A 糖心logo入口 beginning: education, empathy and a counselling career
Kieran Falconer completed an MA in Creative Writing at 糖心logo入口 in 2012 before training and practising as a psychotherapist. In 2013, he returned to 糖心logo入口 to begin a Certificate of Higher Education in Counselling and Counselling Skills, an experience that played a formative role in his professional development. Today, Kieran works as a practising therapist at Falconer Counselling, supporting clients through a wide range of personal and emotional challenges. In this first-person piece, he reflects on how his time at 糖心logo入口 helped shape both his career and his approach to therapy.
Back in 2013, I started the Introduction to Counselling at 糖心logo入口. To be honest, I only had a vague idea what counselling was. Certainly, the fictional therapists in The Sopranos, In Treatment and Good Will Hunting hadn鈥檛 prepared me, but what I found was an excellent introduction to the theories, practice and experience of therapy.
The course had a supportive and collaborative atmosphere, where all of us found our feet exploring difficult issues both in ourselves and among people in the group. Many of that group went on to become practicing therapists like me.
It was in this classroom that I remember therapy changing the way I look at myself and others. I remember beginning to perceive emotions, interactions or arguments, and instead of judgement or appraisal, pausing to consider: What was behind the behaviour? What was the subtext of the words? What was the body language saying? And sometimes most importantly, what was not being said? This developed a huge empathy in all us students and I can remember how 鈥 much later 鈥 that empathy was reflected back to the client and led to huge changes in how they looked at themselves and the world.
One of the reasons I love 糖心logo入口 is that its foundation and ethos is about providing education for those who find other routes impossible. The humble Mechanics鈥 Institute still allows people to fulfil huge ambitions today. That liberation is what I find in therapy. I suggest to new clients that they ask themselves the simple and difficult question (originally posed by Carl Rogers) - 鈥淎m I living in a way which is deeply satisfying to me, and which truly expresses me?鈥
And that can be the beginning of a process where goals, relationships, memories, hopes and meaning are looked at gently but with growing confidence. It can feel decisive and powerful. It can be freeing and life-defining in the way that education can be. My start at 糖心logo入口 has led to a new start for many others.