What’s the story behind Psychotherapy Institute?

I completed my TA101 in the spring of 2007, and started a personal and professional transformation into a new career of psychotherapy. Having attended a counselling course beforehand at the local university and knew I needed something more in terms of understanding the complexity of mental health issues. There were several reasons for choosing a four year, level 7, experiential training:-

  1. The academic rigour of a level 7 four-year course
  2. The requirement to be in weekly therapy throughout training
  3. My need to understand and analyse the human psyche rather than be a listening receptacle
  4. To find out more about me and my own psychological make up
  5. Weekend rather than weekday training modules
  6. Value for money (less expensive than a level 7 University Masters programme)

The training journey was transformational: my relationship with myself and others; a deep understanding of the psychology of self; my own mental wellbeing; a new rewarding and satisfying career; a feeling of belonging to the international TA community.

Growing up in a complicated family (I have a birth and adoptive family), I was fascinated by the way Transactional Analysis makes sense of systems – whether families, educational institutions, or organisations. It makes sense that we would be both consciously and unconsciously influenced and moulded by the systems we belong to. TA offers much in understanding intergenerational scripting and trauma.

Psychotherapy Institute is born from this experience and its mission is to offer a systemic approach to training and qualifying as a psychotherapist. We do not view the individual in isolation, rather as a part of an influential system (family, couple or group/organisation). The profession of psychotherapy and counselling is one of lifelong learning. Whether we train initially for 2 years then spend each year meeting CPD targets; or whether we chose embark on a longer term training programme with enhanced levels of qualifications and accreditation. At Psychotherapy Institute we offer a variety of learning pathways whereby you can continue for as long as you want to gain the professional standing you aspire to: nationally registered counsellor or even internationally accredited psychotherapy trainer and supervisor.

Many psychotherapy training institutes are named to indicate the geographical location of their training. In the post-pandemic era, where hybrid (online and in-person) training has become standard – Psychotherapy Institute welcomes new students from many locations, although our in-person training will be in North Manchester.

How can I see if Psychotherapy Institute is right for me?

In the same way that we may have an initial session with a new therapist to check the ‘fit’, you can experience Psychotherapy Institute through a 2-day TA101 course before committing to the full four- year training journey. This popular introductory course runs several times a year and can be helpful in understanding yourself and others.

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