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What is Emotional Therapy?

Emotional Therapy is a means of helping people who are suffering emotional turmoil in their lives, whether brought about by a crisis, a long-term situation, persistent unhappiness, depression, apathy or difficulties in relating to others.

Emotional Therapists, using an emotional, spiritual and inner child model, assist and support their clients in acknowledging and dealing with suppressed emotional pain in a healthy and integrated manner. This brings individuals to a greater self-knowledge and personal strength from which they can  more effectively cope with, and enrich their lives.

How does it differ from Counselling?

 Emotional Therapy holds the holistic premise that the spirit is of equal importance to the mind and the body. It differs from more conventional counselling in that rather than simply using the mind to analyse symptoms, it seeks to promote healing of the original emotional wounds by working through the feelings. Its aim is to bring clients to the wholeness from which they can comfortably live their world and manage their lives.

The Foundation is a charity which means it has to satisfy the Charity Commissioners as to its aims, integrity and the proper use of its resources. It must demonstrate that it has the will and means to maintain a standard of professional excellence.

The aim of the Foundation is to provide trained Emotional Therapists so that those who are in need of Emotional Therapy have access to this type of healing.

Emotional Therapists subscribe to a Code of Professional Conduct and have a commitment to ongoing training and supervision to ensure that the Foundation’s standards are maintained.

Entry Requirements

Candidates should have a commitment to their own personal development and an interest in working with people in a responsible role.

Candidates must have personal qualities that make them suitable for the practice of E.T.

The Curriculum

The training includes (with appropriate allowance for previously acquired knowledge and competences):

• study of the theory and practice of E.T., from assessment to termination.

• acquisition of critical understanding of the relevance of studies in aspects of human development.

• supervised practice of E.T.

• arrangements to ensure that trainees can identify and manage appropriately their personal involvement in (and contributions to) the process of their practice of E.T.

• introduction to a range of psychotherapies and counselling giving the trainees an awareness of alternative treatments.

• opportunities for trainees to develop the capacity to recognise severely disturbed clients.

• development  of ability to recognise when to seek other professional advice.

The Training Course

The length of training is appropriate to permit the consolidation and integration of theoretical knowledge and clinical experience. It shall not normally be less than four years.

 Each training course has a properly constituted body for the assessment of the students. Students functional competence is assessed by appropriate independent scrutiny.

• Written work and evidence of practice shall be available for scrutiny by assessors.

• The training course has mechanisms for safeguarding the rights of students including, student consultation, appeals and complaints procedures.

• The training course has a published selection of criteria and procedures.

•  The Foundation publishes a Code of Conduct and Ethics to which their members must adhere 

Training

The training course consists of five parts:

• Foundation
• Intermediate Stage
• Assessment
• Practice
• Viva Board

Foundation Course

The Foundation course is mainly devoted to understanding E.T. (Emotional Therapy) and exploring the techniques it uses. Among other things it looks at communication and listening skills, resistance and reluctance, blocks to self-disclosure, anger, guilt, shame, fear, pain, hurt and loss. It looks at the therapeutic relationship, confrontation, validation and emotional experience, healing the inner-child, bereavement, dream work, visualisation and imagery, masculine and feminine energy.

The Foundation course consists of ten days (usually five weekends spread over five months). It involves lectures, workshops and discussion. Students can expect to work individually, in pairs and in groups of differing sizes. Students are encouraged to keep a personal journal. They are required to keep a working record in which they chart their progress through the course and in which they can incorporate their notes and numerous handouts.  For those students wishing to continue, a presentation of 3000 words is required within two months of the end of the course. This is used to assess the student’s understanding of E.T. It is one of the factors taken into account when assessing the students suitability to be invited to become a Probationer Member of the Foundation. A discussion will also have taken place as to whether the student should undergo personal therapy to deal with unresolved personal issues.

Foundation students who do not wish to continue training as therapists may be invited to become Friends of the FET. As such, they receive newsletters and can participate in Foundation activities such as workshops, conferences etc.

Probationer Members are assigned a mentor who is an experienced Emotional Therapist. They are not allowed to practice in the name of the Foundation.

Intermediate Stage

This stage lasts a minimum of one year consisting of a number of training days and workshops which are designed to prepare the student to begin practising under supervision. During this time the students may, if appropriate, undergo personal therapy and are required to maintain their working record. As part of their personal development they are expected to read relevant literature and from this reading produce two book reviews, one of which must come from the recommended reading list. When the student and his/her mentor feel they are ready, they can be invited to attend an Assessment.

Assessment

This takes place over two days. The student is presented with a number of case histories and examined on how they would approach them as a therapist using E.T. techniques. The Assessor(s) involved will be unfamiliar to the students. Participation in Assessment does not mean automatic acceptance but if the assessor(s) feel that the student is ready s/he is invited to become a Practising Member of the Foundation.

A Practising Member has to obtain professional indemnity, malpractice and public liability insurance and is allocated a supervisor who is a Certified Member of the Foundation.

Over the next two years the student practices under supervision and builds up case histories. Finally the students presents four case histories to a Viva Board appointed by Council. Success at this stage leads to he student becoming a Certified Member and s/he will continue to have a supervisor for guidance and support.

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Copyright Jane Rochfort 2004.