The all-time debate between therapy and practice bothered me always. If you read a lot on the subject before going on the field, it grows on you. The all-time debate between therapy and practice bothered me always. Reading a lot on the subject before going on the field grows on you. And creativity is suppressed, and the learned material dominates the thinking structure. It is so tough to unlearn and see in a new way! Whereas if you focus more on working field experience and less on the theory, you can interpret the work your way, which may lead you to revelation. But are you right in that interpretation? What method to choose?
Why not both? Yes, Woth Dhairyda, you can.
For my first phase of education (engineering), it was as easy as getting through the exams to get it done. And for exams, the books were enough. As in regular colleges and at that age, being attentive in class was tough, but when exams used to come, last five days with night shifts, we used to mug up the formulas and understand the theory part and attend. It was enough for the good scores. But if you ask us today. We will say, "WE KNOW NOTHING, ZILCH, ZIP, NADA."
So when it was about pursuing a career in a non-technical subject like Psychology, passing exams, and getting a degree wasn't enough. I had to know the subject, understand it, digest it, and chew it. Taking a degree from a college where classes were taken next to negligible, I was assured that "degree to mil jaegi, but samjh aaega kya? Aur samjh aya to kya sahi hai samjh aaega? And kya sahi hai samjha to bhai isko istemal karna aaega kya?".
But fortunately, I met a fantastic mentor to guide me through this learning journey. Ms. Siddhida has started a Diploma Course in Counselling Skills & Psychotherapy. And hallelujah! I came to know about a new person and psychologist in me.
Their approach is simply about making you learn in your style. All the students from my batch were different personalities. One was more into research, and the other was into how to deal with clients. Some were about 'I know therapy techniques, but when a client comes, how to use them,' and some were clueless about their own style. But at the end of this beautiful journey, we all came out as psychologists who didn't lose their styles but have polished their skills with understanding theory to depths (I won't be exaggerating if I say it was like we were trying to converse with Freud, Jung) but also having mock sessions where we were given first-hand experience of what the session may look like and with feedback from our teachers how to steer the session to the growth and comfort of every client.
One more point that I cannot emphasize enough is my growth as a person after this course. How our teachers stimulated our minds with their homework tasks made us think about what we are, how we are, and where we should head. Doesn't it make sense that before being a better psychologist, one must know themselves enough and keep exploring themselves? Right? So, in short, Learning with Dhairyada & being part of DIPS (Psychology classes) was an essential experience to go to the next level of being a professional and to be the best in what you do.
Kudos to the team for doing a fantastic job.
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