Back in March 2023, the Trade Union Congress (TUC, 2023), revealed that two fifths of public sector workers were thinking of leaving their profession. This begs the question which professions could be attractive alternatives in today’s uncertain economic landscape? Many, such as teachers, may simply be making a side-step to their private counterparts. “However, we’ve noticed many public sector employees training for a new career within counselling and psychotherapy”, says Ivan Tyrrell, director and co-founder of the Human Givens College. “They like the fact the Human Givens approach is easy to understand, doesn’t force psychobabble on them and usually gets results quickly that can be measured.”
“We have people training with us from backgrounds including the Police, NHS, civil servants and education” adds diploma course tutor and head of supervision, Jo Baker. “Once they have completed their diploma in psychotherapy they may go on to be employed by charities, schools and universities, set up as self-employed therapists in private practice, or do a mixture of both. Some still continue to work within the public sector, putting their new skills to use there.”
The Human Givens is a pragmatic approach to counselling where the focus is firmly on helping clients and patients feel better as soon as possible. It incorporates evidence-based techniques including Rewind, extensively used to help treat veterans with PTSD, and guided imagery, which has been successfully used within competitive sports for many years.
Easy Cross Over
“One reason why HG counselling is so attractive to those within the public sector, is that it shares many of the same values, such as a commitment to service and improving society,” says Tyrrell. “Likewise, many of the qualities that are needed for public sector, such as the desire to help, patience, ethical standards, treating people with dignity, and good people skills, stand HG practitioners in good stead while training and beyond.”
Baker adds, “we’ve also noticed that those from the public sector are often extremely organised with their studies, and that their background or training really helps them seek to understand and embrace the nuances and complexities of human beings.”
For more information on training with the Human Givens, visit https://www.humangivens.com/college/
