Entering Counselling Training with a Difficult Past (starts at 1.45 mins)
Can you become a counsellor if you have had a difficult past yourself? This question is asked frequently in the Counselling Tutor Facebook group.
The answer is most definitely yes – but with the proviso that you need to have processed your emotions relating to this to a reasonable extent before entering counselling training.
Some people come along to counselling training as a substitute for having therapy themselves but – given the highly emotional nature of the counselling journey – they could quickly become overwhelmed.
It’s always a good idea to be honest with the tutor on a course you are applying for if you are aware of particular difficulties you have experienced: if you try to keep these to yourself, they will be bound to come out at some point during training, so it’s much better to have been up-front about these from the start.
Do remember that tutors want students to join and succeed, but they also want you – and your future clients – to be safe, so they may suggest that you wait and perhaps receive some therapy yourself in order to process your own emotions more thoroughly before joining a course.
In short, don’t be put off counselling training by your past difficulties, but don’t rush into it either. It is important that the time is right.
While counselling training does indeed offer lots of opportunity for personal development, you will need a certain amount of emotional resilience and robustness to get through.
Rory has written a handout based on his own experience (as a counselling tutor) of possible types of difficulties and how best to approach entering counselling training with these. You can access this here, or through the Counselling Study Resource (CSR).
Don’t be put off counselling training by your past difficulties, but don’t rush into it either. It is important that the time is right.