student counsellor personal statement

Student Good Guide

The best UK online resource for students

Counselling Personal Statement Examples

Looking for inspiration for your counselling personal statement ? Check out our collection of counselling personal statement examples to get a better idea of what to include and how to structure your statement. 

Counselling Personal Statement

With over 10 years of experience as a counsellor, I believe I am an ideal candidate for a Master’s in Counseling. I am a mature and compassionate counsellor with solid communication skills and a proven track record of helping clients navigate challenges and find resolve.

I want to pursue a Master’s to enhance my knowledge and skills and provide an even higher level of care. The programme will allow me to expand my repertoire of methods and problem-solving skills to better serve clients. The field of counselling is constantly evolving, and continuing education helps ensure I am utilizing the latest research and techniques.

I look forward to exchanging knowledge with peers and conducting research to strengthen my practice.

Through work with adult, elderly and mental health clients, I have developed expertise in areas like risk assessment, treatment planning, and progress reviews. I have a strong foundation as a caring and supportive counsellor and aim to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. I welcome the opportunity to have my skills challenged and strengthened through practical experience in the programme.

I am an enthusiastic, diligent and motivated counsellor dedicated to helping each client achieve success. While the work can be complicated, I have the empathy, active listening skills and adaptability required to understand and convey even complex needs. I tailor my communication to meet the needs of each client and to collaborate with external partners like housing services or emergency responders.

My Muslim and ability to speak Spanish, Hindi and Punjabi allow me to provide culturally sensitive support to clients from various backgrounds. I believe an effective counsellor must commit to constant learning and development. A postgraduate degree in Counseling will provide the knowledge and competence I need to guide clients through difficult situations and choices.

I have a proven track record, relevant experience, and dedication to becoming an even stronger counsellor. I appreciate your consideration of my application and look forward to the opportunity to advance my education through your programme.

Recommended for reading:

• How to Write a Personal Statement for a Master’s
• How to Write a Personal Statement That Stands Out
• UCAS Personal Statement: A Writing Guide And Tips For Success

Counselling Personal Statement Example

I have always had the desire to understand human thoughts, feelings and behaviour. I am driven to answer not just why people act in certain ways but also how they can improve their situations and mental well-being. I aspire to become a therapist or counsellor, helping people overcome challenges and live happier lives. I believe an undergraduate degree in psychology or counselling would provide the necessary foundation, which I would then build upon through a Master’s in Counseling and Psychotherapy.

Through volunteering, I have seen both the psychological impacts of disabilities as well as the benefits of therapeutic activities. At a riding centre for disabled children, I witnessed the fear and anxiety experienced by both children and parents in their daily lives. However, I also saw the joy the children felt while doing horsemanship, an activity that allowed them to express themselves as freely as able-bodied children.

During my time shadowing a health visitor, I witnessed firsthand the emotional toll that postnatal depression and societal stigma can take on new mothers. I aim to help people overcome conditions that inhibit well-being and healthy relationships. My experience with equine therapy has helped me strengthen my skills in interpreting behaviour and finding solutions, which would serve me well as a counsellor.

I have studied sociology at the GCSE and A-level, gaining valuable skills in analyzing people and societies. However, this has inspired me to study individuals in more depth through psychology and psychotherapy . My coursework in sociology, English literature and history has also allowed me to strengthen my skills in essay writing, analysis and structuring arguments.

I believe I would excel in this program due to my ability to show both compassion and critical thinking on a subject about which I am passionate. While some may question why anyone would choose a career surrounded by distress, I see it as an opportunity to create positive change where it is needed most. Misery can only be overcome by facing it, and I appreciate the chance to do so as a counsellor.

With my relevant experience, skills and drive to become an effective therapist or counsellor. I appreciate your consideration of my application and look forward to the opportunity to advance my education in psychology and counselling through your program. 

• How To Write A Personal Statement For Psychology
• Psychology personal statement examples

Best Personal Statement Examples

• Statistics Personal Statements
• PPE Oxford Personal Statement Example
• Classics Personal Statement Examples
• Theology Personal Statement Examples
• Physics Personal Statement Examples
• Chemical Engineering personal statement examples
• Oncology Personal Statement Examples
• Psychiatry Personal Statement Examples
• Earth Sciences Personal Statement Example
• History Personal Statement Examples
• Veterinary Personal Statement Examples For University
• Civil Engineering Personal Statement Examples
• User Experience Design Personal Statement Example
• Finance Personal Statement Examples
• Neuroscience Personal Statement Examples

Clearing Universities & Courses

Clearing advice.

Recommended Clearing Universities

Popular Course Categories

Course search & discover.

Start the search for your uni. Filter from hundreds of universities based on your preferences.

Search by Type

Search by region.

Recommended Universities

Ravensbourne University London

London (Greater) · 88% Recommended

The University of Law

London (Greater) · 92% Recommended

University of Kent

South East England · 96% Recommended

Search Open Days

What's new at Uni Compare

University of Sunderland

Unlock your potential at one of the world’s best young universities (THE, 2023).

Staffordshire University

Apply to the uni ranked 2nd for quality teaching (THE, 23).

Ranking Categories

Regional rankings.

More Rankings

Top 100 Universities

Taken from 65,000+ data points from students attending university to help future generations

About our Rankings

Discover university rankings devised from data collected from current students.

Guide Categories

Advice categories, recommended articles, popular statement examples, statement advice.

What to include in a Personal Statement

Personal Statement Tips

Personal statement example psychotherapy and counselling: practices and principles personal statement.

Submitted by Chloe

Calling all curious minds! Delve into the depths of human behaviour at Swansea.

Get expert scientific training and unlock the secrets of the mind with Swansea's Psychology degrees. Explore their wide range of degrees and discover how you can tailor your studies to your interests.

Want to make a difference to society?

Explore the human mind! Unlock insights and shape the future with Kent's BPS accredited Psychology degree. Apply Now!

Psychotherapy and Counselling: Practices and Principles Personal Statement

I have always desired to understand feelings, behaviour and the human mind; always been driven toward solving the questions that start with why. However, after leading many spontaneous counselling sessions with friends, witnessing the empowering feeling it brings to simply aid someone find a way forward, instead, I also became driven toward solving the questions that start with how. I would deem it a privilege to take the time with someone to answer how they can move forward from their situation and how they can deal with whatever hand life has dealt them, as well as being able to diagnose any conditions before initiating treatment. All of these feelings have led me to aspire toward the rewarding career path of becoming a therapist or counsellor and I believe this degree would lay down the foundations I would need for this to happen. Following on from this, I would strive towards a Master’s degree in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy to get closer to my chosen career and enhance my undergraduate skills.

Upon volunteering with Scropton Riding for the Disabled Centre, I was able to witness the psychological impacts living with disabilities had, such as the extra sense of fear implemented in everything both the children and parents did. But on the other hand, I saw the psychological benefits the horsemanship brought to the children, even just for a small time, as they were able to express their enjoyment for an activity the same as an able-bodied child simply through laughter and smiling. As well as this, I have also participated in shadowing a health visitor, in this I saw new mothers suffering from postnatal depression but also struggling to understand the normality of this condition. From studying sociology I learnt society places many stigmas upon psychological conditions such as postnatal depression through a lack of understanding about it; I was able to apply this knowledge and analysis when observing how the mothers suffering deemed themselves as inadequate. All of this experience inspired me further toward working to help people overcome psychological conditions which inhibit their way of life and relationships with those around them. I have recently begun learning about “Straightness training” with my own horse; this is used to enhance an understanding of the psychology behind why horses act a certain way and help to find solutions. This has enabled me to witness an alternative approach to interpreting behaviour, but in a way in which the participant is not able to communicate or explain through speech. Because of this, I have been able to further develop skills in observing feelings and emotions, which I feel would greatly benefit me when doing so with humans in counselling practice.

I have studied sociology at both GCSE and A-level and from this, I have learnt invaluable skills in analysis of society as a whole, however, this has only motivated me more to learn about the individuals that make up this society. I feel studying about psychology or psychotherapy would allow me to do this through understanding not only different conditions but also the motives behind people’s actions. I have also developed the skill of being able to use studies made by sociologists in my essay writing. My essay writing skills and structuring have also developed through A-Level English Literature, as well as my analysis skills developed further through A-Level history.

I feel I would be most suitable for this course as I am able to display compassion and sympathy but also critical thinking toward a subject I am greatly passionate about. Many people wonder why someone would choose to work in an environment infiltrated with misery; however, I have reached the realisation that the ever-changing world we live in is indisputable and as opposed to dwelling on the unfortunate events, it is essential that focus is placed upon the recovery. Quite simply, I believe the perfect opportunity to make any positive change is only granted through being surrounded by what was once misery.

Recommended Course

Recommended Statements

Submitted by anonymous

Psychology and Philosophy Personal Statement

For centuries humanity has pondered the definitions of truth and falsehood. For many, the truth is simply ...

Psychology Personal Statement

While growing up, an individual experiences countless differing fields of psychology without even realisin...

My first experience in the field of psychology was in year 9, I was asked to complete a project of my choo...

My desire for wanting to pursue psychology in higher education not only stems from a personal perspective ...

undergraduate Universities

Undergraduate uni's.

Ravensbourne

Uni of Kent

429 courses

Uni of Roehampton

270 courses

Goldsmiths, UOL

272 courses

ARU Writtle

103 courses

West London IoT

Uni of Surrey

437 courses

Uni of Sunderland

200 courses

246 courses

Uni of East London

299 courses

Middlesex Uni

313 courses

Uni of Chester

402 courses

Cardiff Met Uni

304 courses

Northeastern Uni

Uni of Winchester

166 courses

Uni of Hertfordshire

418 courses

Uni of Suffolk

106 courses

238 courses

528 courses

Uni of Bradford

197 courses

Uni of Bedfordshire

343 courses

Uni for Creative Arts

323 courses

Coventry Uni

446 courses

Uni of Reading

393 courses

Leeds Beckett Uni

325 courses

Staffordshire Uni

276 courses

Heriot-Watt Uni

207 courses

Uni of Leicester

267 courses

415 courses

Kingston Uni

386 courses

Swansea Uni

782 courses

Anglia Ruskin Uni

463 courses

Uni of Westminster

331 courses

Leeds Arts University

Uni of Essex

802 courses

UWE, Bristol

250 courses

Wrexham Uni

168 courses

Uni of C.Lancashire

440 courses

Escape Studios

365 courses

Uni of Huddersfield

453 courses

Uni of Brighton

252 courses

Bath Spa Uni

295 courses

Edge Hill Uni

245 courses

Uni of Portsmouth

370 courses

Uni of Hull

273 courses

Nottingham Trent

531 courses

Edinburgh Napier

184 courses

Queen's Uni

410 courses

Find the latest from Uni Compare

Bath Spa University

Pick Bath Spa, awarded the Uni of the Year for Social Inclusion!

University of East London

The University of East London has been shortlisted as the Uni of the Year! (THE 2023)

Postgraduate Personal Statement Example: Counselling Psychology

Reading through several examples of personal statements before you write and submit your own version can be exceptionally valuable. 

After all, personal statement examples can teach you how to write and structure your application, and you can quickly learn how to write a personal statement by examining others.

But with so many university personal statement examples available, how do you know if you’re reading a good one?

Postgraduate personal statements should highlight relevant academic and practical experience, research skills and ambitions and their suitability for the course. This postgraduate personal statement example for Counselling Psychology clearly illustrates these three critical elements.

I’ve broken down this personal statement example section by section, with a commentary on each element. 

That way, you’ll see its strengths and weaknesses and get some inspiration for your own personal statement .

Once you’ve read the personal statement example and analysis, you’ll be able to download a pdf of the whole document, to use as inspiration for your own!

Personal Statement Example: Introduction

“As a member of “Generation Z”, I am keenly aware of the potential impact of the so-called ‘age of disruption’. Many people say that the job market is going to look significantly different by the time I graduate from university, so I consider it critical to have the ability to respond positively to any form of disruption or challenge I encounter. I intend to position myself in a way that will not only result in a prosperous career but also a career that allows me to give back to society. Consequently, I aim to devote myself to social work and philanthropy. As George Bernard Shaw said: “I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live.” The human mind can be enigmatic, unpredictable and vulnerable, but it can also be understood by other human minds intuitively, and one mind can connect with another very naturally. Therefore, I believe that people can connect as a result of spending time working together closely. I want to pursue this goal by using my communications and management abilities from the business sector in my study and practice of Counselling Psychology.”

Commentary and Analysis 

This introduction is complex, confusing and engaging all at once, which is quite an achievement!

On a positive note, the writer has certainly made this introduction personal, and you get the feeling that it genuinely reflects their voice, approach and sense of purpose. That’s an excellent strategy, and an effective way to communicate a message. Readers don’t want to see highly descriptive passages in personal statements, they want to see individuality, engagement and authenticity.

However, the issue I have with this introduction is that it doesn’t get to the point quickly enough. It is very hard to unpick the subject the candidate is applying for, the relevance of the content and the logical progression of thought in this example. It ‘sort of’ all ties up in the last sentence, but by that time, the reader is a bit lost. 

It would be much better to begin with a commitment to the postgraduate topic the writer plans to study and then explain how their worldview has positioned them to take on that study successfully.

If you’re struggling with your personal statement introduction, check out my article on how to write perfect opening paragraphs here .

Personal Statement Example: Academic Background

“After finishing high school, I entered a university which allowed me to engage with a wide variety of people from diverse cultural origins, socioeconomic statuses and ethnic backgrounds. In my first year, I frequently conversed with people seated next to me at breakfast, which was the first time I truly understood the gravity of mental health issues. Other students, despite their age, spoke openly and comfortably about their problems as if they were discussing what they had for dinner the night before. This made me think that in high school, people kept their problems to themselves and substituted phrases like “I’ve been pretty busy lately” for their reluctance to discuss their mental health. My interest in psychology and mental health was sparked by hearing about the mental health crises that individuals experience and by supporting those around me to manage the challenges of undergraduate study. Subsequently, I determined to pursue the subject from an academic perspective. 

Commentary and Analysis

Again, this personal statement is rich with individual connections but limited in details. The writer has expressed a personal engagement with the subject, and this is very common (and often essential in some respect) for a subject such as this. However, when focusing on undergraduate study, an admissions reader will expect to see evidence of specific and relevant skills gained, none of which feature here.

