Counselling, Psycho-therapy, Life Coaching, And Self-actualization

[Martin123]

Hiya!
Some time ago when I found actualized.org, it did not take me long to buy the Life purpose course. I found my life purpose in psychology, counseling, coaching and psycho-therapy. Basically helping guide other people and dig into their psyches so to speak. And something has been on my mind for a very long time.
I have started studying psychology and counseling on a uni this year, and with that came a huge shattering of my illusions of how actually therapists and counsellors think. It is very diverse, but many of them just go in the kind of "hopeless" direction of "if you're unhappy, here, take these pills, wink wink, maybe if you're lucky, they will work. 
The opinions on things like depression and anxiety and these kind of common mental problems vary, but again one of the poles that scares me is the "coping" approach. Which is basically CBT if not combined with deeper introspection. It is a development of coping strategies. Rarely it is spoken about curing, rather than coping and managing the conditions.

And I have come into a conclusion, that self-actualization is almost mandatory, in order to be an effective counsellor/therapist/coach....
Only then can we offer warm and loving relationships to our clients, be constructive, very solution oriented and loving at the same time. With the deep understanding of ourselves we gain better understanding of problems of others. The counsellors and therapists should be pioneers of self-actualization, to connect more with our emotions and bring about more emotional awareness in our society. However... not many counsellors are walking in this direction. They... cope :(.

Thoughts on this?
 

[YaNanNallari]

It sure might be a depressing realization, but don't let it stop you from thinking positively about it. Take it with responsibility and possibly try change peoples minds, do things differently yourself or whatever there is to do. Also consider that if there is really nothing you can do then should you change your direction? This is just how I would go about it.

[Markus]

@Martin123 Well, you think exactly the way I do on this topic. My intention is to become a psychiatrist and specialize in psychotherapy, so my chosen education path is somewhat different but it's definitely in the same domain. 

As for the ":(" emoticon, there's no point in it. As of now, it is what it is. It's not just the domain of therapy where people do things suboptimally - the problem is literally in every domain that requires humans to make decisions more abstract than building a piece of technology. Economics, politics, personal relationships, ecology, ethics, etc are all tainted by lack of awareness. So whatever you as a person who's into personal development and consciousness work do, dealing with decision-makers who lack awareness is depressing in a sense, because you can see how stupidly they behave, yet only they can help themselves. It's all outside of your control, so work on giving up resistance to it, allowing it to be.

I am first and foremost excited about the possibility of doing things differently in the domain of therapy. Developing a system that actually works, either with curing or coping - either changing the circumstances or accepting the circumstances. Starting a private practice should give plenty of autonomy to try things your way. I don't know what the system is, but raising a person's level of awareness seems fundamental. And different coping strategies and medications can certainly have their place, just not as a be-all and end-all. And if other practitioners see that this way of doing things actually works, they'll also become interested in it. 

Your primary directive should be developing a form of therapy that is in alignment with what you think therapy should be about. So keep your head up and stop worrying about shit outside your control - that's a distraction, an unfulfilling and unproductive one  

[Martin123]

Oh thanks guys, yeah the emoticon expressing my sadness about the situation is just pointless isn't it. Reality is there to be accepted and celebrated, not to be depressed about.

[Leo Gura]

@Martin123 Sounds like a killer niche opportunity for a budding young counselor.

The quality of therapists and counselors is so low, you should be able to wipe the floor with them if you just apply yourself.

[Live Life Liam]

On 02/11/2016 at 10:22 AM, Martin123 said:

Hiya!
Some time ago when I found actualized.org, it did not take me long to buy the Life purpose course. I found my life purpose in psychology, counseling, coaching and psycho-therapy. Basically helping guide other people and dig into their psyches so to speak. And something has been on my mind for a very long time.
I have started studying psychology and counseling on a uni this year, and with that came a huge shattering of my illusions of how actually therapists and counsellors think. It is very diverse, but many of them just go in the kind of "hopeless" direction of "if you're unhappy, here, take these pills, wink wink, maybe if you're lucky, they will work. 
The opinions on things like depression and anxiety and these kind of common mental problems vary, but again one of the poles that scares me is the "coping" approach. Which is basically CBT if not combined with deeper introspection. It is a development of coping strategies. Rarely it is spoken about curing, rather than coping and managing the conditions.

And I have come into a conclusion, that self-actualization is almost mandatory, in order to be an effective counsellor/therapist/coach....
Only then can we offer warm and loving relationships to our clients, be constructive, very solution oriented and loving at the same time. With the deep understanding of ourselves we gain better understanding of problems of others. The counsellors and therapists should be pioneers of self-actualization, to connect more with our emotions and bring about more emotional awareness in our society. However... not many counsellors are walking in this direction. They... cope :(.

Thoughts on this?
 

So true about how most counsellors treat clients these days man. I also have found my life purpose to be in counselling and psychotherapy and definitely believe self actualisation is something that isn't focused on which is something I am dedicated to change. I wish you all the best in your journey  

[Martin123]

@Leo Gura It does, honestly the potential is incredible, especially if holistic approaches are applied.
Thanks sensei

@Live Life Liam I started with the attitude of "I shall change all of you petty little victimized therapists". Then I managed to pop my bubble of arrogance, and developed an attitude of "well... there is a lot of progress that can be done in this field. Let's see to it". x) 
Good luck to you man.

