Manaal’s
international
move reaps
career benefits

Meaningful career

Manaal’s passion for psychotherapy developed while she was still at school: “When I was in high school, my peers would often come to me with their problems, and I realised I had a knack for making them feel heard and supported. Empathy and active listening came easily to me – and practising psychotherapy allows me to be a meaningful part of a person’s life.”

The course at Derby appealed to Manaal because it is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and offered more affordable international fees than other universities. Having studied her undergraduate course at a British university in Dubai, she felt it made sense to continue her studies in British education.

Supporting study

Membership of the BACP has already proved to be a benefit to Manaal, providing information and resources that are expanding her knowledge and supporting her masters study: “I receive a monthly journal and access to Continuing Professional Development on themes such as working with race and diversity, and the changing landscape of counselling in schools.”

Manaal enjoys the integrative approach of her studies. The course combines three therapeutic disciplines – attachment theory, cognitive behaviour theory and person-centred therapy. “By combining elements drawn from different schools of psychological theory and research, integrative therapy becomes a more flexible and inclusive approach to treatment than more traditional, singular forms of therapy.”

The course includes 300 hours of clinical practice hours. Manaal is on placement as a trainee psychotherapist at a private practice offering low-cost therapy, and also at a charity for eating disorders. “This wealth of client-facing hours, backed up with theory and classroom practice, gives me so many opportunities to enhance my skills.”