My experience of personal therapy

Engaging in personal therapy and ongoing supervision has been fundamental to my development as a psychotherapist.

Through my own personal therapy, I have come to understand myself more deeply, including the patterns, beliefs, and vulnerabilities that shape how I relate to others. 

This journey has not only supported my own growth and healing but has also helped me to become a more grounded and empathetic therapist.

 Supervision is equally essential. It offers a space for reflection, accountability, and continued learning. Discussing my work with a skilled supervisor allows me to process what arises in the therapy room and consider the impact of my own responses. It keeps my work ethical, responsive, and alive.

 Both therapy and supervision keep me accountable, not just to professional standards, but to the heart of the work. They remind me that I, too, am unknowing. They soften any temptation toward certainty and instead encourage curiosity, humility, and presence.

 I do not ask my clients to do anything I would not do myself. The inner work I continue to do allows me to meet others without pretence, without defence.

 I believe that both personal therapy and supervision are vital for all therapists. They help us stay connected to our humanity and our humility. They allow us to sit with our clients from a place of understanding rather than judgment. 

 This ongoing reflective practice makes me a more attuned and responsive therapist. It shapes how I listen, how I hold boundaries, how I notice the subtle shifts in energy or tone. It helps me to stay in my relationship with each client in a way that feels present & empathetic.  

For me, therapy and supervision are not just professional requirements, they are acts of care, for myself and for those I work with.