The effect is that the writer seems unqualified, academically lacking and to be working from a place of instinct rather than education. That might not be the case, but it is how the reader, who does not know the applicant, might interpret the personal statement.

If you’d like to learn more about how to structure your personal statement or statement of purpose , check out my awesome Personal Statement Template eBook here . It’s full of detailed examples of what to include!

Personal Statement Example: Practical Experience 1

“I moved in with my roommate, who was also a high school friend, in my third year. Having known her for five years, I was astonished to learn about her troubles when she revealed that she had been managing depression since she was 14. The first time we spoke to one another honestly and in detail, she told me about her parents’ high expectations for her, how she felt like she never fitted in anywhere, and her distrust of relationships. Presented with this information, my mind went blank, so I suggested that she talk to a counsellor. She then shared her challenging experience of seeing a counsellor. Her parents initially refused to pay the exorbitant fees because they saw it as a sign of fragility rather than a health problem. Then the counsellor took notes of her experiences and reported them to her parents. Hearing about someone’s troubles in such depth is a little like getting to know a brand-new person, but in doing so, I began to recognise that counselling and psychology might be future career options for me. I couldn’t help but think that if I were an expert in this field, I could help her with a practical strategy or, at the very least, say something to make her feel better.”

This section is representative of a trap that many applicants fall into. They are so keen to build a justification for their choice of course and to convince the reader of their suitability that it all comes from the heart and not from a factual, strategic perspective.

There are a number of problems with this section. Firstly, it does not focus on the applicant. Instead, we read a narrative about someone else entirely. As a result, we get almost no additional information about the applicant’s suitability for the course. Secondly, there is no reference to specific aspects of the undergraduate degree, research, knowledge or skills that will add value to the application. Thirdly, none of the content connects specifically to the course being applied for. Lastly, and just as importantly, the writer is verging on disclosure of sensitive information, and showing a degree of naivety about the confidential nature of therapeutic counselling. As a result, they may not be portraying themselves as a particularly suitable candidate for this course or career.

Check out lots more examples of personal statements here , and see how they can inspire your application!

Personal Statement Example: Practical Experience 2

“During the summer of my third year, I accepted an invitation from a Clinical Psychology professor to participate in his solution-focused brief therapy seminar. He hypothesised that ‘strategy talking’ and ‘future talking’ techniques that centre on an individual’s problem can help refocus their queries and shift their attention away from the problem onto potential solutions. I was playing an observer during the role-playing portion of the seminar when the client and the therapist broke into tears as they discussed how she never felt worthy of her mother’s attention. She was successfully led to open up about her feelings and then encouraged to think about ways to prevent the negative emotions by the graduate student acting as the therapist whose research centred on solution-focused brief therapy. The entire process was highly engrossing, and as I watched, I kept thinking about what I would say or do to help her and with whom I would start this dialogue.”

Commentary and Analysis: 

This is a better paragraph, as it gives tangible evidence of relevant experience and knowledge. Again, it turns into a highly descriptive passage, and the value of one or two sentences is stretched out over a significant proportion of the personal statement.

Whilst the brief academic content is relevant, there is not enough of it. By this point in the application, there should be layers of relevant skills and experience on show, with clear connections to the course the writer is applying for. None of that has been evidenced yet.

Additionally, courses that are related to any form of therapy expect to see examples of wider reading and research, clinical placements and internships, academic skills and industry/sector knowledge. The candidate writing the personal statement has provided almost none of these elements. Consequently, I would imagine that by this stage, an admissions reader would be likely to reject the application due to a lack of academic and experiential depth.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the writer hasn’t got those experiences. It just means they haven’t included them here, and haven’t made clear connections between their skills, ambitions and the course being applied for.

The one thing that all successful personal statements have in common is that they are concise, engaging and accurate in spelling, punctuation and grammar. Consequently, I always recommend Grammarly to my students and clients. 

It’s an outstanding tool for ensuring your personal statement is rich with detail whilst hitting those all-important word limits. Check out the free version of Grammarly here , or hit the banner for more information.

Personal Statement Example: Conclusion

“My experiences with mental health concerns help me to understand and define my personal and professional goals. I want to be helpful to society by providing genuinely positive value in each role I undertake. Studying Counselling Psychology is a way of surviving the age of disruption, establishing lasting connections between myself and others and helping potential clients to gain the techniques needed to achieve clarity of mental and emotional well-being. After experiencing the transfer from one culture to the other, I gained the skills and positivity to help others embrace and overcome difficulties and the emotional maturity and academic skills to undertake this advanced study course. I will endeavour to bring these qualities to this program and look forward to playing an active and positive role as a member of your respected learning community.”

The conclusion, unsurprisingly, continues in the same style. There’s no tangible connection to the course being applied for, no real sense that the writer understands or is prepared to manage the academic and practical demands of this subject, and little sense of personal suitability for the career.

On a positive note, the writer shows passion, genuine humanity, purpose and moral and ethical fortitude. They are conscious of the greater value of therapeutic practice in relation to the demands of the world around them but have not indicated their suitability in any real sense.

If the writer’s academic qualifications are of a high standard (which may be the case), then they might be asked to provide more details, but if this is not the case, it is unlikely that a vague personal statement like this would lead to an offer.

In summary: show tangible knowledge of the subject, relate specific undergraduate skills to the specific course being applied for, and evidence diverse wider reading and research that supports your application. Very little of that is in evidence here.

For more great advice, check out my article on writing an excellent final personal statement paragraph here .

Click here or on the banner below to get your free download of this complete personal statement example . 

Whether you’re looking for personal mission statement examples or an example of personal purpose statement, I hope this personal statement example has been helpful. Above all, I wish you every success in your academic career. 

If you’d like to work with me to develop your personal statement 1:1 and write a powerful mission statement, I’d be delighted to hear from you. 

Find out about my personal statement support services by clicking here or on the image below.

Research and content verified by Personal Statement Planet .

David Hallen

I've worked in the Further Education and University Admissions sector for nearly 20 years as a teacher, department head, Head of Sixth Form, UCAS Admissions Advisor, UK Centre Lead and freelance personal statement advisor, editor and writer. And now I'm here for you...

Recent Posts

Postgraduate Personal Statement Example: Environmental Policy

Studying examples of personal statements can be a valuable strategy when applying to a university or college.  That’s because personal statement examples can teach you how to write and...

Postgraduate Personal Statement Example: Technology Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Examples of personal statements can be valuable to reference when applying to a university or college course.  That’s because personal statement examples can teach you how to write and...

• Applying to Uni
• Apprenticeships
• Health & Relationships
• Money & Finance

Personal Statements

• Postgraduate
• U.S Universities

University Interviews

• Vocational Qualifications
• Accommodation
• ​​​​​​​Budgeting, Money & Finance
• ​​​​​​​Health & Relationships
• ​​​​​​​Jobs & Careers
• ​​​​​​​Socialising

Studying Abroad

• ​​​​​​​Studying & Revision
• ​​​​​​​Technology
• ​​​​​​​University & College Admissions

Guide to GCSE Results Day

Finding a job after school or college

Retaking GCSEs

In this section

Choosing GCSE Subjects

Post-GCSE Options

GCSE Work Experience

GCSE Revision Tips

Why take an Apprenticeship?

Applying for an Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships Interviews

Apprenticeship Wage

Engineering Apprenticeships

What is an Apprenticeship?

Choosing an Apprenticeship

Real Life Apprentices

Degree Apprenticeships

Higher Apprenticeships

A Level Results Day 2024

AS Levels 2024

Clearing Guide 2024

Applying to University

SQA Results Day Guide 2024

BTEC Results Day Guide

Vocational Qualifications Guide

Sixth Form or College

International Baccalaureate

Post 18 options

Finding a Job

Should I take a Gap Year?

Travel Planning

Volunteering

Gap Year Guide

Gap Year Blogs

Applying to Oxbridge

Applying to US Universities

Choosing a Degree

Choosing a University or College

Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

Guide to Freshers' Week

Student Guides

Student Cooking

Student Blogs

Top Rated Personal Statements

Personal Statement Examples

Writing Your Personal Statement

Postgraduate Personal Statements

International Student Personal Statements

Gap Year Personal Statements

Personal Statement Length Checker

Personal Statement Examples By University

Personal Statement Changes 2025

Personal Statement Template

Job Interviews

Types of Postgraduate Course

Writing a Postgraduate Personal Statement

Postgraduate Funding

Postgraduate Study

Internships

Choosing A College

Ivy League Universities

Common App Essay Examples

Universal College Application Guide

How To Write A College Admissions Essay

College Rankings

Admissions Tests

Fees & Funding

Scholarships

Budgeting For College

Online Degree

Platinum Express Editing and Review Service

Gold Editing and Review Service

Silver Express Editing and Review Service

UCAS Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

Oxbridge Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

Postgraduate Personal Statement Editing and Review Service

You are here

Psychology and counselling personal statement example.

'Nurture shapes nature' - Albert Bandura.

Does society determine who we are? Moving to a new country and experiencing such a culture shock made my future seem somewhat bleak, but it wasn't my demise.

Simply observing and comparing the practises in Nigeria to the practises in London made me think about several ethical issues with disciplining students and the factors that make students in Nigeria perform to such a high standard in private schools; whether it is genetic components or the nurturing they have received living in that environment? Or perhaps a different debate altogether; the unethical disciplinary methods might lead to final causal determinism.

Subsequently I began volunteering at Holy Cross Public Primary school in a village where practises seem to differ even more so; upon speaking with the children I realised that having the privilege to school in London, had clouded my judgement and I was essentially being Eurocentric; who is to say that discipline and teaching methods over in Nigeria are archaic?

Whilst in Nigeria, I became more enthusiastic about learning why people behave the way they do, what drives them? From that I developed a particular interest in Social Psychology.

As part of my experience in Nigeria, I took part in leadership training at Apapa Sea School Training Camp where essentials such as bathing water had to be earned through commitment and effort in gruelling tasks and then working at a rental company as a secretary gave me several transferable skills such as interpersonal and organisational skills before coming back to the UK.

Travelling to the Netherlands to conduct my own research enabled me to improve my research method skills; I made observations in forests, took samples of various plant life, used statistical tests in analysing my results, and wrote a report which I then presented to my fellow students and teachers which further strengthened my ability to engage an audience.

Similarly in my other A levels, I prepare presentations based on research I have conducted outside of college, such as how the English language is used differently by males and females and correlational analysis between self-confidence and income; this has further inspired me to read psychology at university level.

The concept of attending university excites me as I am eager to conquer all the challenges that await me both academically and socially and with the experience I have gained, pursue a career in counselling.

Being an active member of the college student council, I am involved in organising social and charity events; we conducted a 'help for Haiti' campaign where we raised more than GBP100 and collected clothes for donation.

Alongside this, as an active member of my church I have been conducting Sunday school for a year together with volunteering at a citizen advice bureau, all these positions demonstrate my ability to handle responsibility, my variety of interests and commitment.

My favourite novels belong to the Malorie Blackman Noughts and Crosses trilogy, a trilogy that centres on race and class discrimination; set in an environment similar to that of Martin Luther King's time where racism was at its peak in America. However, in these books roles are reversed and it is the black people oppressing the white people.

These remarkable books lead me to draw comparisons to the Zimbardo study; why do people act so atrociously when adapting to the role society has given them?

One can not deviate into the mind of an abusive or racist person to deduce the reasoning behind their behaviour, but I intend to continue my investigation into resolving as many enigmas that exist in everyday life all around us with my psychology and counselling degree just as the beginning.

Profile info

This personal statement was written by Niaokz for application in 2011.

Niaokz's Comments

Um.. well.. i think it's pretty unique, and it got me accepted in all 5 choices soo..

This personal statement is unrated

Related Personal Statements

Add new comment.

• Clinical Mental Health Counseling
• School Counseling
• Military and Veterans Counseling
• Social Justice Dashboard
• Tuition and Financial Aid
• Admissions FAQs
• Student Profile
• Counseling Licensure
• Mental Health Counselor Jobs
• School Counselor Jobs
• Online Student Experience
• Student Success

Get a Program Brochure

How to write your personal statement for graduate school.

Drafting a personal statement for graduate school can be a challenging prospect for even the most confident writers. Your “why” for pursuing a specific career path or for wanting to attend a specific school might be clear in your mind, but can be harder to put into words. Personal topics are often more challenging to structure and can easily go off the rails, meaning you will miss out on hitting key points that will demonstrate why you are a good fit for a particular program.

To make this process less daunting, let’s break it down into actionable steps that will help you shine.

Follow These 6 Steps to Write Your Personal Statement

As you consider your application to William & Mary’s Online Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Counseling program, follow these steps to ensure you hit the mark with your personal statement.

1. Research

Know the ins and outs of the program you are applying to, including the admissions requirements, curriculum and faculty before you start writing. The more you know about the program, the more you can highlight what stands out to you about the program and what seems relevant to your career goals. Note that the faculty members of the William & Mary School Education will be reviewing your application materials. You can get to know the specific faculty members involved with our online program by visiting the M.Ed. in Counseling faculty page .

As you research, you will want to make sure you understand what is being asked of you when it comes to the personal statement. Are there specific prompts you should be answering? Is there a page or world limit you need to be mindful of? Gather this information in the research step. We have outlined the specifics of the personal statement along with the other admission requirements in a useful guide .

It is also important to do your homework about the career you plan to pursue with this degree. What type of counselor do you want to be? Who do you want to work with? You will want to speak about why you want to pursue this career and what you hope to accomplish, and the more you know about your intended career path, the more specific you can be in your writing. Specifics will help your personal statement stand out.

Once you have gathered your external research, it’s time to look inward and reflect. This is the stage where you can put your thoughts on paper without worrying about structure. Review any prompts given and get your ideas around these on paper. Also, think about your career aspirations, past academic, professional and volunteer experience, leadership potential, collaborative skills and propensity to engage in reflective practice.

The guiding questions for your application to the M.Ed. in Counseling program are:

• What has led you to become interested in becoming a _____ (Clinical Mental Health, School, Clinical Mental Health – Military & Veterans) counselor?
• Why are you interested in pursuing your counselor education at William & Mary?
• How will your graduate degree in Counseling at William & Mary help you achieve your career goals?
• What strengths would you bring to your graduate studies at William & Mary?
• What do you think would be the greatest challenge(s) for you in your graduate studies at William & Mary? How would you address the challenge(s)?

