ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author focuses on changes she describes in our profession since her trained as a counsellor in the 1980s and as a psychotherapist in the 1990s, highlighting some of the challenges we face in the technological landscape of the early twenty-first century. Nineteenth-century biologist Herbert Spencer first published the term “survival of the fittest”, which was later taken up by C. Darwin. The Internet has contributed to changing public attitudes to mental illness and distress. In the National Health Service (NHS), a system of “stepped care” is in operation for people in need of psychological therapies. Paying extra for a premium listing ensures that one’s professional profile grabs attention ahead of one’s colleagues. There is still very much a role for the private practitioner, although, inevitably, many people who would benefit remain excluded because of financial constraints. Another consideration when promoting one’s practice on the Internet is whether or not to include a photograph.
