Abstract
This is a portfolio of academic, therapeutic and research work. The portfolio comprises a selection of work that has been submitted as part of the requirement for the Practitioner Doctorate in Counselling Psychology. It aims to demonstrate my personal and professional development during my four years of training. The Academic Dossier contains three essays selected from a range of theoretical subjects that have been covered during my training. The first essay explores the concept of boundaries within psychodynamic theory and practice. The second essay examines the role of distraction within a cognitive behavioural perspective. This essay attempts to highlight the complexity, challenges and benefits of using distraction, with the aim of enriching clinical practice. The third essay considers an understanding of self-harm from an attachment perspective, whilst critiquing the use of classification systems. These three essays emphasise flexibility, creativity and the importance of the therapeutic relationship, thus drawing on a relational framework. The Therapeutic Dossier aims to capture and convey my clinical experiences during training. It contains a description of my four clinical placements and concludes with my ‘Final Clinical Paper’. This paper provides an account of my personal and professional development towards becoming a Counselling Psychologist. Finally, the Research Dossier contains a literature review and two qualitative research reports. The literature review focuses on the role of trust in an individual’s decision to engage in therapy. The first research report is an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis that examines how sexual-minority clients experience finding a therapist and engaging in therapy with them, an experience that proved to be inextricably linked with a developing therapeutic relationship. The second research report uses Thematic Analysis to explore how sexual-minority clients experience the decision to prematurely terminate therapy due to a dissatisfying therapeutic experience. The implications for counselling psychology and therapeutic practice are emphasised throughout these two reports.