Based on these prompts, you can see how the research step pays off, as you can address specifics in the program and in your career aspirations. You also have the opportunity to address your strengths here and in turn what you will bring to the program with those strengths.

Now that you have all of your thoughts on paper (or typed up on your computer), it is time to get organized. There are thousands of articles about how to create an outline online, but this does not have to be a big, formal process. The goal here is to get your notes from the research and reflection steps placed in a logical order that will take your reader from the introduction to the conclusion, leaving them convinced that you will be a great fit for the program.

Generally, you will want to hook your reader in the introduction. This is a great place to share a story that relates to your “why” for pursuing counseling and/or the program. Your body paragraphs will continue on what you have set up in the introduction, giving evidence of why the reviewers should admit you to the program. And then finally, you will wrap everything up in your conclusion.

Take your time with the outline to ensure you are hitting the points you want to cover within the ideal page range. For the William & Mary person statement, we are looking for two to three pages.

You may be surprised how fast this step can go if you have given ample attention to the proceeding steps. With your notes and outline in hand, sit down and tie everything together into a cohesive paper. You have already made it through your undergraduate career (or are in the home stretch to graduation). Lean on the skills you have used to write your papers up until now and trust yourself.

Generally, write your personal statement at a time and in an environment that is conducive to getting the words on to the page. Do you write better at night, or are you more of an early bird? Do you need silence when writing, or do you thrive in a busy cafe while listening to your favorite music? Set yourself up for success in the drafting process and know that getting started is often the most challenging part.

Reviewing your draft can be broken down further into two parts: 1. Reviewing for content, and 2. Reviewing for spelling and grammar.

Enlist someone you trust, whether it be a friend, family member, colleague or supervisor, to review the content itself. Do your ideas make sense and flow and in logical order? Can the reader follow your thoughts? Is the takeaway clear? The reviewer can pinpoint areas where you might have missed a key part of the prompt or did not explain yourself very well. If you are struggling with a certain section, talking through it can be a big help.

Once you have the content nailed down, it is time to proofread. You do not want to leave any careless errors on the page. If you do not consider spelling and grammar as strengths, enlist the help of someone you trust to handle this part of the review. It can be the same person who read for the content review, or someone entirely new. Fresh eyes never hurt when it comes to proofreading. When faculty and administrators read a personal statement, they want to see true excitement and a strong level of professionalism without being distracted by errors.

6. Finalize

Charles “Rip” McAdams, professor of Counselor Education at William & Mary, explained what faculty members are looking for when reviewing an applicant’s personal statement: “The goal is to determine if an applicant's decision to pursue graduate education in counseling reflects a realistic understanding of the professional counselor's role, as well as a genuine commitment to engaging in the rigorous academic and clinical preparation that will be required.”

If you feel you have demonstrated this in your statement, it is time to stop writing. You have put in the work, and after one final proof, your personal statement is ready to be sent off with the rest of your application.

Set Yourself Up for a Successful Application Process

As you prepare to apply for William & Mary’s Online Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Counseling , know that our admissions advisors are always on standby to answer your questions, clarify admissions requirements and review the list of materials we need from you. We have also compiled a number of resources to set you up for success throughout this process.

Visit the main admissions page to find the requirements. Check out our step-by-step How to Apply guide , which walks you through the process of applying through our online portal. You can also view the admissions timeline to get a better idea of how long the application process may take. Additionally, here is a blog post to help you consider what time of year you might want to start your graduate school journey.

We compiled a helpful list of admissions FAQs to assist in this process, but please reach out if you run into any questions. You can schedule a call with an admissions advisor here .

Return to Blog

William & Mary has engaged Everspring , a leading provider of education and technology services, to support select aspects of program delivery.

Making the personal statement stand out

Tips for high school counsellors on how to help students write personal statements that will help them stand out from the crowd

Katja Lamping, director of student recruitment, UCL

• More on this topic

Created in partnership with

Imagine that you have received 3,000 applications for 100 places. Now imagine that 95 per cent of them have predicted grades that match or exceed the entry requirements. This is a situation commonly faced by the UCL admissions team when selecting for the most competitive programmes (looking at you, economics).

A question counsellors often ask us is “do you still read the personal statement?” And the answer is “YES” – the personal statement remains key in deciding who to progress through the selection processes, who to invite to interview (where programmes require it) and, ultimately, in helping us identify which applicants are likely to thrive on our programmes. Here are some pointers to bear in mind when you are advising your students.

Research, research, research!

Before putting pen to paper, it is important that students have taken the time to research each programme they are applying for. There is only one personal statement and it needs to be relevant for each of those programmes. We would advise prospective students to r ead programme and module descriptions carefully first, to find out how programmes with the same title differ and to understand the qualities, skills and experience they need to refer to in their personal statements.  

Which qualities are universities looking for?

Although there are general qualities that all universities would tend to look for in prospective students, there might be slight differences in what an “ideal candidate” might look like, depending on the programme they are applying to. This could be someone who demonstrates an interest in entrepreneurship, is curious about applications of their subject to the real world, has an aptitude for creative problem-solving or holds one of many other desired qualities that our academics would hope to see in the students they engage with on their programmes. This is another aspect of researching a programme.

Such details are usually included in the online prospectus or departmental webpages, but it is always worth students attending open days (whether in-person or virtual) if they can, to establish if they would be a good fit.

Demonstrating enthusiasm and ability

“I’ve been passionate about medicine since I was five years old” – a personal statement opener that no admissions assessor wants to see (but that’s another article…). We want to understand if the student will be a good fit for their chosen programme and what they will bring to the university community.  

The best way to get this enthusiasm and motivation across is through some carefully chosen examples. What is it about the subject that particularly interests them? What have they done outside of the school curriculum to feed their interest (for example, through attending talks or taster days, wider reading, podcasts, independent research projects, competitions, exhibitions visited, relevant work experience and more)? Encourage your students to use the word count wisely – universities can see their academic history so this does not need to be outlined again in the statement. The important thing is for students to reflect and tell us about what they have learnt from these experiences and the transferable skills they have gained.

What separates a good personal statement from an excellent one?

The statement needs to be specific to the subject area, personal and unique to the applicant, and should flow in a way that is coherent – all in just 4,000 characters or roughly 500 words.

Excellent statements do not rely solely on what has been learnt in the school curriculum. Genuine interest is conveyed through real, carefully chosen examples and by reflecting on and analysing experiences and relating them back to the programme being applied to.

An insight into what sparked someone’s interest in a particular subject or theme, or what draws someone to a particular career, can also be very helpful in bringing the personal element to the statement.

Encourage your students to make an early start and to allow the statement to go through several drafts to ensure the best possible end result. It can also be useful to remind them that there is no silver bullet.

• AI Content Shield
• AI KW Research
• AI Assistant
• SEO Optimizer
• AI KW Clustering
• Customer reviews
• The NLO Revolution
• Press Center
• Help Center
• Content Resources
• Facebook Group

Effective Guide: Personal Statement for Mental Health Counseling

Table of Contents

A personal statement is a reflection of a person’s life and experiences. A personal statement for mental health counseling should be no different. It showcases your skills, values, and motivations while providing insight into your thinking process.

This document highlights why you are interested in becoming a mental health counselor. This document can also give potential employers an idea of the type of individual they could be working with. As a result, it may increase their interest in interviewing you.

This article provides an effective example of a personal statement for mental health counseling. It also offers tips to help you draft one that draws the reader’s attention.

What Is a Personal Statement for Mental Health Counseling?

A personal statement for mental health counseling is a document to set out your reasons and qualifications for wanting to become a counselor. This document can provide admission committees with insights into an applicant’s motivations, experience, and professional goals . A well-crafted statement can be instrumental in helping an individual secure admission into a graduate program in counseling.

How Do You Write a Mental Health Personal Statement?

A personal statement focuses on the purposes of your mental health counseling skills, academic and experience background, and how they relate. It also highlights your career goals that are related to mental health counseling. When writing your personal statement for mental health counseling, keep the following tips in mind:

Be As Specific As Possible

Think about what has led you to want to become a counselor. Highlight why you are interested in working with people who experience mental health challenges. Be specific!

Highlight Your Experiences

Focus on your experiences (both academic and professional) that have prepared you to work with this population. What did you learn from these experiences? How did they help shape your understanding of mental health?

Provide Real-Life Examples

Use concrete examples from your own life to illustrate how you have been affected by or interacted with people who experience mental illness. This will help convey that you understand firsthand the struggles faced by those living with a mental illness.

Keep Your Tone Polite and Non-Judgmental

Make sure your tone is respectful and compassionate throughout the entire statement. Mental health can be sensitive, so it’s essential to come across as supportive and non-judgmental.

Personal Statement Example for Mental Health Counseling

Below are two examples of a mental health counseling personal statement that you can use to write your own:

I have always been passionate and eager to learn more about mental health counseling. Having experienced depression and anxiety first-hand, I understand the importance of seeking professional help. I believe in utilizing evidence-based practices to help individuals cope with mental health challenges.

My interest in mental health counseling began while I was an undergraduate at UCLA. I took a course on abnormal psychology there, which sparked my curiosity about how people experience mental illness. In addition to pursuing my education in psychology, I have also gained extensive experience working with diverse populations within clinical settings. I worked in outpatient clinics and schools in the inner city of Los Angeles area communities where resources are scarce. This hands-on clinical training and my academic background uniquely prepare me for a career in mental health counseling.

Beyond possessing the necessary skill set, what drives me to pursue this field is the privilege it affords me to connect with others. It helps me build trusting relationships that can foster change down the road. It’s incredibly fulfilling for me to see clients make progress and reach their goals. It might be overcoming major life transitions or managing chronic conditions like depression or anxiety disorders.

After years of exploring options, it became evident that becoming certified as a counselor would allow me to provide personalized care using my skills. As I study at [university name], I hope to use the knowledge I have accumulated over the years to better understand mental health counseling. I picked this path to realize a lifelong dream of mine: being one of the top mental health counselors.

I would like to pursue a Master’s degree in Counseling at [University Name] with an emphasis on Mental Health. I firmly believe that counseling is one of the most effective ways to help people struggling with mental health issues.

My interest in this field began during my undergraduate studies. I had the opportunity to work as a research assistant for a professor who studied schizophrenia. This experience gave me valuable insight into the different aspects of mental illness and how they impact patients and their families. It was also during this time that I realized how passionate I am about helping people with these kinds of challenges.

In addition to my academic background, I have extensive experience working directly with clients suffering from various mental illnesses. For years, I worked as a case manager for an organization that provides support services to mentally ill adults living independently in the community. In this role, I was responsible for assessing each client’s needs and developing individualized care plans accordingly. In many cases, this involved providing counseling services myself.

I feel confident that my skills and experiences make me well-suited for a career in mental health counseling. But even more importantly, I am passionate about providing significant assistance to those suffering from mental illness. And I eagerly wish to pursue a Master’s degree in Mental health counseling at [University Name] to be more competent in the field.

To get your spot in a coveted counseling program or job, you need to write an effective personal statement in the application process. This article provides valuable tips and examples to help you craft a personal statement that impresses the admission committee.

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

Explore All Write Personal Statement Articles

How to draft meaningful length of law school personal statement.

Are you confused on how to write a law school personal statement? One of the essential elements of your application…

• Write Personal Statement

Effective History and International Relations Personal Statement to Try

Are you considering studying history and international relations? Or you may be curious about what a degree in this field…

Guide to Quality Global Management Personal Statement

Are you applying for a global management program and want to stand out from the crowd? A well-written personal statement…

How to Draft Better Examples of Personal Statements for Residency

Achieving a residency can be a massive accomplishment for any aspiring medical professional. To secure your spot in one of…

Tips for Drafting a Free Example of Personal History Statement

A personal history statement can be crucial to many applications, from university admissions to job search processes. This blog will…

Writing Compelling Dietetic Internship Personal Statement

Applying for a dietetic internship is a rigorous process and requires submitting a personal statement, which is an essential part…

Student Counsellor CV example

As a student counsellor, you’ll play a big role in providing care, a safe space and a way for students to discuss sensitive issues.

This is very important for their development and helping them reach their full potential. The trouble is, you can’t get passed the application stage.

Well, now it’s up to us to help you reach your full potential with our CV writing tips and student counsellor CV example below.

CV templates 

Student Counsellor CV example

This CV example demonstrates the type of info you should be including within your Student Counsellor CV, as well as how to format and layout the content in a way which looks professional and is easy for time-strapped recruiters to read.

This is the look and feel you should be aiming for, so remember to refer back to it throughout your CV writing process.

Student Counsellor CV format and structure

In today’s fast-paced job market, recruiters and employers are often short on time. If they can’t locate the information they’re searching for within a few seconds, it could result in them overlooking your application.

To avoid this happening, it’s critical to structure and format your CV in a way that allows them to quickly identify your key skills and offerings, even when they’re pressed for time.

Tips for formatting your Student Counsellor CV

• Length: Two sides of A4 makes for the perfect CV length , though one page is okay for less experienced applicants. This forces you to make sure that every single sentence adds value to your CV and ensures you avoid unnecessary  info.
• Readability : To help recruiters quickly skim through your CV, it’s important to format your section headings with bold or a different colour font and break up lengthy paragraphs into short sharp bullet points. This enables them to easily identify important information and assess your suitability.
• Design & format: When it comes to CV design, it’s best to keep things simple and sleek. While elaborate designs certainly command attention, it’s not always for the right reasons! Readability is key, so whatever you choose to do, make sure you prioritise readability above everything.
• Photos: Recruiters can’t factor in appearance, gender or race into the recruitment process, so a profile photo is not usually needed. However, creative employers do like to see them, so you can choose to include one if you think it will add value to your CV .

Quick tip: Creating a professional CV style can be difficult and time-consuming when using Microsoft Word or Google Docs. To create a winning CV quickly, try our quick-and-easy CV Builder and use one of their eye-catching professional CV templates.

