So far in this series of articles, I have looked at the different training routes available, interpersonal relationships and power, conflict & group dynamics. In this article I’m going to look at diversity, or the lack of it, and potential for inclusion and discrimination on courses. It’s really important that students know what to look out for so as to protect yourselves from harm.
Diversity
Those of you starting a counselling course may find that many of your peers come from diverse backgrounds – or you yourself may do. Understanding diversity, disrimination and intersectionality1 is really important. Organisations have the capacity to both lift people up as well as hold them down. It’s intergral that tutors and their training organisations understand the Equality Act (2010) and its implications on the courses they are running.
I also think it’s important that trainee’s look into equal rights and accessibility, and empower themselves before they even start learning. I wish I’d known more before my original level 4 course – as I think I’d have been able to challenge the discrimination that I experieced.
Discrimination
I can speak only to my experience as a younger therapist, who is queer and disabled. I am speaking about my individual experiences, not that of the entire community. Training to be a therapist, it was very hit and miss from tutors, training providers and other therapists. For example, my own neurodivergency was used to punish me by some tutors, and at the time I didn’t have the strength to challenge the tutors involved. I had one placement provider ask how I, an under-30 year old, could support survivors of sexual assault (making all sorts of assumptions that I could not have the skills or life experiences simply because of my age).
The Equality Act is an excellent starting point for understanding your rights as a student. This includes all of the protected characteristics, what constitutes discrimination, and how you can handle any complaints. Knowing this information, by the time I reached my final course, I was much more confident and therefore able to challenge preconceptions from both tutors and peers.
Being the ‘Token’ Student
Being the token ‘different’ person in any situation is difficult. How many times have you heard of an EDI strategy at work, where the only Black colleague has been made to be the representative for all marginalised colleagues? It’s endless. Whilst on my final course, I was the only queer (biromantic, asexual and genderqueer) student, I had physical and mental disabilities and was also in polyamorous relationships (as opposed to standard monogamy). This meant, whenever the topic of the Equality Act came up, my peers and my tutor would turn to me. This is incredibly problematic, and doesn’t account for diversity of experiences based on protected characteristics.
If you are a counselling/psychotherapy student and you’d like discuss and break down some of your experiences with diversity in training, then you might want to get in touch with me for some therapy. I also offer mentoring to help students apply their learning, as well as guiding students on how to write reflective journals. Fees can be found here.
(1) Intersectionality – “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.” (English Oxford Dictionary).
buddingtherapy.com 