asked myself the above questions.

 

In writing this  blog, I have looked at the whole process from Novice to seasoned Practitioner. I have often felt like a Pilot in a helicopter rising above the”Maze” and seeing the roots from beginning to end, roots which are comprised of twists and turns, sometimes knotted and gnarled but eventually emerging into open land.

 

As a Trainee myself in the 1980s, I can remember what it was like to enter the Maze for the first time, to get lost, and to go down false trails  until eventually discovering daylight. Certainly it was a personal journey of frustrations, joys and excitements. It was life changing and brought me to some false dawns and sunsets, on the road to clear vision and fulfilment.

 

Something that figures from me ,is that there ,wasn’t a definitive end, but a series of endings and beginnings which led me to where I am today, an experienced Therapist, Trainer, Supervisor and overall director of this well respected Institute.

Whilst travelling this road, I have learned to Saviour my triumphs and look forward to evolving challenges, frustrations and satisfactions that lie ahead. One truth, however, that I have recognised is that more of the road I travel the less I seem to know.!! There are many unexpected openings that have to be dealt with.

 

What then makes a Competent Psychotherapist?

 

There are many qualities that make for a successful Psychotherapist, however I believe, that the most important is having an Awareness of oneself- and the insight to own those positive qualities ,and the courage take ownership of ones own darker side.

It is Courage and Compassion that you need ,to visit these dark, and often untouched places in your personality. A willingness to learn, change and finally accept that part of yourself.

You must have the willingness to meet yourself and to integrate the aspects of yourself ,that will be a prime importance in this searching and understanding of the self.

It is only then that you will really be able to guide others to where they need to go in the service of healing and Personal growth.

 

As a Psychotherapy Trainer I expect my Trainees to develop a robustness ,which will mean that they can face not only their own internal demons, but the ogres which are part of their clients own struggles, and which they will present to us in the therapy. We must learn to deal with our “Puppet masters” of the past ,and we will need to reach out, with the help of others, to cut the strings that bind us to the past -in order to take control of our own destiny.

 

Only if we achieve the above will will be able to help our clients, otherwise we will be like the Porter on the railway station-directing the tired traveller onto the familiar train, over and over again- onto the well worn route they have so often travelled before.

 

One major tip here in achieving that robustness is to know that you will have to dig deep into your own personal reserves and trust in the process, something I personally have found hard on occasions within my own therapy journey. In fact sometimes it seemed like an impossible task to achieve, mainly because I had not been able to trust myself. I recognise that I did not trust myself and therefore how could I trust another? Indeed it was only by learning that others had trusted me that I found a way to understand, perhaps for the first time, my own vulnerabilities and fragility.

 

It was through other people’s trust in me and I was able to believe in myself ,and find the courage, to go the extra mile that was needed to go within the therapeutic process.

There are of course many essential qualities that make a successful psychotherapist but the most significant, along with the ability to take Risks,–I believe is the ability to Persevere, to continue when every part of yourself is telling you to continue in your familiar, predictable ways.

These qualities will be needed in order to become a successful psychotherapist. -It is often a risky business developing a sense of professional identity, finding out what the boundaries are in order to establish clear guidelines in our work.

 

Developing a healthy professional identity is imperative to your personal development as a psychotherapist. This professional identity comes from first discovering the self with a new, without this you will not develop the confidence needed to make a good therapist.

 

The Trainees Professional role is shaped by many features within the Training process.

Indeed over the period of training you will need to be committed and motivated to achieve your goals,- just as you will need to be open to learning and debate. -You will need to learn the skills of Psychotherapy through the structure, practice, and theory. You will need to allow yourself to be open and truthful both to yourself and to others, and not lose sight of yourself through the models and techniques.

The use of the Self alongside the theoretical models will give you the understanding, and abilities ,to discover the many facets of the human condition.

 

Certainly we should not forget that every new development in Psychotherapy, Theory and Methodology ,will offer the practitioner a fresh insight into the ways of communicating with the people we are trying to help, and understand.- Therefore I believe that it is the duty of any therapist to utilise new theoretical models in the service of the client.

To my mind, it is where theory and practice meet, bringing together the essence of the human encounter.

 

Bob Cooke 2013

 

 

 

7–Effective habits for a seasoned Psychotherapist

 

With the growth of Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling in the 21st century we have witnessed the growth of the Psychotherapists and Counsellors. Indeed, at the time of writing there are over 500 types of Psychotherapy within the United Kingdom. Therefore, what are the essential Habits that need to be addressed for the effective Psychotherapist in today’s world.

For the purposes of this article I have included 7 effective habits that I think need to be observed in the workings of a professional Psychotherapist, these are as follows:-

CONFIDENTIALITY:

In the world of Psychotherapy the effective Psychotherapist needs to have Confidentiality as central to their practice. They need to cultivate and explicitly state the notion of Confidentiality.

Confidentiality needs to be the most important feature of their professional work; indeed clients will not only expect this but will demand Confidentiality. When Confidentiality is broken the client will feel betrayed and unsafe, they will usually leave therapy and may indeed take out a complaint against the Psychotherapist. Therefore it is essential that Confidentiality becomes an effective habit for any successful Psychotherapist.”

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SAFETY AND SECURITY:

Following on from the notion of Confidentiality the Psychotherapist needs to cultivate the habit of always considering The “Psychological” safety and security of their clients.

What do we mean then by the term “Psychological safety”? When I use the term “Psychological safety” I mean how the clients internally protect themselves.

Many of the clients that Therapists work with have not Internalised a “Protective” nurturing internal “Parent”, which is on their side in the terms of safety and security.

