ABSTRACT
In this chapter, five students who have completed counsellor training share their experiences of personal development and change, while undertaking their courses. Here they record their progress and describe the processes they went through and the effects personal development groups and personal therapy had on them. Although all women, the writers come from a range of backgrounds including age, culture, class, occupational background and ethnicity.
These accounts highlight the value and power of personal therapy and the importance of the therapeutic relationship with their counsellors. The experiences and value of the personal development (PD) group and what they learned about themselves is shown here. Similarities between the personal development gained from group work and the process of personal therapy are identified. Reading this chapter will give trainees a real insight into what the PD journey can look like during counsellor training.