CV structure

As you write your CV , work to the simple but effective structure below:

• Name and contact details – Pop them at the top of your CV, so it’s easy for recruiters to contact you.
• CV profile – Write a snappy overview of what makes you a good fit for the role; discussing your key experience, skills and accomplishments.
• Core skills section – Add a short but snappy list of your relevant skills and knowledge.
• Work experience – A list of your relevant work experience, starting with your current role.
• Education – A summary of your relevant qualifications and professional/vocational training.
• Hobbies and interests – An optional sections, which you could use to write a short description of any relevant hobbies or interests.

Now you understand the basic layout of a CV, here’s what you should include in each section of yours.

Contact Details

Tuck your contact details into the corner of your CV, so that they don’t take up too much space. Stick to the basic details, such as:

• Mobile number
• Email address – It should sound professional, such as your full name.
• Location -Just write your rough location, rather than your full address.
• LinkedIn profile or portfolio URL – If you include these, ensure they’re sleek, professional and up-to-date.

Student Counsellor CV Profile

Your CV profile (or personal statement , if you’re an entry-level applicant) provides a brief overview of your skills, abilities and suitability for a position.

It’s ideal for busy recruiters and hiring managers, who don’t want to waste time reading unsuitable applications.

Think of it as your personal sales pitch. You’ve got just a few lines to sell yourself and prove you’re a great match for the job – make it count!

How to write a good CV profile:

• Make it short and sharp: The best CV profiles are short, sharp and highly relevant to the target role. For this reason, it’s best to write 3-4 lines of high-level information, as anything over might be missed.
• Tailor it: The biggest CV mistake? A generic, mass-produced document which is sent out to tens of employers. If you want to land an interview, you need to tailor your CV profile (and your application as a whole) to the specific roles you’re applying for. So, before you start writing, remember to read over those job descriptions and make a list of the skills, knowledge and experience the employers are looking for.
• Don’t add an objective: Avoid discussing your career goals in your CV profile – if you think they’re necessary, briefly mention them in your cover letter instead.
• Avoid generic phrases: If your CV is riddled with clichès like “Dynamic thought-leader”, hit that delete button. Phrases like these are like a broken record to recruiters, who read them countless times per day. Hard facts, skills, knowledge and results are sure to yield far better results.

Example CV profile for Student Counsellor

What to include in your student counsellor cv profile.

• Experience overview: Start with a brief summary of your relevant experience so far. How many years experience do you have? What type of companies have you worked for? What industries/sectors have you worked in? What are your specialisms?
• Targeted skills: Make your most relevant Student Counsellor key skills clear in your profile. These should be tailored to the specific role you’re applying for – so make sure to check the job description first, and aim to match their requirements as closely as you can.
• Important qualifications: If the jobs you are applying to require candidates to have certain qualifications, then you must add them in your profile to ensure they are seen by hiring managers.

Quick tip: If you are finding it difficult to write an attention-grabbing CV profile, choose from hundreds of pre-written profiles across all industries, and add one to your CV with one click in our quick-and-easy CV Builder . All profiles are written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset.

Core skills section

Create a core skills section underneath your profile to spotlight your most in-demand skills and grab the attention of readers.

This section should feature 2-3 columns of bullet points that emphasise your applicable skills for your target jobs. Before constructing this section, review the job description and compile a list of any specific skills, specialisms, or knowledge required.

Important skills for your Student Counsellor CV

Counselling Techniques – Proficiency in various counselling methodologies and techniques, such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), person-centred therapy, and solution-focused therapy, to provide effective guidance to students.

Assessment and Evaluation – Conducting assessments and evaluations of students’ mental health, emotional well-being, and personal challenges to develop tailored counselling plans.

Active Listening – Actively listening and empathising with students, creating a safe and non-judgmental space for them to express their concerns and feelings.

Crisis Intervention – Handling crisis situations, including suicide prevention, self-harm, and severe emotional distress, with the knowledge of appropriate crisis intervention strategies.

Ethical Guidelines – Maintaining an awareness of ethical guidelines and standards of practice in counselling, ensuring confidentiality, informed consent, and ethical decision-making.

Mental Health Knowledge – Maintaining a deep understanding of mental health disorders, their symptoms, and treatment options to provide informed guidance and referrals to mental health professionals.

Cross-Cultural Competence – Working with students from diverse cultural backgrounds, respecting and addressing cultural sensitivities and differences in counselling.

Substance Abuse Counselling – Addressing substance abuse issues, including addiction assessment, prevention, and referral to addiction treatment programs when necessary.

Conflict Resolution – Mediating and resolving conflicts among students, helping them develop effective communication and problem-solving skills.

Documentation and Record-Keeping – Maintaining accurate and confidential records of counselling sessions, progress notes, and student information in compliance with data protection laws.

Quick tip: Our quick-and-easy CV Builder has thousands of in-demand skills for all industries and professions, that can be added to your CV in seconds – This will save you time and ensure you get noticed by recruiters.

Work experience

Now that recruiters have a good overview of your skills and abilities, you need to jump into the detail of your career history.

Give them a more thorough insight into what you can do by creating a detailed list of your relevant experience.

Start with your current role, and work backwards through all the relevant positions you’ve held. This could be freelance, contract or voluntary work too; as long as it’s related to the role you’re applying for.

Structuring each job

The structure of your work experience section can seriously affect its impact.

This is generally the biggest section of a CV, and with no thought to structure, it can look bulky and important information can get lost.

Use my 3-step structure below to allow for easy navigation, so employers can find what they are looking for:

Start with a 1-2 sentence summary of your role as a whole, detailing what the goal of your position was, who you reported to or managed, and the type of organisation you worked for.

Key responsibilities

Next up, you should write a short list of your day-to-day duties within the job.

Recruiters are most interested in your sector-specific skills and knowledge, so highlight these wherever possible.

Key achievements

Round up each role by listing 1-3 key achievements , accomplishments or results.

Wherever possible, quantify them using hard facts and figures, as this really helps to prove your value.

Sample job description for Student Counsellor CV

Work as part of the counselling team at Newcastle University, delivering comprehensive support and mental health interventions to empower students in their academic and personal journeys.

Key Responsibilities

• Skilfully tailor mindfulness-based interventions and incorporate creative arts therapies
• Lead dynamic group therapy sessions focusing on resilience-building and emotional regulation
• Employ a Solution-Focused Approach to guide students in setting and attaining academic and personal goals
• Implement CBT techniques to address anxiety and performance-related stress, enhancing student well-being

Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our quick-and-easy CV Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.

Education section

At the bottom of your CV is your full education section. You can list your formal academic qualifications, such as:

• GCSE’s

As well as any specific Student Counsellor qualifications that are essential to the jobs you are applying for. Note down the name of the qualification, the organisation at which you studied, and the date of completion.

Hobbies and interests

This section is entirely optional, so you’ll have to use your own judgement to figure out if it’s worth including.

If your hobbies and interests could make you appear more suitable for your dream job, then they are definitely worth adding.

Interests which are related to the industry, or hobbies like sports teams or volunteering, which display valuable transferable skills might be worth including.

An interview-winning CV for a Student Counsellor role, needs to be both visually pleasing and packed with targeted content.

Whilst it needs to detail your experience, accomplishments and relevant skills, it also needs to be as clear and easy to read as possible.

Remember to research the role and review the job ad before applying, so you’re able to match yourself up to the requirements.

If you follow these guidelines and keep motivated in your job search, you should land an interview in no time.

Best of luck with your next application!

Tips for Writing a Personal Statement

Keep your writing straightforward and honest..

Posted October 16, 2019

Here are some situations that require writing a personal statement:

• Applying to college
• Applying to special camps or programs
• Applying to graduate school, law school, or medical school
• Applying to an internship program
• Applying for a job
• Applying for a promotion
• … and more!

Like it or not, you’ll be writing personal statements (sometimes referred to as a "statement of purpose") pretty much throughout your adult life. I bet that some retirement communities may even require personal statements in their application process!

As a college professor for over two decades, I’ve advised and edited hundreds—even thousands—of personal statements for students. I take this work seriously, as I know how these statements have the capacity to make or break an application.

Based on this experience (see my new book Own Your Psychology Major! A Guide to Student Success ), below are some tips for making your personal statement sing, along with some classic no-nos in the process.

Tips for Making Your Personal Statement Sing

First and foremost, realize this: A large but often-unstated purpose of this statement-of-purpose assignment is to allow folks to get a sense of your writing skills. Keep this point in mind the whole while. Here are some other tips:

1. Keep it short! Students often develop this idea that the longer their paper is, the better. As my mom would say, the opposite! All things being equal, you should use as few words as possible in trying to make your point. Think about the points you are trying to make and then make those points.

Efforts to add fluff are always pretty obvious. Further, the people reading your application may have dozens or even hundreds of applications to sift through. Do them a favor by keeping it short!

2. Avoid the big-word trap. Sometimes, students feel a need to use all kinds of fancy, multi-syllabic words in their writing. Try to avoid this trap at all costs! All things being equal, I suggest this approach: Write exactly as you speak (minus slang and, of course, any profanity!).

Sure, you may use some fancy words every now and again in your speech. But speech is all about communication—trying to get someone else to understand something. Writing is no different. Big words used for the sake of using big words are not doing anyone any favors.

3. Follow the guidelines. Whatever the details of the particular application process, know that there are going to be specific guidelines. This all may pertain to word count, specific questions that you are asked to address, etc.

Here is the simplest possible suggestion I can give you: Read those guidelines and follow them 100 percent in every single way. Doing so will make sure that you make it into the pile of applications to be even considered.

4. Proofread your work. Imagine this scenario: You are applying to a job at Southeast State University. After you have submitted the application, you reread your cover letter. Check it out:

“… I am thrilled to be considered for this position at Southeast State University. …. In conclusion, let me say that I am excited about this opportunity at Fresno Institute of Technology. …”

Given that you are applying to multiple positions and/or programs, it is very likely that you are writing statements that are “tailored” for each particular position and program. That is fine and is typical. But the second that you write the name of the incorrect institution in your letter due to a lack of detailed proofreading, you might as well be throwing your application into the recycling bin. Proofread your letter carefully before sending it.

5. Have an “expert” look things over. When I was a senior in college, I recall my advisor, the formidable Dr. Gwen Gustafson of the Psychology Department at UCONN, suggesting that I bring a draft of my personal statement for her to look over before applying to Ph.D. programs. So I did.

I was surprised by how much red ink she put on my paper. But I was also grateful . And I also learned a lot. Every suggestion that she had made sense. And, at the end of the day, I took those suggestions, worked hard, and got into a great Ph.D. program in psychology that shaped the rest of my life in positive ways.

Your professors and mentors have sat on admissions and hiring committees for years. Use their wisdom to your advantage. And pay things forward when you are older and wiser.

Personal Statement No-No’s

1. Don’t overemphasize personal details. A letter that focuses on your own personal traumas and history will only go so far. Sure, it is often the case that someone has a significant personal event or history that is influential in shaping his or her interests. Myself included.

But letters that over-emphasize one’s own adversities lose a bit when it comes to getting members of a committee to see the applicant in a professional setting. Sure, you may have baggage. And it may well ultimately have come to shape you in a positive manner. But unless the guidelines of the letter are asking about that in particular, don’t make that your headline.

2. Remember that you are not texting your friend. Be professional in your statement of purpose. Don’t use emojis. Don’t use acronyms. Use your most professional and respectful writing and communication skills. You can send all kinds of silly texts to the group chat about it after you’ve been accepted...

3. Seem like you care about them. A statement of purpose, or a personal statement, is largely about you. But the last thing you want to come across as is unempathetic and disinterested in the organization and/or program that you are applying to.

If you are applying to the master’s program in mental health counseling at Western State College, learn about who they are. Care about who they are. And include something in your statement which demonstrates that you both know about them and care about who they are.

Bottom Line

Modern professional life these days includes writing personal statements/essays at various junctions. Pretty much forever. Don’t be daunted by this task. You should be proud of who you are and capable of describing yourself, your interests, and your goals in a clear, engaging, and powerful manner.

Write from your heart. Follow the guidelines. And follow the common-sense suggestions here. You’ll go far.

Geher, G. (2019). Own Your Psychology Major! A Guide to Student Success. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Glenn Geher, Ph.D. , is professor of psychology at the State University of New York at New Paltz. He is founding director of the campus’ Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) program.

• Find Counselling
• Find a Support Group
• Find Online Therapy
• United Kingdom
• Asperger's
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Eating Disorders
• Passive Aggression
• Personality
• Goal Setting
• Positive Psychology
• Stopping Smoking
• Low Sexual Desire
• Relationships
• Child Development
• Therapy Center NEW
• Diagnosis Dictionary
• Types of Therapy

Understanding what emotional intelligence looks like and the steps needed to improve it could light a path to a more emotionally adept world.

• Coronavirus Disease 2019
• Affective Forecasting
• Neuroscience

Dr. Joseph H. Hammer

Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology

Personal Statement of Purpose for Counseling Psychology PhD and PsyD Applications

All counseling psychology doctoral (PhD or PsyD) programs require applicants to submit one or more written essays about why the applicant is interested in and qualified to enter that graduate program.

Each program calls these essays by different names, including “Personal Statement”, “Statement of Interest”, “Statement of Purpose”, “Statement of Professional Goals”, “Career Goals Statement”, “Personal Essay”, and various combinations of those terms. Programs may have you write a single statement or multiple statements (e.g., Personal Statement plus a Diversity Statement).

Writing a good statement is one of the hardest parts of applying to counseling or clinical psychology graduate programs.

One of the things that makes it hard to apply is the ambiguity and mystery that surrounds statements: what should I talk about? How long should it be? Do I talk about my experiences and interests in research, applied psychology (e.g., helping others by being a supportive listener), working with diverse groups of people, or what?

To help prospective applicants to counseling psychology doctoral programs, members of the HAMMER Lab analyzed what programs told applicants they should write about in their statement.

Check out our Counseling Psychology PhD and PsyD Personal Statement of Purpose Questions google spreadsheet to see the detailed analysis. See the bottom of this page for how we went about collecting data.

Before we review the take-home points of our analysis below, a brief reminder: be sure to check out my other  Psych Grad School  resources using the menu above, such as  Graduate School Advice ,  Counseling Psychology Faculty Research Interests List ,  Best Doctoral Programs in Counseling Psychology , and  What the Ideal Graduate School Applicant Looks Like .  I also recommend completing the  Mental Health Professions Career Test , which will give you interest scores on 21 different mental health occupations, including counseling psychology and clinical psychology.

