Can you help a therapist?

SqueekyMouse

I was prompted to write this after reading pencakes26's thread about free therapy (I didn't want to hijack her thread).

My DH has been training to become a psychoanalyst for years, but has hit a brick wall in progressing with his career. I find it so frustrating that there are people who need help which my DH could provide but he's unable to do so because of the system that exists in this country

In order to progress he needs to have therapy himself (which is hugely expensive) and to change jobs in order to gain experience. Then the next step would be a 5 year training post where he sees his own patients and is supervised weekly by a qualified analyst alongside his on-going therapy

He's currently working in an office job which pays the bills and has provided him with the flexible working hours he needed to attend uni part time. However he now needs to gain experience working in a therapeutic setting. He's in a catch 22 situation where he needs this experience but no-one will offer him a job as a therapist because they require a minimum of 100 hours of face to face contact time.

He has thought of setting himself up in private practice, but he thinks "going rogue" would be looked down on by the psychoanalytic community or future employers.

So far he's contacted local secondary schools, colleges and universities to see if they want a councilor, a local private therapy agency and Relate, but they don't want him without the experience

Does any one have any ideas? Any other oraganisations that would take him on that he's missed?

coinxoperated

Why not try Private fostering and adoptions agencies? Just an idea!

SqueekyMouse

He thinks that's a brilliant idea - thank you! He's googling them in our area right now!

I knew you lovely people wouldn't let me down, any more thoughts????

meritaten

try a charity - work as a voluntary counsellor - he has more than enough qualifications and they would welcome him with open arms.

He could take his pick - Cancer, Mental Health, Kids, you name it, a charity out there is crying out for volunteer counsellors.
I have edited to say that he should pick a charity which is related to the career he has in mind.
If he wants to work with ex'offenders - then offer his services to a local prison - they will usually take volunteers and his hours would be 'official' and directly related to his future career. If he prefers to work with kids - then a charity such as Barnados or Kidscape (the higher profile the better) would aid him more than the local cubs!

I worked as a 'complementary' therapist for a cancer charity and they were so desperate for counsellors they ran their own training courses -your OH would have been grabbed up hun!

rainbow81

I just had a quick search on doit.org and there are lots of charities who would welcome someone in their 2nd year of training.

Good luck to him!

carolan78

Local homeless/drug charities? Your local MIND or any other mental health charity. If they don't require his services they might point him in the right direction.

Also look and see if the there's any local youth groups, maybe get in touch with your community bobby to see what kind of schemes there is out there, if they currently don't offer therapy it may well be something they would consider offering if hubby is willing to volunteer.

SqueekyMouse

meritaten wrote: »

He could take his pick - Cancer, Mental Health, Kids, you name it, a charity out there is crying out for volunteer counsellors.
I have edited to say that he should pick a charity which is related to the career he has in mind.
If he wants to work with ex'offenders - then offer his services to a local prison - they will usually take volunteers and his hours would be 'official' and directly related to his future career. If he prefers to work with kids - then a charity such as Barnados or Kidscape (the higher profile the better) would aid him more than the local cubs!

I worked as a 'complementary' therapist for a cancer charity and they were so desperate for counsellors they ran their own training courses -your OH would have been grabbed up hun!

Thanks for that and similar suggestions made by other posters re Mind, homeless charities etc


He says he's already looked into working for a charity, it seems that the 2 local unis offer several counseling courses and the students are already competing for work with the charities in our area. (lucky old charities), but it's certainly something he can look at again

SqueekyMouse

carolan78 wrote: »

Also look and see if the there's any local youth groups, maybe get in touch with your community bobby to see what kind of schemes there is out there, if they currently don't offer therapy it may well be something they would consider offering if hubby is willing to volunteer.

He's defiantly willing to volunteer, he spent a year working for free part time in a nursery to gain experience working with children last year!

He likes the community bobby idea, and will look into contacting our local CSO to offer his services...

SqueekyMouse

rainbow81 wrote: »

I just had a quick search on doit.org and there are lots of charities who would welcome someone in their 2nd year of training.

Good luck to him!

Thanks!

I don't think it quite as simple as that though. He hasn't done a bog standard counseling course/degree. He doesn't think the way the NHS provides therapy is the way forward, since all they offer is CBT which is a very cheep form of therapy which is only suited to some people's problems, but since it's what the NHS offers it tends to be what the typical uni courses provide.

He's studied psychoanalysis instead (think of Freud or Jung). Which is a more intensive form of therapy where the patient sees the therapist upto 5 times a week, but has been proven to have more long term efficacy. However it is hugely expensive so not really offered on the NHS.

He has qualifications which relate only to this form of therapy - a BSc, and 2 masters degrees with the Tavistock in London.

I think that because it's not the norm, charities etc are hesitant to look at him

lostinrates

It might help people suggest something if you state a rough area...perhaps the city his university is in...people might personally know of a situation.

meritaten

yes - I bet those students are looking to do about 2 - 4 hours during their year. look just outside the area and offer to do 6 hours per week if your OH can manage that.
one day a week should be manageable and if it could be a weekend - when most people want counselling....then a small charity would probably bend over backwards to get your OH.