When deciding where to train as a psychotherapist over twelve years ago now, I shopped around. I diligently sent off for lots of glossy course brochures and visited open evenings at a number of well established training centres in London. Eventually my heart, imagination and a wish for a training with a more spiritual outlook led me to the residential training in Core Process Psychotherapy at the Karuna Institute in Devon (N.B. karuna is the Pali word for compassion). The training proved to be an intense and transformative experience. Since then I have maintained a steady psychotherapy practice in east London and continue to enjoy the support and friendship of peers I trained with all those years ago.
The Institute is based in a lovely old manor house in splendid isolation high on Dartmoor, up from Widecombe, a fantastically dramatic and beautiful landscape with big skies (think Thomas Hardy and you're there). It was a wonderful place to study. As students we lived together as a learning community, and a spiritual community (sangha) with time and space dedicated for contemplative practices including meditation to deepen enquiry. The training was and is academically and philosophically rigorous combining a depth study of western approaches to psychology with the profound wisdom of Buddhist teachings on self and suffering.
It's a demanding training and may not be the right training for everyone but if you are looking for a training in counseling or psychology that reaches beyond the personal and the psychological it's worth considering the programme of courses offered by the Institute.
The Karuna Institute run Diploma level courses , a three year MA course, a two year Post Qualification MA course and a two year course in Mindfulness Based Therapeutic Counselling. A good way to see if the approach suits is to do an introductory workshop. Details of these and other courses can be found on the Karuna Institute website( www.karuna-institute.co.uk ). Alternatively details may be obtained from Jacqui Aplin, Course Administrator on 01647 221457.