Take-Home Points

Below are the key results from our analysis, the take-home points that every applicant should keep in mind:

• Most programs provide provide a suggested or required statement page or word length in their instructions. The most common request is 2-3 single-spaced pages . On the shorter end, some programs restrict applicants to 500 words maximum.
• 90% of the counseling psychology doctoral programs we sampled (N=50) instruct applicants to talk about their professional goals and career aspirations. In other words, no matter what programs you apply to, you should discuss this in your statement. Specifically, you should talk about your professional goals and how getting the specific doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) at that specific program (given the unique strengths and opportunities afforded by that program) will facilitate these goals.
• 52% instruct applicants to talk about their background and relevant experiences but may not clearly specify the type of experiences the applicants should discuss. (Many programs do specify the type of experience to talk about; see bullet points below.) As a rule of thumb, when applying to PhD programs, you should be ready to discuss research, applied (i.e., helping, listening, counseling, clinical), and multicultural experiences. When applying to PsyD programs, you should prioritize discussing applied and multicultural experiences (you can mention research too, especially if that program specifically requests it).
• 52% instruct applicants to clearly indicate why they want a counseling psychology doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) specifically. In other words, why not a clinical psychology degree, counseling psychology master’s degree, or a master’s in social work degree instead? Some PhD programs often want to know why you are specifically interested in the PhD instead of a PsyD (and vice versa). Even when a program does not ask you to address this specifically, I recommend always discussing how that particular degree will help you work toward your career goals.
• 59% of PhD programs (13% of PsyD program) instruct applicants to talk about why they are interested in that program specifically (versus similar programs at other institutions across the country). As a faculty member at University of Kentucky’s counseling psychology PhD program, I understand that people who apply to our program are also applying to other programs. (I always advise students to apply to 7 to 10 programs across the country that fit their professional goals, since getting into a given doctoral program is hard and you need to apply to multiple programs to maximize your chances of being offered admission.) However, even if an applicants is applying elsewhere, I still want to know “why us?”. I want to know that the applicant has carefully considered the strengths and opportunities that our program has to offer and has applied because of those unique attributes. If an applicant does not mention specific aspects of our program, then I don’t know if they are truly interested in our program or are just treating us as a “safety school” or “backup plan”. Since finding the right graduate program is more about “fit” between applicant and program rather than “being the best applicant”, I want to hear how the applicant sees themselves uniquely fitting with our program. Thus, even when not asked explicitly to address this, I recommend always discussing what attracts you to that particular program.
• 41% of PhD programs (13% of PsyD programs) instruct applicants to talk about their research interests. This serves two purposes. First, because PhD programs train students to be both scientists and practitioners (and some also train people to be advocates), the doctoral admissions committee want to see that a student has thoughtful research interests (not too broad, not too specific, and sufficiently flexible given that students are still early in their professional development) and is serious about wanting to get additional research training as a doctoral student. Second, some PhD programs prefer to admit students whose research interests overlap with the research interests of one or more program faculty members. More on that in the next bullet point. I recommend always discussing your research interests when applying to PhD programs even if not explicitly asked to do so by the program’s application instructions.
• 27% of PhD programs (0% of PsyD programs) instruct applicants to talk about how their research interests fit with the research interests of specific program faculty members. These programs tend to use an “apprenticeship model of research mentorship”, meaning that doctoral students apply to work under a specific core faculty member in that program, who will work closely with them to train them in the theories and techniques used to do research on the topics of interest to that faculty member. The expectation usually is that the student will help that professor out with the professor’s program of research while the student is enrolled in the program (and that the professor will help the student start to build the student’s own line of research, which will usually be topically related to the professor’s line of research). Therefore, programs that use this apprenticeship model often value selecting an applicant for admission based, not only on that student’s fit with the wider program, but on how well that student fits with a particular professor’s research team. Our counseling psychology PhD program at the University of Kentucky uses this apprenticeship model and this is why we explicitly ask all applicants to pick one (two at the most) professors with whom they could fit research-interest-wise. However, while only 24% of programs explicitly instructed applicants to address research fit with a professor, some programs implicitly expect you to address this . This is part of the “hidden curriculum” of graduate school–sometimes people expect you to know certain things, but you won’t unless you have a mentor who clues you in to this insider knowledge (or you happened to read it on the internet or a how-to guide). The tricky part is that you won’t always know if a given program wants you to talk about research fit with a professor. When the program’s website or application instructions does not provide clear guidance, I recommend that you make a case in your statement for how your research interests fit well with the research interests of one (maybe 2) of the professors in that program. Bear in mind that some programs do not use an apprenticeship model and instead select students based on overall fit with the program rather than research fit (they will often make this clear on their website/instructions), in which case you don’t have to spend time in your statement articulating research fit.
• 24% of PhD programs (13% of PsyD programs) instruct applicants to talk about their research experiences and qualifications. Even if a given PhD program does not explicitly request this information, you should always talk about this, as it’s an implicit expectation. However, make sure you are not just restating the information you listed under the “research experiences” section of your CV.
• 16% instruct applicants to talk about their past experiences with diverse people or cultures. However, even when a program does not explicit ask for this, I do recommend that you talk about this when discussing past research/applied/professional experiences. My anecdotal experience suggests that most programs like to see evidence in your application that you have experience working and/or living alongside people who share both cultural similarities and differences from you in terms of race/ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, (dis)ability, religion, etc. However, because some people grew up in culturally homogeneous places (surrounded by people with similar cultural identities), what’s even more important than past experience with diversity is a genuine desire moving forward to (1) learn about yourself as a cultural being with multiple identities that may carry privilege and marginalization, (2) learn to work productively with colleagues and clients who are both similar and different from yourself, and (3) learn about how interlocking systems of power influence your life and the lives of others (e.g., racism, sexism).
• 16% instruct applicants to talk about their interests, beliefs, aspirations, and/or contributions to social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, etc. This is related but different from the “past experiences with diversity” aspect mentioned above. These pieces go beyond past experience and capture what you value and how you (plan to) contribute to making the world a more just place. This is increasingly at the heart of counseling psychology as a specialty. As with the prior bullet point, even though a minority of programs explicitly instruct applicants to address this in their statement, my anecdotal experience is that most programs want to see you incorporate this into how you talk about your experiences and goals related to both research and practice.
• 26% instruct applicants to talk about their past applied (i.e., helping, listening, counseling, clinical) experience. All counseling psychology doctoral programs train their graduate students to be talk therapists, which requires being a good listener, showing empathy, problem solving abilities, a willingness to tolerate ambiguity, an openness to both positive and constructive feedback, and demonstrating cultural humility and sensitivity. To determine which applicants show promise as future psychotherapists and would therefore be suitable for admission into the doctoral program, one thing we consider is your past applied experience. Faculty want to see that you have (1) some practice with basic helping skills, (2) at least one letter of recommendation from a supervisor of one of your helping experiences that states that your helping skills are good and that you show promise as a future talk therapist, and (3) a clear track record of wanting to further develop your helping skills by seeking out relevant opportunities. Talking about your past applied experience in your statement is one way we can gather evidence about #1 and #3.
• 25% of PsyD programs (6% of PhD programs) instruct applicants to talk about their theoretical orientation, their understanding of mental illness, and/or their understanding of how people heal and change. An applicant’s answer to these questions can provide hints to faculty about how sophisticated that applicant’s clinical abilities may be. These are hard questions to answer well without having taken graduate-level therapy coursework, and more sophistication will be expected of applicants who would be joining the doctoral program after having completed a talk-therapy-related master’s degree than would be expected of applicants who joined the doctoral program after having completed only a bachelor’s degree. Most programs do not ask about this topic and there is not an implicit expectation on behalf of programs that you address this in your statement.
• 16% instruct applicants to talk about their professional strengths and/or weaknesses. Most programs do not ask about this topic and there is not an implicit expectation on behalf of programs that you address this in your statement. For those programs that do, remember that you need to strike a balance between “selling yourself” appropriately in terms of strengths and not sounding arrogant when doing so. Likewise, some weaknesses are going to be socially acceptable (e.g., typical areas of growth for new graduate students like managing mild perfectionism) whereas others will cast a shadow on your application (e.g., poor interpersonal skills, cultural insensitivity, difficulty with time management, difficult with autonomous functioning), even if they are true. While you might not need to talk about strengths and weaknesses in your statement, it’s likely you’ll have to talk about this during interviews, so make sure to put some thought into this before going on interviews.
• 38% of PsyD programs (10% of PhD programs) instruct applicants to address how the program will benefit them. This question is a combined way of asking the 3 questions of “What are your professional goals?” and “Why do you want a _____ degree specifically” and “Why are you interested in our program specifically?”. Regardless of whether a program explicitly asks this or not, there is an implicit expectation that your statement always address how your completing this chosen program will bring you closer to achieving your career goals.

In regard to our data collection strategy, our team used APA’s list of accredited counseling psychology doctoral programs (both PhD and PsyD, both counseling psychology and “combined” programs, N=84 at the time of data collection in September of 2019). We navigated to each program’s “how to apply” page to look at what instructions they provided regarding what the student should talk about in their statement(s). We copied and pasted this information into in the Counseling Psychology PhD and PsyD Personal Statement of Purpose Questions google spreadsheet. You’ll notice that we de-identified what instructions come from which program, as the point of this analysis is to get an overall snapshot, rather than to learn about a specific program (you’ll want to see the program website for that info). Some programs did not provide this information on their website but required applicants to create an account in the application portal in order to access the instructions; for our purposes, we did not include these programs in the analysis. Thus, readers should bear in mind that our analysis is based on a subset of programs that is not guaranteed to be representative of all programs. Our final sample was N=50, of which n=42 were PhDs and n=8 were PsyDs. We analyzed the set of instructions to look for topical themes (e.g., career goals), which we then coded for across programs so that counts and percentages could be created. We also calculated descriptive statistics broken down by program type (PhD vs PsyD).

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Front Psychol

Counseling and Psychology Student Experiences of Personal Therapy: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis

Background: Committing to attendance at personal therapy sessions is frequently either mandated or encouraged in many different types of therapeutic trainings across allied health, psychotherapy, social work and counseling. The small number of published accounts have indicated that student experiences of personal therapy can be mixed.

Methods: The project examined contemporary interview based research about student experience of personal therapy during training using Critical Interpretive Synthesis method. Ten papers were found which met the search criteria. The papers included a total of 89 participants (75 F).

Results: The results comprised 12 themes derived from 89 meaning units gleaned from student experiences presented in the research studies. These were used to inform a synthesizing statement here truncated as follows:

Beginning therapy is challenging for some students, especially when attendance is mandatory. However, students can experience transformative change by the end of the process, even if they commence the work in a guarded way .

Multiple problems can arise in the process of attending therapy as a student, and it can be difficult for a student to know what to do if these challenges are overwhelming .

Attending personal therapy brings rich learnings which can be applied in clinical work but can also positively impact learning in the course, and lifelong personal development. The process can enhance the student's understanding of what the client may experience in the therapeutic journey .

Conclusions: Attending personal therapy during training is not a straightforward process for all students. Course leaders and trainers need to be mindful of the possibility that students will struggle with the personal therapy requirement. Course and professional bodies should regularly review personal therapy requirements, being clear about the aims; remaining attuned to the student experience.

Introduction

The requirement to undergo personal therapy during psychotherapy based training is the focus of multiple research and review papers (for example, Chaturvedi, 2013 ; Malikiosi-Loizos, 2013 ; Edwards, 2017 ; Moertl et al., 2017 ; So, 2017 ; McMahon, 2018 ; Bennett-Levy and Finlay-Jones, 2018 ). Committing to attendance at personal therapy sessions is an expectation of students in many counseling, allied health, and psychotherapy trainings throughout the world. For example, although the British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy (BACP) dispensed with the mandatory requirement for personal therapy during training in 2005 (Malikiosi-Loizos, 2013 ), a review in 2013 showed that 50% of courses still required personal therapy attendance (Chaturvedi, 2013 ). Similarly the British Psychological Society Division of Counseling Psychology removed specification of required hours in 2015; leaving the mandated participation in personal therapy requirement but no longer referring to a minimum number of hours (Kumari, 2017 ).

The course or professional association requirement to attend personal therapy sessions ranges from mandatory attendance (Kumari, 2011 ; Ivey and Waldeck, 2014 ) to attendance that is optional but encouraged (Digiuni et al., 2013 ). In a presentation of the historic requirement for trainee engagement with personal therapy, Jacobs ( 2011 ) advised that in the early development of the practice of psychoanalysis, “…training analysis had one particular aim, that the trainee should acquire a working knowledge of their unconscious, so that there would be no blind spots when it came to them analyzing their own patient” (p. 428).

There is a strong expectation revealed in multiple theoretical and research papers that attending personal therapy sessions will enhance student learning and, in turn, develop the capacities of the professional body (Von Haenisch, 2011 ; Edwards, 2017 ). Personal psychotherapy during training is consistently presented as one way for students to learn about use of the self within therapeutic processes, with a view to positively impacting future therapeutic practice (Kumari, 2011 ; Von Haenisch, 2011 ). Trainees are expected to use personal therapy to develop insight about their capacities and limitations, learning to better manage their experiences in interaction with the client. This is achieved through enhancing students' capacity in being able to use a reflective stance (Rizq and Target, 2008a ), or the engagement of reflective function (Ensink et al., 2013 ).

A range of papers have reflected on problematic aspects of requiring students to attend personal therapy; including that decisions about self-experience requirements in training courses are self-referential, rooted in tradition rather than evidence, and unable to be challenged (Chaturvedi, 2013 ). The rationale for inclusion of self-development during training is strongly held but weakly conceptualized (Edwards, 2017 ). Often the student-as-customer environment of the university is not supportive of a self-experience requirement (Edwards, 2013 ).

