Natalie Knutton
Natalie works as a therapist at Trent Psychological Therapies (Trent PTS). She completed the PCE-CfD course in March 2022 and has subsequently attend a refresher day.
How has the training impacted your work?
I am so much more aware of how I practice as a therapist than I was before the course. I work in a more experiential way and I am grateful I work in an IAPT environment where this is encouraged.
How do you think the course will help with your career?
I find myself being more mindful of my presence in the space and of how my words can be received. Despite my integrative training, I admit I hadn’t fully comprehended how powerful the person-centred experiential approach could be. Studying the course and fully embracing the modality has opened my eyes to how this experiential approach can effect change. The healing nature of simply being heard blows my mind every day and it makes me a better therapist.
What aspect of the training did you enjoy the most?
For me it was the face-to-face interactions with my peers and with the lecturers. I think this course is one of those experiences that benefits from having 'in-person' interactions, at least in the beginning. The online days also worked well, I liked the mix and the convenience. For me I liked having the face-to-face days first.
How have you been supported on the course?
I think I enjoyed the course as much as I did because the tutors modelled the modality so well. I can’t stress enough how reluctant initially I was to attend, feeling required to do it due to my role. But I immediately felt an affinity with the modality and I can hand on heart say this is because of the tutor’s modelling of PCE-CfD and his delivery. I really do believe a lot of the experience of learning comes from the teachers who educate and so I feel very grateful I had a teacher who was able to reignite my interest. I just want to say thank you for delivering such a fantastic course.
How did you find the refresher day?
I found it informative and reassuring to know others were feeling the same way as myself. My imposter syndrome really improved by being around others in the same boat. It gave me a blast of motivation I sorely needed. My only wish is that there were more refresher days to be able to immerse myself back into the modality fully, away from the routine of work.
Do you have any advice for someone considering taking the course?
I just want to say, do it! Jump in and completely immerse yourself and you won’t be disappointed. I think you have to do it this way to fully appreciate the modality and it is so worth it. It has completely changed how I work and my philosophical stance. I would say be prepared to reflect on your existing skills and see it as an opportunity to 'be' the approach.