Abstract
This portfolio contains a sample of my academic, clinical and research work for the Practitioner Doctorate in Psychotherapeutic and Counselling Psychology at the University of Surrey. These pieces of work reflect my personal and professional development as a Counselling Psychologist. This portfolio consists of three dossiers: an academic, therapeutic and research dossier. The academic dossier contains three essays. The first essay discusses the phenomenology of postnatal depression, and considers the issue in the context of both physiological and socio-cultural factors. Implications for Counselling Psychologists are considered. The second essay consists of a critical reflective discussion of how compulsive sexual behaviour may be understood and how the counselling psychology knowledge base and values provide a helpful perspective in the way this phenomenon may be worked with therapeutically. The third essay discusses how the therapeutic relationship may be valued and used creatively when practicing in a cognitive behavioural therapeutic context. The second dossier, the therapeutic practice dossier, consists of examples of my therapeutic practice. Firstly, my experiences within my different placements are outlined. These placements include an NHS Primary Care service, an NHS Secondary Care Psychotherapy Department and an NHS Tertiary Care Specialist Psychological Therapies Service. Secondly, examples of my therapeutic practice are included in my final clinical paper. This paper offers a reflective account of how my personal development combines with my professional development as a Counselling Psychologist throughout my learning of theory, and experiences in clinical practice and supervision. In addition, in-depth process reports and client studies are included. The research dossier contains a review of the literature, a quantitative and a qualitative piece of empirical research. The literature review focuses on the phenomenology of embodying multiple cultural heritages and psychological implications for individuals and families. The quantitative research report examined the influence of interpersonal flexibility on the quality of social interaction and interpersonal conflict. Lastly, the qualitative research report investigated the implications of globalisation, modern migration and the phenomenology of living in multiple cultural contexts.