Practicing professionals recalling their personal therapy during training, or reflecting on its value as a complement to their current practice, have indicated that the outcomes are not straightforward, and not all found the experience positive. For example, a survey of 95 senior psychiatric trainees across Australia and New Zealand in 2003 found only 22% of respondents considered personal therapy essential (Foulkes, 2003 ). A survey of 48 psychiatric trainees in London found that one third of respondents had attended personal psychotherapy and reported it as beneficial, and the majority of the remainder indicated they would consider attending psychotherapy in future (Sathanandan and Bull, 2013 ). Of 25 psychotherapy registrars in the UK who responded to a survey, 15 reported negative effects from their therapy (Macaskill and Macaskill, 1992 ). These negative effects included psychological distress (29%) and marital or family stress (13%).

The ethics of requiring all students to undertake personal therapy while training as a therapist has received attention. A survey of 170 clinical, and 88 counseling psychologists in Ireland found that more counseling psychologists emphasized the dangers of psychologists working with clients without having undergone a personal therapy experience, and more clinical psychologists questioned the ethics around mandated personal therapy during training (McMahon, 2018 ).

The principles that underpin student development through personal therapy can be difficult to examine. It is not known to what extent personal therapy enhances trainees' skills, and if these skills are enhanced, how they result in improved outcomes for clients (Bennett-Levy and Finlay-Jones, 2018 ). There is a challenge to the mandatory nature of the requirement during therapy training, given that the client's motivation for change is key to the outcomes (Malikiosi-Loizos, 2013 ).

Multiple studies have sought to understand what trainee therapists experience during personal therapy (e.g., Von Haenisch, 2011 ; Wilson et al., 2015 ). However, the total number of recent studies available is small, and usually engage survey designs or qualitative method interview-based approaches. Results indicate that for many students the experience of attending personal therapy as part of their training is positive. However, some mixed outcomes have also been reported (Moller et al., 2009 ; Rizq and Target, 2010 ; Kumari, 2017 ).

A Canadian study of 400 psychiatry residents indicated that the personal development opportunity provided through personal psychotherapy positively impacted the confidence of trainees in applying professional skills in practice with their patients (Hadjipavlou et al., 2016 ). Von Haenisch ( 2011 ) reflected that her participants' retrospective accounts of their experience of mandatory psychotherapy during training were similar to those of Rothery ( 1992 ) almost two decades prior; that is, with hindsight the participants were convinced of the benefits of attending individual psychotherapy during training even though at the time of their studies many admitted they had been somewhat unwilling to engage and use the opportunity (Von Haenisch, 2011 ).

This brief introduction and overview of the literature indicates some gaps in what we know about the experiences of students in courses which require or encourage personal development through therapy attendance. Prior work has identified that many training programmes have retained the long-standing personal therapy requirement without a strong rationale or evidence of effective outcomes (Edwards, 2017 ). Deepening an understanding of students' experience of this requirement is warranted.

Aim of the research

This study aimed to examine and synthesize documented experiences of students who have attended personal therapy during training. The guiding question for the research was: what did trainee therapists experience when they attended personal therapy?

Following on from the development of meta-analytic review procedures to gain superordinate findings from RCTs and other controlled studies, meta-synthesis has gradually emerged as a way to fuse outcomes from multiple qualitative method studies into a higher-order research statement (Edwards and Kaimal, 2016 ). There are increasing choices of methods available to conduct a meta-synthesis (Thomas and Harden, 2008 ). Critical interpretative synthesis (CIS) (Dixon-Woods et al., 2006 ) was chosen to conduct the meta-synthesis reported here. The methodology held the attraction of providing a way to engage the complexity of the topic, and to include criticality as a key driver of the findings.

Critical Interpretive Synthesis (CIS) method was first developed during a literature based study aimed at providing better understanding of the convolution of issues surrounding healthcare access (Dixon-Woods et al., 2006 ). CIS is a frequently used method of review in healthcare topics, especially reviews in which qualitative method studies are synthesized (Edwards and Kaimal, 2016 ). Critical is included as a descriptor in the method to signal the expectation that researchers will apply deep reflective strategies during the process of the research to ensure that normative assumptions are challenged (Dixon-Woods et al., 2006 ). Applying CIS method can achieve multiple goals, with the intent to translate existing findings into a new theoretical form (Dixon-Woods et al., 2006 ). In the review process the researcher examines and interrogates the underlying assumptions represented in the review materials, as well as their own beliefs and values (Dixon-Woods et al., 2006 ).

Selection criteria

Papers were included which met the following criteria:

• Published in a refereed journal
• Published in English
• Included qualitative method interview based research with current or former students relevant to relational therapy training programmes such as social work, creative arts therapies, counseling, psychiatry, and clinical psychology.

Only studies which explored experiences of personal therapy located during the time of being a student, whether retrospective interviews with practitioners or research conducted with students during training, were included. Research papers which explored other dimensions such as the impact or effect of personal therapy on quality of practice or other outcomes were not included (e.g., Rake and Paley, 2009 ). Papers which examined experiences of accessing personal therapy by current professionals were not included (e.g., Orlinsky et al., 2011 ), except where reflections on experiences as a student were the primary focus. A promising interview based study on motivations for deciding to become a psychotherapist was located (Barnett, 2007 ). However, although a short discussion on personal therapy appeared in the literature review, the analysis and results did not adequately explore trainee experiences of personal therapy.

It is recognized that personal development can be offered or required in multiple ways during therapy or counseling training. This synthesis focused only on interview-based studies evaluating students' experience of personal therapy. Examples of other types of personal development offerings during training that have been studied, and include; personal development groups (for example Payne, 2010 ), experiential groups (e.g., Viljoen and Gildenhuys, 2016 ), encounter groups (e.g., Brison et al., 2015 ) and interpersonal therapy training group s (e.g., Rees and Maclaine, 2016 ). There is no evidence that any one type of therapeutic offering can optimize personal development opportunities for trainee therapists.

Search criteria

The search commenced in January 2017 using EBSCO host. The search terms included: trainee “personal therapy,” therapy trainee; student “personal therapy”; mandatory “personal therapy”; personal therapy for counselors. A small number of relevant papers were found this way. Using google scholar to access citations of the papers yielded further papers, as did searching the reference list of each paper for further relevant work.

In undertaking a first look at the literature there was no time period indicated. As the number of papers grew beyond what might be usefully managed in the analysis it was decided to limit the time period to the years 2007–2017. However, on close reading of the papers although there were some 20 examples found, many of these did not meet the criteria for inclusion.

Although relevant studies using survey based findings were available (Daw and Joseph, 2007 ; for example, Bike et al., 2009 ; Digiuni et al., 2013 ; Byrne and Shufelt, 2014 ), only studies which presented findings from in-depth interview data were included. This was intended to ensure that the findings were grounded in personal narratives of students' experiences; with attention to in-depth exploration of students' personal accounts of engaging in therapy during training.

There is no minimum requirement for numbers of papers in a CIS. The goal in seeking papers for the synthesis is to engage adequate papers which can provide what is termed by the founders of CIS a sampling frame (Dixon-Woods et al., 2006 ). As an example, in a CIS study of application of concepts of continuity of care nine papers were included (Heaton et al., 2012 ). Ten papers were included in a CIS analysis of university students with mental health problems (Markoulakis and Kirsh, 2013 ).

Papers included in the CIS study

Following close reading of the 20 papers resulting from the search process 10 papers were found to meet the criteria for inclusion (see Table ​ Table1). 1 ). Two of these papers are presented in the table together (Rizq and Target, 2008a , b ) as the two reports use the same student sample. The total number of participants across the papers is 89 (75 F; 14 M). Most of the studies were conducted with trainees or graduates in the United Kingdom ( N = 7), with the remaining studies conducted with trainees or graduates in Austria, South Africa, and the United States of America.

Trainee experiences: summary of papers included in the analysis.

All of the statements in the papers reporting student self-experience during personal therapy were copied out in full (see the final column in Table ​ Table1). 1 ). These were then broken down further into 89 meaning units revealing multiple dimensions of experiences of students engaging in personal psychotherapy during training. In order to reflect more closely what students experienced during attendance at therapy, examining the meaning units to reveal experiential processes, not just outcomes, was undertaken. For example, the meaning unit “Personal therapy helped me understand endings” was further interrogated through re-reading the research report in the analysis phase. The statement was then re-written to more specifically reflect the student experience as follows: “During sessions I found it hard to think about or work with endings. The therapist supported me to understand how my past experiences contributed to this” (see final column Table ​ Table2). 2 ). The process of analysis was inductive whereby the materials for the analysis were drawn from the data rather than conceived a priori . The analysis involved moving back and forth between the synthesizing statements, reports of student statements presented in Table ​ Table1, 1 , and the original papers. The process required comparing concepts between papers, and describing in detail student experiences of personal therapy represented in the papers.

Themes and the meaning units which informed them.

In the first stage of the analysis meaning units were generated through extracting the key statements about student experiences of personal therapy from each of the papers (see Table ​ Table1). 1 ). These meaning units were then gradually corralled into groups by reflecting on statements which appeared similar. The steps taken were to; (1) Read the statements over and over, (2) Find and explore similarities between the statements, and (3) Group similar statements together. The groupings were constantly refined by returning to the original paper, and by comparing the statements in each of these groupings or categories. Once there were multiple statements grouped together the group was tentatively titled with reference to the predominant theme emerging from the statements. Each title was then further refined as more items were added (see column 1 in Table ​ Table2). 2 ). Each title reflected a theme that responded to the guiding question for the synthesis: what did trainee therapists experience when they attended personal therapy?

The following 12 themes were identified through the process of analysis. In the first instance they were group according to positive and negative experiences:

Positive experiences

• The support of the therapist was valued and transformative
• Personal therapy made it possible to be better informed about client role, and what the client experiences
• It was hard work but also valuable to work at a deep level
• Personal therapy was helpful in managing university and clinical work
• Experiences at the beginning and ending of therapy were different
• The need for self-knowledge of the therapist was heightened
• Learnings from observing the things the therapist did that were ineffective
• Enhanced learnings about the therapeutic role and techniques from the experience of the client; beyond the textbook

Negative experiences

• The start of therapy was explosive or guarded
• Personal therapy negatively impacted university, clinical work and other responsibilities
• Attending personal therapy was problematic and the course didn't help
• Encounters between the therapist and the trainee experienced as difficult cannot easily be addressed

Critical reflection fundamental to the CIS process was then undertaken by a. Further reflection on the 12 statements generated through the synthesis, b. Writing out responses to the statements, and c. Seeking further literature relevant to personal psychotherapy during training. For example, I initially wrote responses to the statements about personal therapy during training which were the most confronting for me. I felt especially strongly about student experiences of inadequate therapy, or of therapist behavior that was problematic, so this was the first topic addressed in the reflective writing tasks. I also felt sympathy for students who had difficulties in therapy and did not know what to do. I wondered if I had been adequately sympathetic on the very rare occasions when students came to me as a training director to discuss concerns about the personal therapy requirement. When reflecting on the behavior of therapists who engaged in actions the students found difficult, such as being too controlling, giving a shoulder massage, or starting the session with prayer, I explored feeling of being annoyed and astounded. I worried that students in programmes I had led might have experienced these types of interactions and not felt able to come to me or another team member with their concerns. As a response I sought out literature discussing therapists boundaries and role (e.g., Parry and Simpson, 2016 ), and found other related literature about student participation in personal therapy; some of which was then included in the literature review above (Malikiosi-Loizos, 2013 ; for example, Kumari, 2017 ). I reflected on enjoying some of the images of therapy, especially the diving analogy in the paper by So ( 2017 ), and wrote creative responses to these pleasurable descriptions.

The process described above resulted in a final synthesizing argument presented below, and elaborated in the following discussion section.

Beginning therapy is challenging for some students, especially when attendance is mandatory. However, students can experience transformative change by the end of the process, even if they commence the work in a guarded way.

Multiple problems can arise in the process of attending therapy as a student, and it can be difficult for a student to know what to do if these challenges are overwhelming. When negative impacts are experienced it is not always clear that the university staff are available to help. Some students can feel unable to provide competent clinical work because of the emotional intensity of their personal therapeutic work which they need time and space to process.

Attending personal therapy brings rich learnings which can be applied in clinical work but can also positively impact learning in the course, and lifelong personal development. Some of the processes experienced in personal therapy are completely new, and others seem familiar from course learnings; bringing textbook materials to life. The process can enhance the student's understanding of what the client may experience in the therapeutic journey.

The positive experiences reported in the CIS align with Kumari's ( 2017 ) description of positive outcomes from attending personal therapy during training. Personal therapy (1) Enhances students' understanding about their profession through personal experience/learning, (2) Allows students to explore any previously repressed issues, (3) Permits first-hand experience of clinical techniques, (4) Supports greater awareness of what it feels like to be the client leading to greater empathy with their client's challenges, (5) Improves comprehension of interpersonal dynamics which can then increase students' understanding of the aims of therapy, reducing the likelihood of transference reactions, and 6. Improves the trainee's emotional and intellectual functioning (Kumari, 2017 ).

In Kumari's earlier study ( 2011 ) she found that students experienced stress when attending personal therapy, some of which was caused by not at first realizing the personal therapy was mandatory, and then struggling to meet the financial expectation. Trainees also indicated that personal therapy was disruptive to their clinical work because it preoccupied them with their own issues (Kumari, 2011 ). Trainees could not give their clients full attention, and reported a negative effect on their personal functioning (Kumari, 2011 ). Some of the negative experiences reported in the CIS undertaken here also covered these aspects. However, there were additional negative issues reported in the further papers synthesized for the CIS, including that if interpersonal challenges arose between the trainee and therapist they could be difficult to address (Rizq and Target, 2010 ).

This CIS review reported that there is a lack of clarity about expectations as to the purpose and value of personal therapy by students, courses, and by professional bodies. There is a tacit understanding that personal therapy attended for training purposes and, by comparison, personal therapy sought out because of personal distress are not one and the same (Jacobs, 2011 ). However, the problematic belief that personal therapy for trainees would probably provide the same process and outcomes is evident (Rizq, 2011 ; Malikiosi-Loizos, 2013 ).

Student interview feedback about the experience indicated that the course and professional associations could do more to review and research the phenomenon of personal therapy during training. The personal therapy requirement needs a clear aim, and the work undertaken by students needs to meet these aims. Additionally, information given to candidates seems to be either given or heard as you have no choice you have to do this rather than a more enlightened communication process by which students are encouraged to ask questions and seek further information.

