Training Therapy

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20th century Sigmund Freud set the foundations for training analysis. He was adamant that a candidate in psychoanalytic education had to undergo lehranalyse himself in order to gain an insight into the depth of his own unconscious. He also needed to learn about the countertransference and how to deal with it in an appropriate way so that it is not an impediment in his analytic work with patients.—According to the current EAP standards psychotherapeutic education consists of three main parts: theory (minimum 500-800 hours), supervised therapy work with clients (minimum 300-600 hours) and mandatory personal experience (minimum 250 hours). There are 10 psychotherapy schools in Slovenia and they all agree that the mandatory personal experience is a very important part of the education, which they run according to EAP requirements. Mandatory personal experience provides each student with an opportunity: (1) to become aware of his inner motivation for chosing a helping profession, (2) to experience and thus to develop his own unconditional positive regard and empathy on which good therapeutic relationships are based, (3) to experience for himself different methods and techniques which he will later put into practice with his clients, (3) to validate both the self and the chosen therapeutic approach as an effective psychological intervention.—The Parzival legend is symbolic of the process of integrating various parts of our own psyche which enables us to grow and develop. It is a process which we ourselves undergo during mandatory personal therapy so that we are better equipped for working with people who come to us for help.