These types of clients often may present in a chaotic or neglected manner, in other words they “Psychologically” do not take care of themselves, in either an emotional or practical way.

The Therapist needs to model Psychological protectiveness, this will not only provide a sense of safety and security for the client, it will also, by the mechanism of Osmosis, help with the creating of a protective “Psychic Skin”.

This”Psychic Skin” will create a robust self of sense for the client especially when dealing psychologically with their chaotic self. Indeed, the importance of this cannot be underestimated, and needs to become an effective Habit in the armoury of the professional Psychotherapist.

WISDOM:

The next habit that is important in the context of this article,is the “Wisdom” of the Therapist within the therapeutic dialogue.

Wisdom is not only essential, it is also important to note that “Wisdom” of the Therapist is gained through hard earned experience, with many hours of working with clients..

Not only is it important for the client to you as “Sage” or a “Mentor figure” within the therapy, it is also vital for the Therapist to pass down some of their “Wise” words and “Wise” attitudes to the client in the service of emotional health and wellbeing.

Imparting wisdom does not mean a complete “sharing of the self” as this can be often inappropriate and counter to the therapy. In this context, the best combination would be a “Considered Wisdom” with clinical judgement.

Does this mean, that the inexperienced therapist will not be seen as a “Wise” person? No, as often Wisdom is a way of being, and can therefore run through the essence of the therapeutic relationship from beginning to termination.

ROBUSTNESS:

The robustness of the Therapist is an important habit for the Therapist to cultivate,It is this robustness, or strength of self, that the Therapist portrays that is so important for the client when working through their inner struggles and adversities within the Therapy.

Often on a psychological level the client needs to “feel” and almost “touch” the strength of the Therapist so that they can psychologically “internalise” the Therapists psychological strength in their quest for health.

For the Therapist themselves, it is the “strengthening of their Psychic self” or the development of the robustness of the Therapist self which will be crucial in providing a “psychological container” for the client to express their anxieties, fears and emotional insecurities.

Another dimension when discussing the “Robustness” of the Therapist’s self, is that the robust Therapist will be able to “psychologically protect themselves” more effectively from the possible negative energetic discharge from their clients. If the Therapist can make the development of “Robustness” of the self as an automatic habit, I believe is that their Psychotherapy work will be considerably more effective, in terms of curative health and wellbeing for their clients.

HUMOUR:

Another positive habit for the therapist to develop which will make their Psychotherapy practice more effective, is the use of “Humour” within the therapy.

For any psychotherapy to be effective in terms of cure and wellbeing, the therapy journey will inevitably pass through areas of lightness and darkness. Indeed, it is often through these dark times that the “real” therapy happens.

Often we can see that through acute discomfort, motivation will occur, and if we can grab hold of this motivation the road to cure will often follow. From this place, we often witness great courage, and inevitably the human spirit will prevail on the road to victory and celebration.

In the transition between the light and darkness it is often necessary to use “Humour” as a light relief otherwise the darkness may become so “overwhelming” that the client may stay with the “psychological safety” of their default “Script” pattern.

Humour can be seen as a “Transaction or set of Transactions” which the Therapist will often use in dialogue with the client. This “Clinical” thinking does not have to take away the authenticity and genuineness of the humorous intent. In fact, the humour will hopefully provide a time of intimacy and therapeutic closeness within the therapy setting.

Humour is natural to the human condition, and can be a useful tool for the Therapist to utilise in the service of therapeutic cure and wellbeing. My invitation in this article is for Psychotherapists and Counsellors to allow themselves to use “Humour” with clinical forethought within the psychotherapy journey.

COURAGE:

The courage of the therapist is a vital quality in the armoury of the effective Therapist. It is a wonderful “habit” that the Therapist needs to utilise and cultivate in the therapy. It is to go the “extra mile “with your client, to stand steadfast with them, to be beside them, whilst they take on their internal demons. To support them through their darkness and light, to give them what they might never have had, an ally, a person that they can rely on for inner strength, and nourishment To provide a stable, safe and dependable “Other” that will be there for them in the face of adversity, and cheer them in their victories This is the courage that your client needs from you on the road to internal psychological liberation It’s a courage that we can all call upon from our own spirit and soul, certainly perhaps it is the most effective “habit of all for the professional Psychotherapist.

 

THE INTERNALISED SELF SUPERVISOR

 

Finally, the development of an “Internalised Self Supervisor” is a crucial process/habit for the Therapist to create for effective Psychotherapy: The establishment of this process comes from the integration internally, of the Therapists external Supervisor This will be someone he respects, a model for him, a professional Mentor for him, in the Psychotherapy world. This psychological process provides the Therapist with a “safe harbour”, an inner place he can call on for, inner dialogue and debate. It provides a place for the Therapist, a “Third eye “overseeing the therapeutic relationship, a first port of call for clinical reflection and contemplation. It is a place of protection for Therapist and client alike, and allows the Therapist his own individual space, away from the projections, fears and uncertainties of the client personality. This is, indeed a precious place for internal Self-supervision and clinical reflection.

These qualities need to be developed by the professional Therapist into “Habits”, a way of being which is automatic by nature; it becomes the bedrock that the Therapist’s practice is built on. These “Habits” won’t come overnight, and the Therapist needs to cultivate and nurture these qualities so that they grow and flourish as if he was the “Master Gardener” of the Psychotherapy world.

If these qualities become “Habits” I believe Psychotherapists will become much more effective in their professional role.

 

Bob Cooke 2011