Dreaming Oneself into Existence: the Experience of the Beginning Psychotherapist

About This Seminar

Researchers have identified different stages of psychotherapist development, including being a beginning psychotherapist, although this stage has seldom been described in any detail.

This talk will draw on stories from interviews with psychotherapists, who reflected on being a newcomer to the profession, remembered being a newcomer, and  recounted experiences with newcomers. Themes that emerged from the interviews included that the central task of the beginner is learning to respond. “Responding” differs from becoming more technically skilful and depends on the beginning therapist receiving assistance from more experienced others as well as cultivating their own sense of being in the world, including being open to and taking responsibility for remaining close to their own process as a developing therapist. Glen Gabbard and Thomas Ogden’s notions of collective dreaming and dreaming one’s lived experience into the world provide some theoretical resonance.

Presenter’s Bio

Dr Kerry Thomas-Anttila

Kerry is Head of Department of Psychotherapy and Counselling at Auckland University of Technology, a registered psychotherapist and a  member of the Association of Psychotherapists Aotearoa New Zealand and of the International Association of Relational Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.

Kerry has published on various topics relating to psychotherapy theory and practice, and is privileged to witness the development of AUT students, as they immerse themselves in the endeavour of becoming psychotherapists.