Reflective Essay: My Personal Philosophy Of Counselling

A personal philosophy of counselling

Introduction

My personal odyssey into the realm of counselling has been quite the reluctant adventure. The perilous journey from childhood to adulthood was difficult to navigate given the cognitive map that had been handed down. My father was a functioning alcoholic who was both physically and verbally abusive. My mother was a martyr prone to mood swings and suicidal thoughts. I was the only girl and the eldest of 3. Any bid for attention was usurped by my middle brother who had to be the centre of attention, no matter what the cost. Knowledge became my currency. At the age of 4 my favourite word was obstreperous and I would happily inform people in supermarkets that ‘my brother was very obstreperous and he had my mammy’s heart broken.’ In turn I would get a smile and if lucky a lollipop. My love of learning gave me brief respite until the age 12 when a teacher humiliated me in front of a class for only getting 17 out of 20 in a spelling test. This cemented feelings of inadequacy and inferiority. It was also the point that I switched off emotionally to survive the barrage of

Nor will I be choosing Freud or Jung, whose achievements are overshadowed for me by a basic lack of kindness that seems particular to those that inhabit the academic world. I can however, very much relate to Alfred Adler’s life. His experience of ill health, being written off academically due to poor maths skills, the importance of social connectedness and his role of teacher and counsellor have a comforting familiarity to me. Our perceived deficiencies can heavily influence what we become in life . ‘It is the feelings of inferiority, inadequacy and insecurity that determines the goal of an individual's existence.’ This has not only been my experience with my students and clients but also with myself and the life I have unknowingly