Wanderer to warrior

Abstract

Several theories explain the motivation and process of becoming a therapist. The concept of ‘wounded healer’ is a common one, but this paper proposes an alternative metaphor which describes a journey wandering through life and discovering a purpose worth fighting for. The author describes this journey as one of being fortunately chosen rather than making deliberate choices. The process of becoming a counselling psychologist brought her into contact with those less fortunate than her and exposed her to diversity of education, class, culture, history and the world at large. The story starts with youth work and moves through studies in sociology to travelling to the West Indies and the newly independent countries of the commonwealth. A shift towards educational psychology was partially diverted into clinical research on benzodiazepines which later became a cause worth fighting for as she united the themes, of the dispossessed, the unheard, and the rejected that society blamed for their dependence. The author reflects on combining creativity with scientific rigour. The result has been a liking for ‘making it up as you go along’ which encourages flexibility rather than adherence to protocols and rules. There is a suggestion of rebellion here which is what the struggle for independence requires. Finally she concludes that counselling psychologists are like their clients; the product of their pasts.