[opheliasorrow]

I just wanted to tell you my good news. I passed my first assignment on the foundation access course in psychotherapy and counselling . I shall be starting a degree on this subject in September . Three years ago I had a mental breakdown, completely in crisis and never thought I would see the light. I was sexually and emotionally abused from a young child until the age of 16/17. Something within my body just told me I needed to let go of all the shame, guilt and anger. I have been through such difficult times and I still do, but each time there is a trigger or I dissociate a little the learning process kicks in and it becomes easier. I just wanted to post this, as I do every now and again to give a little hope and inspiration to others. There IS light at the end of that long tunnel and I am living proof. Blessings, Kerry/Jinnyann/Ophelia

[Lisa Michelle]

Thank you very much Kerry for sharing this with us, I find your story very inspiring and uplifting. I remember you updated a while back and it had the same effect then, too. I'm really pleased to see you continue to grow in strength and to do well! Many congratulations on passing your assignment, that's great work, it's great to see you really helping yourself and improving yourself. I'm getting over a recent breakdown, I suppose, so I do find you going back into study particularly inspiring because I'm considering my own options right now of how to get back into life.
Thanks again for sharing x

[turquoisesea]

Thanks for this! Congratulations!

[opheliasorrow]

Thank you so much for your replies . I'm glad there is some good to come out of such bad experiences. Going into the counselling/psychotherapy is achieving two things for me, one is a greater sense of autonomy and congruence. To do the degree I'm doing you have to be in personal therapy as it is tough and very soul searching. I believe this will help me in unimaginable ways to come to terms with all the negative things that have happened in my life and put me on the right path to complete healing. Good luck with whatever you chose sweetie, I can recommend going into counselling but of course it has to be your decision. Much love, Kerry xxx

[Lisa Michelle]

Kerry I think it's great you're going into counselling/psychotherapy as a career choice - I take it you want to help others who have been through similar things? I actually think that, a lot of professionals don't quite 'get' mental illness, it's something they've read about it in books and studied in lectures and not something they have FELT. You can't really understand unless you've been there. I think you'll have a great advantage coming from where you are. I think that'll go a long way to ACTUALLY helping people, not spewing strategies at them and treating them as a patient, but really seeing them as people.

can you tell I've had crap treatment? lol, I recently left therapy because they were so closed minded, treating me as a patient, just one of thousands, instead of me as a person. I told them one of their methods was harming me, and they refused to accept it, saying that method works for everyone... couldn't get them to hear ME so I left. Very disappointed. But I am having an assessment soon and seeing if they can offer me any other help, the eating disorder therapy was a joke.

Good luck to you hun and thanks again for trying to inspire us here, I think that's so important, people need to have hope and to see that you CAN get better.
I actually have studied psychology (dropped out of my degree) and have considered going into working in mental health (considering studying social work maybe) but nothing is decided yet, I need to feel a bit better first with my anxiety.
x

[opheliasorrow]

Lisa I am so so sorry you have had a bad experience. It is a very poor show when therapists let their clients down by not letting them self govern, this is bad practice which not only lets you down but the proffession as a whole .... If you decide to look for another counsellor please make sure they are BACP or UKCP registered if you are in the UK of course, the rules are changing, very soon hopefully every single counsellor or therapist will need to be qualified to BSc or Masters standard in order to practice here in the UK. I'm not so sure about other countries. Like you say though, I still feel maybe in order to practice to the best of our abilities it is necessary to have experienced 'life' and hardships in order to really feel each individual client and respect their autonomy. I'm not saying every therapist who has had a 'normal' (for want of a better word) life will be a bad practitioner, but to have lived through trauma, depression and everything that goes with it surely must help (this is only my own opinion.) My therapist is just an angel, she really understands, not just text book understands. Thank you so much for your rely, sounds to me like you would be a great counsellor too xx I'll keep popping back. I am just coming off anti depressants now and really struggling myself but positive all the same. Take care, Kerry xxxx

[SophiaG]

This warms my heart to know that you are working through this . Go Ophelia! Go!

I have full, complete faith in you that you will make your way out of this

Congratulations, opheliasorrow.

[brephi]

Congrats and keep up the good work. Remember, you can be successful in all things that you endeavor.