There is a concern about the lack of interest in the negative aspects of attending therapy during training (Malikiosi-Loizos, 2013 ; Kumari, 2017 ). In the absence of a critical, balanced viewpoint, unconscious bias may be present that continually reinforces the need for personal development of trainees to be achieved through personal therapy attendance (Kumari, 2017 ).

As an educator it was concerning to read that some students who were not happy with their therapist seemed to have no strategies about how to seek information as to whether the therapy they were attending was provided competently and had the potential to be helpful. It was also concerning that despite decades of research in teaching and practice the author had never previously heard of prayer used during counseling or psychotherapy sessions (Rizq and Target, 2010 ). In searching for further information it was found that there is an established literature about the ethics of pastoral counseling (Zust et al., 2017 ), and also advice in using prayer in this work (e.g., Weld and Eriksen, 2007 ). However, even if it was common for the practitioner or (perhaps) the Christian-based service to use prayer in sessions, the fact that the student did not like it raises questions as to why it was not possible to negotiate with the therapist, or change over to a service that was not faith-based.

Student learning gained through reflecting on ineffective strategies of the therapist does not seem an optimal use of therapeutic space, and time. Some examples were; the therapist providing a shoulder massage (Rizq and Target, 2008a ), and disclosing extensive personal information (Kumari, 2011 ; Ciclitira et al., 2012 ). Therapist behavior described by the student which went beyond the scope of practice, or violated widely held norms about professional conduct, seemed to have occurred without consequence in the trainee's accounts. At the same time it is useful to reflect on a review of 10 years of complaints brought against BACP accredited practitioners which found that 18% of complainants were trainees (Khele et al., 2008 ).

Although there were many positive opportunities and rich learnings gained through personal therapy there were also some reported challenges. Addressing these is not easy or straightforward. However, therapy professions must take at least some responsibility for the negative as well as positive dimensions of what is offered during training with reference to the student experience.

Limitations of the study

The process of CIS is not intended to achieve consensus across the research outcomes included from the various studies, but rather present a synthesizing statement that accounts for all of the findings. The trustworthiness of the outcomes is reliant on the procedures used to undertake the analysis and present the findings. Therefore, although informative and helpful for associations and training courses in developing their requirements, the direct applicability is moderate.

Each of the included studies involved a cohort of respondents with higher female numbers than male. Two studies included only female participants (Ciclitira et al., 2012 ; Wilson et al., 2015 ). Of the 89 interviewees across the studies, 18% were male reflecting statistics reported about the gender balance in some fields of psychotherapy (for example, Robinson et al., 2017 ). This gender ratio also reflects the male-female make up of respondents in surveys of therapy trainees (for example, Owen et al., 2016 ). However, there is no way to find out the gender balance in therapy training courses for the review period. Therefore, the absence of gender balance in the respondents reported for the studies could be considered a limitation.

Conclusion and author recommendations

The findings of this synthesis clearly indicate that attending personal therapy brings rich learnings that can be applied to clinical work in training and future professional practice. This growth opportunity can positively impact engagement in the training course, along with making a positive contribution to lifelong personal development. The process of attending personal therapy can enhance the student's understanding of the client's experience.

The synthesis also revealed that attending personal therapy during training is not a straightforward process for all students. Some students may need other options than attending one-to-one personal therapy to be available to meet course and professional association requirements. Course and professional bodies need to regularly review the evidence of value for the client of the trainee attending personal therapy. Staying attuned to the student experience is key. Students need a clear pathway to follow if they have concerns about the behavior of the therapist, or reject the requirement to continue with further therapy.

It is recommended, from the perspective of the author that courses must do more to engage with students in advance about the need for personal therapy. Course teams should provide information about the options available if therapy is perceived as difficult, persecuting, or negatively impacting on everyday life; what McMahon ( 2018 ) described as providing “consideration and protection” (p. 424) if therapy is not helpful. This information must be provided in written form, but also in face to face discussions about the experience, including potential value and benefits along with advice on how to handle difficulties. Providing a third party independent of the course with whom to discuss any issues arising about the value of therapy may support better outcomes for students who have difficulties.

There is ongoing need for further study about the benefits intended to be achieved by personal therapy, and the options available if personal therapy attendance is experienced by the student as not helpful. The effects of attending personal therapy on future competence requires information based in solid, well-conceived studies that deliver plain evidence.

Author contributions

The author confirms being the sole contributor of this work and approved it for publication.

Conflict of interest statement

The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

• Barnett M. (2007). What brings you here? An exploration of the unconscious motivations of those who choose to train and work as psychotherapists and counsellors . Psychodyn. Prac. 13 , 257–274. 10.1080/14753630701455796 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Bennett-Levy J., Finlay-Jones A. (2018). The role of personal practice in therapist skill development: a model to guide therapists, educators, supervisors and researchers . Cogn. Behav. Ther. 47 , 185–205. 10.1080/16506073.2018.1434678 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Bike D. H., Norcross J. C., Schatz D. M. (2009). Processes and outcomes of psychotherapists' personal therapy: replication and extension 20 years later . Psychotherapy 46 , 19–31. 10.1037/a0015139 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Brison C., Zech E., Jaeken M., Priels J. M., Verhofstadt L., Van Broeck N., et al. (2015). Encounter groups: do they foster psychology students' psychological development and therapeutic attitudes? . Person Centered Exp. Psychother. 14 , 83–99. 10.1080/14779757.2014.991937 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Byrne J. S., Shufelt B. (2014). Factors for personal counseling among counseling trainees . Couns. Educ. Supervis. 53 , 178–189. 10.1002/j.1556-6978.2014.00056.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Chaturvedi S. (2013). Mandatory personal therapy: does the evidence justify the practice? In debate . Br. J. Guid. Couns. 41 , 454–460. 10.1080/03069885.2012.744448 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ciclitira K., Starr F., Marzano L., Brunswick N., Costa A. (2012). Women counsellors' experiences of personal therapy: a thematic analysis . Couns. Psychother. Res. 12 , 136–145. 10.1080/14733145.2011.645050 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Daw B., Joseph S. (2007). Qualified therapists' experience of personal therapy . Couns. Psychother. Res. 7 , 227–232. 10.1080/14733140701709064 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Digiuni M., Jones F. W., Camic P. M. (2013). Perceived social stigma and attitudes towards seeking therapy in training: a cross-national study . Psychotherapy 50 , 213–223. 10.1037/a0028784 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Dixon-Woods M., Cavers D., Agarwal S., Annandale E., Arthur A., Harvey J., et al.. (2006). Conducting a critical interpretive synthesis of the literature on access to healthcare by vulnerable groups . BMC Med. Res. Methodol. 6 :35. 10.1186/1471-2288-6-35 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Edwards J. (2013). Examining the role and functions of self-development in healthcare therapy trainings: a review of the literature with a modest proposal for the use of learning agreements . Eur. J. Psychother. Couns. 15 , 214–232. 10.1080/13642537.2013.811278 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Edwards J. (2017). The extant rationale for mandated therapy during psychotherapy and counselling training: a critical interpretive synthesis . Br. J. Guid. Couns. . [Epub ahead of print]. 10.1080/03069885.2017.1334110 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Edwards J., Kaimal G. (2016). Using meta-synthesis to support application of qualitative methods findings in practice: a discussion of meta-ethnography, narrative synthesis, and critical interpretive synthesis . Arts Psychother. 51 , 30–35. 10.1016/j.aip.2016.07.003 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ensink K., Maheux J., Normandin L., Sabourin S., Diguer L., Berthelot N., et al.. (2013). The impact of mentalization training on the reflective function of novice therapists: a randomized controlled trial . Psychother. Res. 23 , 526–538. 10.1080/10503307.2013.800950 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Foulkes P. (2003). Trainee perceptions of teaching of different psychotherapies . Aust. Psychiatry 11 , 209–214. 10.1046/j.1039-8562.2003.00551.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Hadjipavlou G., Halli P., Hernandez C. A., Ogrodniczuk J. S. (2016). Personal therapy in psychiatry residency training: a national survey of Canadian psychiatry residents . Acad. Psychiatry 40 , 30–37. 10.1007/s40596-015-0407-9 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Heaton J., Corden A., Parker G. (2012). Continuity of Care: a critical interpretive synthesis of how the concept was elaborated by a national research programme . Int. J. Integr. Care 12 :e12. 10.5334/ijic.794 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Ivey G., Waldeck C. (2014). Trainee clinical psychologists' experience of mandatory personal psychotherapy in the context of professional training . Asia Pac. J. Couns. Psychother. 5 , 87–98. 10.1080/21507686.2013.833525 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Jacobs M. (2011). The aims of personal therapy in training . Psychodyn. Prac. 17 , 427–439. 10.1080/14753634.2011.613258 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Khele S., Symons C., Wheeler S. (2008). An analysis of complaints to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, 1996–2006 . Couns. Psychother. Res. 8 , 124–132. 10.1080/14733140802051408 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Kumari N. (2011). Personal therapy as a mandatory requirement for counselling psychologists in training: a qualitative study of the impact of therapy on trainees' personal and professional development . Couns. Psychol. Q. 24 , 211–232. 10.1080/09515070903335000 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Kumari N. (2017). Personal therapy for therapists: reflections on past and current research from an autoethnographic perspective . Eur. J. Couns. Psychol. 6 , 83–95. [ Google Scholar ]
• Macaskill N., Macaskill A. (1992). Psychotherapists-in-training evaluate their personal therapy: results of a UK Survey . Br. J. Psychother. 9 , 133–138. 10.1111/j.1752-0118.1992.tb01211.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Malikiosi-Loizos M. (2013). Personal therapy for future therapists: reflections on a still debated issue . Eur.J. Couns. Psychol. 2 , 33–50. 10.5964/ejcop.v2i1.4 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Markoulakis R., Kirsh B. (2013). Difficulties for university students with mental health problems: a critical interpretive synthesis . Rev. High. Educ. 37 , 77–100. 10.1353/rhe.2013.0073 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• McMahon A. (2018). Irish clinical and counselling psychologists' experiences and views of mandatory personal therapy during training: a polarisation of ethical concerns . Clin. Psychol. Psychother. 25 , 415–426. 10.1002/cpp.2176 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Moertl K., Giri H., Angus L., Constantino M. J. (2017). Corrective experiences of psychotherapists in training . J. Clin. Psychol. 73 , 182–191. 10.1002/jclp.22431 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Moller N. P., Timms J., Alilovic K. (2009). Risky business or safety net? Trainee perceptions of personal therapy: a qualitative thematic analysis . Eur. J. Psychother. Couns. 11 , 369–384. 10.1080/13642530903444803 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Orlinsky D. E., Schofield M. J., Schroder T., Kazantzis N. (2011). Utilization of personal therapy by psychotherapists: a practice-friendly review and a new study . J. Clin. Psychol. 67 , 828–842. 10.1002/jclp.20821 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Owen J., Wampold B. E., Kopta M., Rousmaniere T., Miller S. D. (2016). As good as it gets? Therapy outcomes of trainees over time . J. Couns. Psychol. 63 , 12–19. 10.1037/cou0000112 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Parry S., Simpson J. (2016). How do adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse experience formally delivered talking therapy? A systematic review . J. Child Sex. Abus. 25 , 793–812. 10.1080/10538712.2016.1208704 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Payne H. (2010). Personal development groups in post graduate dance movement psychotherapy training: a study examining their contribution to practice . Arts Psychother. 37 , 202–210. 10.1016/j.aip.2010.04.002 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rake C., Paley G. (2009). Personal therapy for psychotherapists: the impact on therapeutic practice. A qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis . Psychodyn. Prac. 15 , 275–294. 10.1080/14753630903024481 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rees C. S., Maclaine E. (2016). Concentric circles therapy training: clinical psychology trainee's reflections on participation in a revised interpersonal therapy training group . Aust. Psychol. 51 , 231–237. 10.1111/ap.12167 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rizq R. (2011). Personal therapy in psychotherapeutic training: current research and future directions . J Contemp Psychother , 41 , 175–185 10.1007/s10879-010-9168-7 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rizq R., Target M. (2008a). “Not a little Mickey Mouse thing”: how experienced counselling psychologists describe the significance of personal therapy in clinical practice and training. Some results from an interpretative phenomenological analysis . Couns. Psychol. Q. 21 , 29–48. 10.1080/09515070801936578 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rizq R., Target M. (2008b). ‘The power of being seen': an interpretative phenomenological analysis of how experienced counselling psychologists describe the meaning and significance of personal therapy in clinical practice . Br. J. Guid. Counc. 36 , 131–153. 10.1080/03069880801926418 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rizq R., Target M. (2010). “We had a constant battle”. The role of attachment status in counselling psychologists' experiences of personal therapy: some results from a mixed-methods study . Couns. Psychol. Q. 23 , 343–369. 10.1080/09515070.2010.534327 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Robinson F., Luyten P., Midgley N. (2017). Child psychotherapy with looked after and adopted children: a UK national survey of the profession . J. Child Psychother. 43 , 258–277. 10.1080/0075417X.2017.1324506 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Rothery N. (1992). Personal growth work in the training of counselling and clinical psychologists in Ireland . Ir. J. Psychol. 13 , 168–175. 10.1080/03033910.1992.10557876 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Sathanandan S., Bull D. (2013). An exploration of core psychiatry trainees experience of and thoughts surrounding personal psychotherapy . Psychoanal. Psychother. 27 , 77–82. 10.1080/02668734.2012.760478 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• So H. (2017). US-trained music therapists from East Asian countries found personal therapy during training helpful but when cultural disconnects occur these can be problematic: a qualitative phenomenological study . Arts Psychother. 55 , 54–63. 10.1016/j.aip.2017.04.005 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Thomas J., Harden A. (2008). Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews . BMC Med. Res. Methodol. 8 :45. 10.1186/1471-2288-8-45 [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Viljoen G., Gildenhuys A. A. (2016). Boundary identification in experiential groups as a tool for practice, research, and training . Int. J. Group Psychother. 66 , 56–74. 10.1080/00207284.2015.1089687 [ PubMed ] [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Von Haenisch C. (2011). How did compulsory personal therapy during counselling training influence personal and professional development? Couns. Psychother. Res. 11 , 148–155. 10.1080/14733145.2010.485693 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Weld C., Eriksen K. (2007). The Et0068ics of prayer in counseling . Couns. Values 51 , 125–138. 10.1002/j.2161-007X.2007.tb00070.x [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Wilson H., Weatherhead S. J., Davies J. S. (2015). Clinical psychologists' experiences of accessing personal therapy during training: a narrative analysis . Int. J. Prac.Based Learn. Health Soc. Care 3 , 32–47. 10.18552/ijpblhsc.v3i2.238 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Zust B. L., Housley J., Klatke A. (2017). Evangelical Christian pastors' lived experience of counseling victims/survivors of domestic violence . Pastoral Psychol. 66 , 675–687. 10.1007/s11089-017-0781-1 [ CrossRef ] [ Google Scholar ]

• News archive
• Full text issues
• Providence College Podcast
• Virtual Veritas
• Social Media
• About Providence College
• Undergraduate
• Graduate Programs
• Catholic & Dominican

Helpful Links

• Parents & Families
• Student Life

March 28, 2024

Student well-being at forefront of Personal Counseling Center

By Michael Hagan ’15, ’19G

Providence College’s commitment to the well-being of every student — mind, body, and soul — is evident in its investment in the Personal Counseling Center, which reopened in August 2022 in the lower level of Bedford Hall with 16 full- and part-time licensed counselors and advanced trainers.