[Live Life Liam]

1 hour ago, Martin123 said:

@Leo Gura It does, honestly the potential is incredible, especially if holistic approaches are applied.
Thanks sensei

@Live Life Liam I started with the attitude of "I shall change all of you petty little victimized therapists". Then I managed to pop my bubble of arrogance, and developed an attitude of "well... there is a lot of progress that can be done in this field. Let's see to it". x) 
Good luck to you man.

Are you currently studying or planning to learn through mainstream education or another form? I'm just interested on your plan of how you want to start working in the field since I'm interested in alternative ways to work as a counsellor rather then going to university. If you have any ideas to mention that would be great. I know at least in Britain where I live there are course and training programs to get trained and certified but as you say most of the workers in the industry aren't very good at what they do so following the similar path they did might not be beneficial. 

Haha I had the same attitude at one point but eventually you start realising its okay since we can change that if we want. 

[Martin123]

@Live Life Liam I am a freshman in an undergrad psychology and counselling course. (Actually in Scotland! hehe, although I am Czech).
I went for uni because first of all: Vast majority of all we learn is very relevant. Also it gives me a good idea what the current system is, and where the major pitfalls are. 
Another reason is, that past 3-4 months, I was going through a period I wouldn´t be afraid to call a dark night of the soul, and 4 years at a university gives me an amaying breather, to work out my emotional body and negative patterns, find my authentic self, and then dive deep into the world of counselling.
I GOT A PLAN YALL, CHECK ME OUT, AREN´T I A STRATEGIC MOTHERFUCKER? =D.
What are other routes of becoming a counsellor? I haven´t really spoted any, would you enlighten me pls?

[aurum]

I'll tell you that my therapist is philosophically aligned much more with you (thriving instead of coping) and he does fantastic. That's why I see him, there was no one else who I felt really would be on board and understand my goals.

[Live Life Liam]

9 hours ago, Martin123 said:

@Live Life Liam I am a freshman in an undergrad psychology and counselling course. (Actually in Scotland! hehe, although I am Czech).
I went for uni because first of all: Vast majority of all we learn is very relevant. Also it gives me a good idea what the current system is, and where the major pitfalls are. 
Another reason is, that past 3-4 months, I was going through a period I wouldn´t be afraid to call a dark night of the soul, and 4 years at a university gives me an amaying breather, to work out my emotional body and negative patterns, find my authentic self, and then dive deep into the world of counselling.
I GOT A PLAN YALL, CHECK ME OUT, AREN´T I A STRATEGIC MOTHERFUCKER? =D.
What are other routes of becoming a counsellor? I haven´t really spoted any, would you enlighten me pls?

Well tbh either way you take is similar as it all depends on your goals. If your idea is to be a certified counsellor for the bacp (British association of counselling) (I think it's like this in Scotland too and use the same system) like I am then they have a specific guide on how to become certified. Certification is usually the only way to get a job in the industry but they never say once that you need a university degree and you don't need one to be a certified counsellor although university course usually meet the required training times I think. I've researched a lot into this but I'll share you links so you can see what I mean.

Over in Britain there are a lot of independent counselling programs to help you get all the training needed to become a certified counsellor and usually this is for people who may not like the university atmosphere or don't have the grade requirements for a general university course. Like I said becoming a counsellor or psychotherapist is a little variable then other types of jobs because it depends on your goal. You can still be a counsellor without being certified since it doesn't have a legal attachment with it like a doctor does although you could only work online for yourself most likely since pretty much all NHS or other places require a diploma, a bacp certification and a lot of experience in the mental health field so it's what your goals are. 

I'm planning to move to Scotland soon with my girlfriend since she wants to study nutrition there and she's Bulgarian so she is better of in Scotland then Britain. Seems like your doing great though.

What is Scotland like?

http://www.bacp.co.uk/student/training.php

This link shows basically what you need to become a member of the bacp and is their recommended 3 step strategy. 

[Live Life Liam]

10 hours ago, Martin123 said:

@Live Life Liam I am a freshman in an undergrad psychology and counselling course. (Actually in Scotland! hehe, although I am Czech).
I went for uni because first of all: Vast majority of all we learn is very relevant. Also it gives me a good idea what the current system is, and where the major pitfalls are. 
Another reason is, that past 3-4 months, I was going through a period I wouldn´t be afraid to call a dark night of the soul, and 4 years at a university gives me an amaying breather, to work out my emotional body and negative patterns, find my authentic self, and then dive deep into the world of counselling.
I GOT A PLAN YALL, CHECK ME OUT, AREN´T I A STRATEGIC MOTHERFUCKER? =D.
What are other routes of becoming a counsellor? I haven´t really spoted any, would you enlighten me pls?

 

Also where in Scotland do you live?

http://www.cpcab.co.uk/

This is an alternative route then university although they have a stage program and one of them can involve a foundation degree at university. I was glad to see that their are many different ways to go at it.

Edited November 4, 2016 by Live Life Liam

[Martin123]

@Live Life Liam Dundee