In August 2021, I embarked on a two-year part-time Postgraduate Diploma course in Human Relations and Counselling to become a qualified psychodynamic counsellor and therapist. A requirement of any counselling course is to undertake a clinical placement within an organisation, as soon as you have been assessed by your tutors and deemed “Fit to Practise”. The aim is to reach the magic number of 120 hours of client work within two years in order to qualify.
In November 2021, I reached out to Four Square; had an interview; completed my induction and training; and started working face-to-face with my first client in March 2022. As a fledgling trainee, with weekly clinical supervision to guide and support me through the placement, it was both daunting and exciting to be working face-to-face with individuals who were attending weekly sessions in the hope that therapy could provide them with the help they needed.
Four Square is pretty unique in terms of what it offers both its service-users (who are seeking therapy, or who have been referred for therapy by their key workers), and the students on placement here. Most students find themselves in placements which only offer a limited number of free sessions to the clients on their waiting lists – sometimes as few as four 50-minute sessions! Whereas, if a Four Square client builds a trusting therapeutic relationship with a trainee; finds therapy sessions beneficial; and keeps engaging with the therapeutic work, then the support can be long-term, which has the potential to effect significant life changes. Despite the obvious challenges of working with a broad spectrum of clients presenting with a wide range of problems and past trauma, a Four Square placement offers trainees the opportunity to develop valuable skills, which are immediately useful in the world of work beyond study.
After graduating in June 2023, I set up my own private practice. I also now work part-time as the qualified therapist on the Four Square Therapeutic Services team: I meet with all Four Square service-users referred for counselling, to conduct their initial assessment and information session; act in an advisory role for any trainees experiencing difficulty whilst on placement; share information about the service with the residences and key workers; and work as placement supervisor for a trainee art therapist. Four Square team and I continue to meet with trainees once a month within a Reflective Group where we share good practice and discuss ways that the service can be developed further.
Lucy Hodgson – Counsellor
