Counselling Psychology and Me: Reflections on Pursuing a Doctorate

Over the years, I have worked in a number of different clinical settings under the supervision of Counselling Psychologists. Through this, I was able to cultivate a deeper appreciation and understanding of the field of counselling psychology and its application across both clinical and community settings. I was particularly drawn to the strong humanistic and phenomenological underpinning of the discipline, its philosophical orientation, and its unique distinction from other applied fields of psychology.

The grounding of the discipline in a specific set of values and ethics particularly appealed to me, as it honours and prioritises the personal, unique, subjective experience of the client. It operates from a framework of 'sense making' as opposed to simply being driven by a biomedical model, which focuses on pathology and diagnosis. Instead it promotes empowerment through collaborative non-hierarchical therapeutic relationships that recognises the client as an expert of their own lived experience.

These core values, the disciplines emphasis on the importance of the therapeutic relationship, and its humanistic value base are all factors that whet my appetite and led me to further explore counselling psychology as a discipline. However, what really struck me was the lack of diversity and representation of people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds within the discipline.

According to the British Psychological Society's (BPS) Division of Counselling Psychology Professional Practice Guidelines (2005) Counselling Psychologists should recognise social contexts and discrimination and work in ways that are empowering, rather than controlling, as well as establishing high standards of anti-discriminatory practice that are appropriate to the pluralistic nature of today's society.

However, it is widely recognised that lack of cultural diversity and difference is still prevalent within the discipline, which could be argued presents a challenge from a social justice perspective, as counselling psychology should serve the needs of a multicultural and diverse society.

There is often also an assumption that as a low proportion of people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities use mental health services that may imply that they do not require them. However, research has demonstrated that mental health services are inappropriate and inaccessible to individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds and that their usage is poor in comparison to people from Caucasian backgrounds (Lago, 2011; Bhugra and Gupta, 2011). Being from an ethnic minority background myself, I recognise that services may not always afford equity of access to individuals from these backgrounds due to a number of different factors, such as cultural and linguistic barriers.

Additionally, services are often set-up around a single issue, which may not necessarily serve the interests of individuals experiencing discrimination of varying types. Hence, I strongly believe that for the discipline to meet and address the diverse and individual needs of the population, there needs to be greater awareness and focus around intersectionality. However, for this to be achieved, the discipline needs to better represent and promote diversity and difference. My hope was that by being a part of this profession, I would be able to raise awareness around these barriers and issues, and work towards making services more inclusive and accessible to marginalised groups that are 'hard to reach' and engage.

With this in mind, I decided to embark on a doctorate in counselling psychology, which would enable me to continue expanding my knowledge base and skillset, allowing me to gain a deeper, more comprehensive awareness of the field and its application. Furthermore, I also wanted to be part of a challenging yet rewarding profession that would enable me to make a difference to people's lives. Ultimately to join and contribute to a community of academic and counselling professionals who are at the forefront of knowledge by making an original contribution through research and scholarship, where I can inspire future generations of psychologists from a wide range of backgrounds.

Fauzia Khan is an Assistant Psychologist currently working within the NHS, whilst completing her Doctorate in Counselling Psychology.

References

Bhugra, D., & Gupta, S. (2011). Migration and mental health. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press

British Psychological Society, (2005). Professional Practice Guidelines

Lago, C. (2011). The handbook of transcultural counselling and psychotherapy. Milton Keynes, United Kingdom: Open University Press