Therapists Talking Therapy

When does this thing called ‘convalescence’ begin and is it different from ‘recovery’? Recently I’ve been introduced to the concept of convalescence and introduced to it in a very personal way. As a therapist I perhaps should be prepared for developing cancer. Well, I was and I wasn’t! This is my story which I hope helps you tell yours or helps you to understand someone else's.

I’ve been asked to talk about how to begin psychotherapy.   How to prepare for that first session. So here are my seven tips to starting psychotherapy. Well, first of all congratulations on wanting to start psychotherapy.   It’s a big step and yet many people never make it to talk with a therapist and so continue to live with what’s familiar however uncomfortable that might be.   It’s important to say that just as clients are individuals so are therapists and each will have their own way of starting therapy with you.  I’m resisting the urge to give in to today’s selling culture by saying these are the    The 7 must haves or The 7 steps or The 7 rules  However, after 25 years of working as a psychotherapist here are my tips about how you can prepare for that first session. You may have them in a different order or you may have others, but here’s a summary with some personal statements that may also be of help:   Want – I’m as clear as I can be. Cost – I believe therapy is worth it. Time – I’m willing to commit Honesty – I’ll tell my truth Safety – I’m going to be held through this process Changes – I’m willing to behave/think in new and different ways Resource – I’ll make the most of my time with the therapist I wish you the best of health. Martin Weaver

Written by Robert Burns in 1788 Auld Lang Syne has been used by many as a way to remind people to remember.  It translates as: “old long since” and in English that means something like to “times gone by.” At this time of year when the decorations, the cards and the tree  get put away, I can now understand that the song is a means of connecting us with the positive and happy people and times in the past. I wish you, your family and friends the best Happy New Year... Martin Weaver

My professional organisation, the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy - UKCP for short, has been running a podcast call 'My Psychotherapy Career'.  In this podcast series members of the UKCP talk about how they became a psychotherapist and various other questions about working in their particular field. I took part in this podcast in the summer of 2022 talking particularly about my work at the Terrence Higgins Trust in the early 1980s and at the July 7th Assistance Centre which was set up to help the survivors, bereaved and first responders of the 2005 London bombings.  Around these events I talk about my learning to train and work as a psychotherapist, my philosophy as well as my relationship to the UKCP as an organisation. The UKCP podcast runs for about 30 minutes which is an edited version of a conversation that lasts around an hour.  I asked the UKCP for the audio recording of the full hour and that's what is presented here.  There were some topics that had to be edited out of the UKCP version because of time and yet I wanted these thoughts and ideas to be presented. You can hear the short version here: https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/podcasts/my-psychotherapy-career-therapeutic-support-in-times-of-a-crisis/ [https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/podcasts/my-psychotherapy-career-therapeutic-support-in-times-of-a-crisis/]

In this Podcast I review another podcast I presented in 2010 when I came to the realisation that I was at an age my father never reached.  I outlived my father. We all live our lives in relation to other's and perhaps it's our parents who give us the most important reflections and guidance as to who we are.  When one or other parent dies we have the chance to reflect on our own lives, who we have become and who we still yet want to become. You can read a version of this Podcast on my blog here: https://www.lifetidetraining.co.uk/single-post/2015/09/03/today-i-outlive-my-father [https://www.lifetidetraining.co.uk/single-post/2015/09/03/today-i-outlive-my-father]