HCC runs separate open days for our Diploma qualifying training and Certificate in Counselling Skills training every year. Each year I am involved, it strikes me just how important these days are, not just for prospective trainees, but for the community through the staff, current trainees, and graduates involved.
I think anyone who has undertaken training in the counselling and psychotherapy field can empathise with what an important decision it is to choose the right training organisation. It is such a difficult decision, a bit like trying to choose from a menu when you have never eaten anything listed. There are so many training organisations, and each offers something different. They differ not just in the way they operate and run their trainings, but more importantly in terms of the professional identity that trainees inevitably internalise as qualifying professionals. On the open day, we try to help prospective trainees think about what it is they are looking for and give them a taste of what they can expect if they come to HCC. We really feel the responsibility we have to help these individuals make the right choice for them.
This year at the open day, HCC’s identity as a thriving, supportive community was especially evident. The day is a combination of presentations about psychodynamic counselling and what it is like to train at HCC, discussion groups, space to meet other prospective trainees, staff, current trainees and past trainees, and plenty of opportunity to have questions answered in a group setting. For those unable to attend an open day, we also set up small online discussions to ensure people can still access information and experience a sense of our culture. I believe this variety of spaces and access to people from throughout the organisation offers a real flavour of our supportive and eclectic community spirit, which is at the heart of all we do.
This community culture is so important to HCC, and I believe it is a key aspect of all trainees’ professional identities upon graduating from HCC as their professional home. It goes a long way in giving each trainee confidence in their skills and abilities through a sense of belonging to a training organisation that values them as individuals and offers opportunities to be part of the whole organisation throughout their training. This supports newly qualified counsellors to feel they have a great deal to offer the wider profession and to integrate successfully into a wide variety of roles within the industry.
I feel equally proud and privileged to be part of HCC, both on our open day and when I see trainees, who may have once anxiously attended such a day, qualifying at our Graduation ceremony, held in the same room, and confidently walking towards their future in the profession.
