As mental health professionals, it’s absolutely essential that we stay on top of our game; that’s why it’s important to keep on learning throughout our careers. The world changes, best practice changes, and the challenges facing our clients change, so it’s never enough to sit back and think we’ve got this whole therapy gig down pat. Not to mention the fact that learning keeps things fresh. Careers get boring (pretty quickly) when there’s no room for growth or personal development. One of the great things about being a mental health professional is the need to keep our skills current and our approaches relevant. And when some of those methods feed into our CPD (Continued Professional Development)? Even better! If you’re not sure where to start on your development journey, let me share some of my own approaches to educating myself as a therapist. Some are fun, some are practical, and some might not even seem like learning – but all growth is education. The 5 Ways I Like to Learn as a Therapist 1. Therapy Today Magazine I absolutely LOVE my Therapy Today mag from the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy)! I get really excited about my monthly copy arriving, because I know I’m going to learn so much every month. The magazine covers current affairs for the therapy sphere, and it’s a great place to engage with articles that can support your CPD. As a respected platform for practitioners to share their views and experiences of working, every issue includes critical and reflective thinking and lively debate. It aims to be a true source of knowledge, information, support and inspiration for counsellors, psychotherapists and coaches – and I get so much from it. 2. Audible You might not think of Audible as an educational resource, but it helps me to grow with every listen. Often when we’re driving, cooking, getting ready in the mornings, or taking the dog for a walk, we’re just letting the time pass us by without being present: for me, listening to audio books while I’m going about my daily life helps to keep my mind focused. I often choose to listen to self-help books that can educate me further on the work that I do with my clients – but they’re also great for my own wellbeing. One of the most important things for any mental health professional to learn is how to put on their own oxygen mask first. 3. Supervision
No matter what level you’re at professionally, supervision is a critical component of becoming a better therapist. Supervision helps me to explore my cases at a much deeper level; receiving this guidance also helps me to make sure I’m practicing safely. The BACP requires accredited members to undertake 1.5 hours of supervision each month, regardless of your number of contracted clients. If your managing a full case load, you might need to increase these hours. You can take a break from supervision if your not seeing any clients in a calendar month, but this should be documented for accreditation purposes. 4. Online CPD Mental health professionals should be lifelong learners. No matter how you felt about school, college or university, learning new skills is critical in our profession – but it is important to find a way of learning that works for you. For me, online CPD is a great way to continue my professional development. It’s accessible, and you can learn at your own pace. Online learning gives you great course variety, and it’s extremely flexible (which is something we all need when we’re busy juggling our careers with family life). They’re also really cost-effective! 5. Online Conferences Much like online courses, online conferences are flexible, accessible and cost-effective (or even free!) They’re a great way to benefit from a diverse range of perspectives, make new connections, and learn a lot of new skills, quickly. As well as attending online conferences as a professional, I’ve also set up my own FREE conference as a way of giving something back to my community of therapists, and anyone with an interest in mental health. Let me tell you a bit more about it.My Little Therapy Box Online Conference 2022; Saturday 26th November, 09:00 AM - 16:00 PM Join me this Saturday for the My Little Therapy Box Online Conference, 2022 (if you can’t make it on the day, it will also be available to watch on catch-up after the event – because flexibility is what it’s all about!) Last year we hosted the first My Little Therapy Box Online Conference, and after a HUGE success, it’s back and better than ever! The conference is a one-day event of FREE CPD sessions for therapists, mental health professionals, and anyone with an interest in mental health and wellbeing. Take a look at our incredible list of speakers, and the topics they’ll be covering:
1. Rochelle Craig: Can We Use the Addiction Recovery Model to Work with Clients Presenting with Obesity? 2. Chris Macdonald: Understanding and Overcoming Compassion Fatigue. 3. Dr Shelley Kerr: A Compassionate Approach to Our Difficult Emotions. 4. Alison Bale, Reducing pain with mindfulness 5. Angela McMillan: Overcoming School-Based Anxiety. 6. Emma Kelly: Managing Stress, Anxiety and Mental Wellness with Yoga and Meditation. Register for your free place now. You’ll also find an online event replay if you can’t make it on the day.