Changing your future?

Thinking of making a career change to do something different or more fulfilling, maybe as a Counsellor, Coach or Psychotherapist?

Many successful people have turned their lives around through undertaking training in counselling, coaching, psychotherapy or applied psychology at the London Institute of Psychosynthesis (IoP), www.psychosynthesis.org

The IoP is now adding a new course to its list of studies and, to give aspiring students a shorter wait before starting their monthly weekend studies, it is offering an additional intake to the diploma and MA courses in April. A new brief training in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in a psychosynthesis context is also being introduced. Founded by an Italian psychologist, Roberto Assagioli – a colleague of Freud and Jung - psychosynthesis is a branch of psychology which helps develop your will, to further your aims and ideals. It is practised all over the world.

Media high-flyer turns psychotherapist

Susan Holliday was a high flyer in advertising, marketing and corporate fund-raising and undertook a major career and lifestyle change. When she reached her forties and had her two children, she realised she had always felt that 'something' was missing from her life. This prompted her to leave the formal workplace and to concentrate on motherhood and her training in Psychosynthesis psychotherapy at the IoP. She has established her own psychotherapy practice and graduated this year with an MA.

Her MA thesis - for which she is joint-winner of the Emma Stavrou Prize – is an important contribution to the whole area of Post Natal Depression. Her context and research take a new perspective of ‘depression’ by considering this whole experience for some mothers in a new light.


‘Traditional psychology often ignores the human will’

Another career-change was made by James Scouller, who’s successfully applied the principles of psychosynthesis to his own life and business. . James is a business and executive coach, having founded The Scouller Partnership in 2004. His coaching practice specialises in business leaders, particularly CEOs and MDs, in both large firms and SMEs.

Before becoming a coach, he was a chief executive for 11 years, leading 3 different international companies with sales of £25-100m through turnaround and transformation.


So why did he spend three years training at the IoP in psychosynthesis psychology? He says ‘From a professional perspective, I wanted to improve my understanding of the human psyche as I was convinced it would help me in my coaching. The best professional coach training courses do go into applied psychology, but only to a limited degree. I wanted to delve more deeply into the subject.

‘But it wasn’t just for professional reasons. I wanted to deepen my understanding of myself. Psychosynthesis attracted me for three reasons.
The first is that it’s such a modern, comprehensive psychology. It includes the best of the psychodynamic and humanistic approaches, but doesn’t stop there. It accepts that psychology shouldn’t just be about helping people with mental and emotional problems, but should also be about helping people realise their potential.

‘The second reason is that psychosynthesis takes the view that we’re all spiritual beings in the material world; here to grow, use our will and imagination and make a difference to the planet. This matched my own view of life. So it’s not surprising I chose a psychology that was aligned with my most fundamental beliefs.

‘The third reason was that most traditional psychology often ignores the human will. Some psychologists even deny it exists! To someone who’s spent 30 years in industry, that intuitively doesn’t ring true. But psychosynthesis psychology places the will right at the centre of the sense of “self”. So that attracted me as well’.

James says that he’s not only learnt about psychology, he’s learnt to examine and understand himself more deeply. And in the process he says he’s become a happier person, without losing any of the energy and sense of purpose he had when he first embarked on the training. What he’s lost is the underlying performance anxiety that he had in industry. He continues ‘Not surprisingly, I’ve also gained a much deeper understanding of the human psyche and how I can intervene in a coaching context to help clients to best effect’.

Anyone who is interested in exploring the principles of psychosynthesis before committing to study for a diploma or degree can attend a free Open evening or an Open Event on a Saturday. There is also a four day course on the fundamentals of the psychology, held over a long weekend. This gives the full flavour of psychosynthesis and what it offers the individual who, perhaps at some kind of life crossroads, asks him or herself “Is this all there is to life?”
ENDS


Issued on behalf of the Institute of Psychosynthesis
Contact : Anne Welsh, Senior Faculty member at IoP and practising psychotherapist:
Tel. 020 7336 0306 M: 07968 439 344