Help Narissi qualify as a Psychotherapist

Hi there! My name is Narissi and I'm fundraising to help me qualify as a Psychotherapist.

 

I am now in the third year of my Post-Graduate Qualification in Mindfulness Based Core Process Psychotherapy. I'm training at the
Karuna Institute, which is a not for profit educational institution based in Dartmoor and Bristol, England. My course is four years long, and following graduation I am working towards accreditation with UKCP (U.K. Council for Psychotherapy).

For many of us who work within mental health, we get into the field of work because we have faced our own personal hardships. It is important for us as trainees to recognise and reconcile these parts of ourselves. I have attended my own psychotherapy for the last 5 years.
These weekly appointments alongside lectures, skills practice and group-enquiry have created the conditions for me to grow and evolve in ways that otherwise may not have been possible. I grew up in a family with addiction, conflict, low income, and a lot of complex trauma. For the opportunity to be a part of this training, I am truly grateful.

I don't have any awards or medals to show for what I have achieved, as what I have achieved so far is mainly on the inside, and a little bit personal :-) but I can assure you I am devoted to the path of wholly being able to help another.

I feel very proud of what I have overcome, and the person I have grown into in my two years training as a psychotherapist so far. This year I will start to see my first clients, and I am very much looking forward to stepping into the official role as a clinical practitioner.

I recognise I have more advantage than many people to be standing where I am today. Sadly people from less advantaged backgrounds cannot complete training courses such as these, nor can they easily tend to their mental health. I believe we need a greater diversity in the world of psychotherapy and greater access to mental health. As a practitioner this is something I will stand for - everyone should be able to access long term, high quality therapy regardless of their economic situation.

Covid-19 has been a really tough time for us all. The pandemic resulted in my losing stable employment in 2020, and I was unemployed for one year. As you can expect, this really threw a curve ball at my financial arrangements to pay for my course. The current job market is awful, and it's been difficult for me to find working hours and a salary that match my requirements. It is not possible for me to be working full time whilst transitioning into clinical practice, and also attending all of my training programme.

I have recently started working 4 days a week for a wonderful charity that helps women in crisis, however the salary just about covers my living expenses, but not my training expenses.

In order to become fully accredited by UKCP, I need to gain approximately 450 clinical hours. I volunteer these hours in my free time around my working hours. My tuition fees alone are £4,295 per year, but I have many more hidden expenses. I am required to attend weekly psychotherapy appointments as a client which costs me £250 a month. For clinical practice I attend Supervision which costs me another £250 a month. That's around £6,000 per year. On top of that I have to buy many books each year, often obscure titles which can cost up to £40 for just one book.

In order for me to reach accreditation I will need to pay approximately £20,500. My starting goal is to raise £4,000, Any amount will help.

 

• £4,295 pays one year of tuition fees
• £350 pays for one month of tuition fees
• £50 pays one week of psychotherapy
• £50 also pays one week of supervision
• £20 - £40 allows me to buy a book
• £10 allows me to take an hour off of my admin job and give someone one hour of psychotherapy.
• £5 allows me to travel to my appointments

 

I am looking to raise the funds as soon as possible as my tuition for the year is already starting. I'm hoping to secure at least 80% by January 2022. 

I am deeply, deeply appreciative of anyone's generosity, more than words can say. I hope to give back to the world my means of helping many people out of a difficult place in their lives, back into health.

 

Again, I thank you for the time you have taken out of your life to read about my cause today.

 

-Narissi