The on-campus mental health clinic offers students confidential, professional assistance from licensed providers. Psychologists, clinical social workers, and mental health counselors — with specialists in substance use and addiction treatment, student-athlete mental health, and diversity-related concerns — provide 45-minute psychotherapy sessions on a regular or as-needed basis to students with or without a diagnosed mental health issue.

Because the center operates outside the health insurance system, there is no additional cost to students or their families, and no cap on the number of visits. A consulting psychiatrist is available multiple days a week to manage medication to complement therapy.

Rosemary Fernandes Mugan, Psy.D. ’98 , the center’s executive director, said about 20% of the student body is served by the Personal Counseling Center in a given academic year, up from about 9% when she began working at the college almost two decades ago. The increase is due in part to the decrease in stigma associated with seeking help and aligns with national trends. The American Psychiatric Association said the rate of reported mental health challenges among college students increased by nearly 50% in the last decade.

Discussions about mental health services are now part of the college search process. Families of high school students receiving treatment at home want to know that they can continue while at college. Services for the college-age population are also vital because 50% of mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% by age 24, although they may not be diagnosed until years later, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Any student can make an appointment at the Personal Counseling Center, and anyone at the college with concerns about a student can notify the CARE team — the Campus Assessment Response and Evaluation team — which includes representatives from the Personal Counseling Center, Office of Community Standards, Dean of Students, Chaplain’s Office, Office of Public Safety, Student Health Center, and Student Success Center. The message “You’re Never Alone in Friartown,” which was first introduced by PC Athletics, has been embraced by the entire college community.

Until its expansion following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Personal Counseling Center shared space with the Student Health Center, now located in Davis Hall. (Alumni of certain years recall being directed to lower Bedford Hall with the instruction, “If it’s your body that hurts, go right. Your mind, left.”) The clinical suite is comfortable and welcoming, with a waiting room, private offices and consultation rooms, and a large common room for group sessions and staff meetings.

Students are greeted with a display of informational literature about mood disorders, eating disorders, relationships, substance use, gender and sexuality, sleep habits, and more. The waiting area features a photo collage of the staff’s dogs, cats, and other pets (Mugan and her family’s Bernese mountain dog, Finnegan, are training to be a pet therapy team) and there are relaxation items such as mindful coloring pages, activity sheets, and Play-Doh.

Students report feeling relieved or uplifted after even just one session, which has much to do with the posture of openness and non-judgement with which counselors receive them. While a first session is principally an exercise in triage, the cathartic feeling students report speaks to the power of listening. It is the beginning of a process of healing and growth, and the majority return for future appointments.

After the initial visit, each student is matched with a counselor based on personal needs and preferences, and meets consistently with the same person, developing trust and rapport.

‘Micki’ Johnson Searight, LICSW ’93 Clinical Counselor

She is trained in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy, is a student of Buddhism, enjoys painting, and has been successful in selling her art.

Susan E. Ellingwood, LICSW Clinical Counselor/Substance Use Counselor Assistant Director Of Substance Use Services

She was named Clinical Social Worker of the Year in 2019 by the Rhode Island National Association of Clinical Social Workers for her work in treating addictions.

Peter Gray, LICSW Clinical Counselor/Substance Use Counselor

Before becoming a clinical social worker, he was a chocolate maker and children’s rock band artist.

Rosemary Fernandes Mugan, PSY.D. ’98 Executive Director Staff Psychologist

Thanks to a program she created, 26 graduate students from area colleges and universities studying clinical psychology and social work have trained in the Personal Counseling Center.

“The relationship between student and therapist is the biggest predictor for successful treatment or a student meeting their goals for therapy success,” Mugan said. “Our planning for treatment is very individualized. I think it’s why we’re so effective in helping people get well.”

Inspired by the care and guidance she received as an undergraduate, Mugan brings a profound sense of purpose to her role. The Personal Counseling Center was a vital resource in the support network that helped her adjust and excel as a firstgeneration college student and psychology major in the Honors Program.

Mugan grew up as an only child in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Her father was forced to leave work due to a debilitating inflammatory disease that left him bedridden, and her mother, a native of Madeira, left her job as a seamstress in a curtain factory to care for him. Mugan’s acceptance to PC came with a financial aid package that, while substantial, would still drain the family’s savings. Nevertheless, at her mother’s insistence, Mugan called to say thank you.

Mugan spoke with Brother Kevin O’Connell, O.P. , associate director of financial aid, telling him that she would work hard in her studies to be considered for more scholarship assistance in the future. Brother Kevin asked questions about her family circumstances. About a week later, Mugan received another letter from PC, this time saying she had been awarded a scholarship covering full tuition, room, and board for four years.

“This was the first time I experienced the heart of the mission of Providence College, and its commitment to educating first-generation students and students from underprivileged backgrounds,” Mugan said.

Enthralled by college life and her academic studies, Mugan was still burdened by the fear that she would somehow “mess up this opportunity.” Peculiarities of higher education sometimes made her feel like an outsider (“Why were there so many people named Dean?” she remembers thinking.) She sought guidance from the Personal Counseling Center and began meeting regularly with counselor Ann Bellotti, LICSW , during her first year as a student.

Mugan also was supported by the college as her family circumstances changed. Her father died her senior year at about the same time her mother began showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Rev. Joseph Guido, O.P. , now assistant professor of psychology and senior staff psychologist in the Personal Counseling Center, became her academic mentor. He encouraged her to take a year away from her studies after graduation, though she had been planning to study for a master’s degree in social work. Instead, she applied to doctoral programs in psychology.

When she graduated in 2006 with a doctor of psychology degree from the University of Hartford, she was hired by PC as a clinical counselor. She was named interim director in 2015, director in 2016, and executive director in 2023.

Mugan has overseen the center’s expansion, and with help from the staff, has continued to build partnerships across campus, taking part in orientation for new students and their parents, and meeting with first-generation and multicultural students. She and her staff have been invited to speak in classrooms and to provide training to employees.

The center plays an important role in supporting student safety. Susan Ellingwood, MSW, LICSW , clinical counselor and director of substance use services, is one of two clinicians with a specialization in substance use concerns, able to assist students who seek help for themselves or are referred by a friend or family member. PC’s Office of Community Standards also refers students for assessment after behavioral, drug, and alcohol infractions.

“In these cases, it’s often a student’s first experience seeing anyone for their mental health, and we want to make it a positive and educational experience,” Ellingwood said. “We want students to walk away confident that they can use harm reduction skills and know how to stay safe in high drinking environments.”

Through education and outreach, the college has seen the number of students transported to hospitals for alcohol intoxication decline since 2010. That decline has been offset by an increase in students seeking help reducing their marijuana use, especially after Rhode Island and Massachusetts legalized the use of recreational cannabis for those over 21, Ellingwood said.

“There’s a sense of invincibility around marijuana, similar to alcohol, that shouldn’t exist at all,” Ellingwood said. “It affects each person uniquely, and individuals find that it can significantly worsen their mood or anxiety. For many reasons, some students become dependent on marijuana, alcohol, or other substances, and we welcome the chance to work with them to support their personal goals of cutting back or abstaining.”

The Personal Counseling Center also has seen an increase in anxiety, obsessive compulsive symptoms, and body image concerns among students — trends they believe the pandemic accelerated. Today’s PC students were in high school during the shutdown. Isolation disrupted social-emotional development. The prevalence and pressures of social media also contribute to insecurity.

“The pandemic created separation, and where there’s separation, there will be fears related to reacclimating,” Mugan said. “Our students endured two years of remote learning in high school against the backdrop of social and political crises. When they ask, ‘What’s next?,’ they are faced with economic and climate uncertainty.”

A survey of the Class of 2020 showed that about 47% received services through the Personal Counseling Center at some point in their time at PC. Ellingwood said she believes the college is providing appropriate, maximum access to mental health support.

“Not everyone needs professional mental health services,” Ellingwood said. “A lot of students have strong support networks at home and at the college that positively impact mental health. There are so many ways our students feel held.”

Mugan would love to increase the part-time hours of the staff psychiatrist to full time, and to be able to accommodate every student request for a weekly appointment. Counselors now see about six students per day and have brief windows between appointments to coordinate care and outreach.

“We bear witness to things we may not be able to change for students, things that perhaps they are unable to change themselves,” Mugan said. “But we can help them navigate those situations and provide insight on ways to cope with them. We can help students contemplate things they might not otherwise consider and recognize possibilities they might not otherwise have opportunity to see. Counseling is an opportunity to discover.”

The reward is watching students cross the stage at commencement.

“We are so honored to work with students in times when they’re so vulnerable. We are privileged to work with so many campus partners equally committed to our students. That’s the beauty of working at Providence College. There are helpers everywhere,” Mugan said.

The Fund for Providence College is instrumental in providing the resources the Personal Counseling Center needs to support students.  Make your gift through The Fund for Providence College – Area of Greatest Need and let PC students know that they are never alone in Friartown.

More Providence College news

1 Cunningham Square Providence, RI 02918 USA +1.401.865.1000

Disclosures

• Washington State University
• Go to wsu twitter
• Go to wsu facebook
• Go to wsu linkedin

Honey bees at risk for colony collapse from longer, warmer fall seasons

PULLMAN, Wash. — The famous work ethic of honey bees might spell disaster for these busy crop pollinators as the climate warms, new research indicates.

Flying shortens the lives of bees, and worker honey bees will fly to find flowers whenever the weather is right, regardless of how much honey is already in the hive. Using climate and bee population models, researchers found that increasingly long autumns with good flying weather for bees raises the likelihood of colony collapse in the spring.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports , focused on the Pacific Northwest but holds implications for hives across the U.S. The researchers also modeled a promising mitigation: putting colonies into indoor cold storage, so honey bees will cluster in their hive before too many workers wear out.

“This is a case where a small amount of warming, even in the near future, will make a big impact on honey bees,” said lead author Kirti Rajagopalan, a Washington State University climate researcher. “It’s not like this is something that can be expected 80 years from now. It is a more immediate impact that needs to be planned for.”

For this study, researchers ran simulations through a honey bee population dynamics model using climate projections for 2050 and the end of the century at 2100. They found that honey bee colonies that spend the winter outside in many areas of the Pacific Northwest would likely experience spring colony collapses in both the near- and long-term scenarios. This also occurred under a simulation where climate change continued as it is progressing now and one where greenhouse gas emissions were reduced in the near future.

Worker honey bees will forage for food whenever temperatures rise above about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. When it gets colder, they cluster in the hive, huddling with other bees, eating honey reserves and shivering, which helps keep the bees warm. In the spring, the adult worker bees start flying again. That means they also start dying. If too many older worker bees die before their replacements emerge ready to forage, the whole colony can collapse. Scientists have estimated this happens when there are fewer than 5,000 to 9,000 adult bees in the hive.

This study found that colonies wintering outside in colder areas like Omak in the far north of Washington state might still do all right under climate change. But for honey bee colonies in many other places, like Richland, Washington near the border of Oregon, staying outside in the winter would mean the spring hive population would plummet to fewer than 9,000 adults by 2050 and less than 5,000 by the end of the century.

The authors note that the simulations just looked at seasonal factors like temperature, wind and the amount of daylight, making them fairly conservative models.

“Our simulations are showing that even if there is no nutritional stress, no pathogens, no pesticides — just the conditions in fall and winter are enough to compromise the age structure of a colony. So when the hive comes out of winter, the bees are dying faster than they’re being born,” said co-author Gloria DeGrandi-Hoffman, a research leader at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Carl Hayden Bee Research Center.

The researchers also simulated a potential mitigation, placing honey bee hive boxes in cold storage so the bees start to cluster earlier and save workers. For instance, in the Richland scenarios, by the end of the century, having bees in cold storage from October to April would boost the spring hive population to over 15,000 compared to around 5,000 to 8,000 if they were kept outside.

A relatively new practice, cold storage is gaining popularity among commercial beekeepers to help manage bee health and for the logistics involved in moving hives to California to pollinate almond trees in February, an event that draws more than two million hives from across the country.

“A lot of beekeepers are already practicing this management technique of storing bees indoors because it has a lot of immediate potential to help in a number of ways,” said co-author Brandon Hopkins, a WSU entomologist. “These findings demonstrate that there are additional benefits to this practice for the survival of colonies in a changing climate.” This research received support from the Washington Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant.

Media Contacts

• Kirti Rajagopalan , WSU Department of Biological Systems Engineering , 509-335-0174 , [email protected]
• Brandon Hopkins , WSU Department of Entomology , 509-335-8598 , [email protected]
• Sara Zaske , WSU News & Media Relations , 509-335-4846 , [email protected]
• Amaani Lyle , U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Office of Communications , 443-955-9930 , [email protected]

Chemical Engineering PhD student receives Belgian American Educational Foundation fellowship

Recent news.

Birthday wishes for WSU’s 134th

MIRA Program provides research opportunities for Honors College undergraduates

Colombian women’s rights pioneer got her start in Pullman

Cats with MDR1 mutation at risk of severe reactions to popular medication

Provost finalists visiting the week of April 1

McCoy named interim WSU athletic director