Holding Space & Trusting the Process: A Career in Counselling and Therapy
Reading Time: 11 Minutes
Career paths are rarely straightforward, and for many professionals working in peoplecentred roles, the journey is shaped as much by life experience as by formal education. For this selfemployed therapist in private practice, their career has evolved through a blend of academic study, international living, selfreflection, and a strong commitment to understanding people and wellbeing.
Alongside the therapeutic work sits another reality that is often overlooked: running a business. Being selfemployed means managing finances, administration, compliance, time, and professional development, all while maintaining professional and ethical standards. These responsibilities form a substantial part of daytoday practice and require organisation, communication, adaptability, and a strong sense of accountability.
Therapy itself is also frequently misunderstood from the outside. While the work may appear quiet or passive, it requires deep presence, emotional intelligence, ethical responsibility, and consistent selfcare. Balancing client work with supervision, business management, and personal wellbeing is a fundamental part of the role — holding space not only for others, but for yourself.
In the interview below, our employer shares honest insight into the daytoday reality of working as a therapist, the transferable skills developed through selfemployment and how trusting the process has shaped their journey from university to private practice.
Sue Pickett
Role: Self-Employed Therapist (Private Practice)
Sector: Counselling & Therapy / Wellbeing & Mental Health
Degree: Business & HRM (UG) / MBA / Postgraduate Counselling & Therapy
A Day in the Life
Could you walk us through a typical day in your job? From the moment you log in to the end of the day – what does it look like?
A Typical day for me as a self-employed therapist in private practice typically starts with checking my email. Firstly, to see if there are any immediate changes to my diary due to rescheduling or cancellations, there are times that something comes up and that assists in gaining an understanding of what my day will look like. I like to respond to new enquires as soon I can and I make this a priority. I structure my week depending on which day it is, as a counsellor in practice we need to see a supervisor every month to ensure we feel we are practicing ethically and discuss anything that might be on our mind.
The side of running a business and keeping up to date with all of the paperwork that this involves as well as keeping up to date with all of the paperwork that is required for my governing body is the side of the job that most people do not see, however is crucial in the running of it all. On the days that I do not have a full day of client work I spend time on the admin side to feel up to date on progress of clients, my own personal development and the business side of my role.
When I am finished with my client work for the day I am usually in need of some calm so tend not to open my laptop again until the next day if I can avoid it, which of course I am not always very good at.
Job Title vs Reality
What is the biggest difference between what people think your job is and what it is actually like?
This is something that I find interesting, I have had many different reactions when I share with people what it is that I do, some believe that I just sit there and nod and listen, some think that I ‘solve’ the problem, neither of which is completely accurate.
The main role for me is to create a safe space, be present with my client. Paying attention to the somatic identifiers whilst also staying in a regulated state myself so that I can pick up on the unconscious narratives that may be presenting themselves. I ensure that we are staying in the here and now to pay attention to the relational dynamics between us whilst I also need to track any risks that may arise.
I also want to able to be fully present so that I can understand key sentences or words to succinct that I am really here and understand but also challenge if it feels okay to do so, which can lead to creating a space that at times we can open up alternative ways to look at what is going on for them.
Being a therapist is so much more than listening, it would be amazing to have a study to show this, however more importantly the most essential part of being therapist is confidentially which is something I value greatly.
The Best Part
What is the most exciting or rewarding part of your job? Is there a project or moment that you are particularly proud of?
This is a difficult question for me as I’m sure you have gathered by now that for me, it is not a typical job and in terms of the most important aspect of my job it is not measured by projects, but by my presence with clients.
However, without a doubt the most rewarding part of my job is when a client has worked incredibly hard and gone to those hard-to-reach places, which have in turn changed their life and how they feel they can live it in a way that feels accepting and fulfilling for them. In both as personal and professional Lense that is the moment I always feel deeply privileged to be a part of.
However, from a professional perspective I am involved with a local Women’s Aid which I assisted in setting up the counselling service within during my own training. With tracking some of my clinical progress during that time the service managed to secure funding for counselling hours to provide the service on a more permanent basis which has been exciting.
We have an open day there soon and it is lovely that the counselling service can now be a part of any service users’ journey through the service if they wish it to be.
The Biggest Challenge
What is the most challenging aspect of your role? What is one problem you often have to solve?
For me, if I am completely honest it is looking after myself. Self-care in an incredibly important part of my role, life moves around work however finding balance of what I need is a challenge in amongst it all. Holding a space very carefully for my clients can easily lead to burn out, I have found that moving my body daily (I sit down A LOT) is essential.
I do reformer Pilates and running (well maybe we should say jogging) with little moments of joy in between. That might be a coffee with a friend or time with my family, filling the energy up is vital however can often be the most challenging part of my job.
The Skills & Journey
Essential Skills
Beyond technical knowledge, what is a soft skill that you use every single day that you think is crucial for success in your role?
I think again this is a difficult question for me, in my role as a therapist it is made up of the soft skills that most might see as an optional extra in more technically centric roles.
If you think of the top soft skills which employers see as essential for career development. Communication, problem solving, adaptability and flexibility, emotional intelligence, time management and organisation, leadership, work ethic and dependability, these are what I might refer to as my hard skills. They are all essential for my work, and each have a main role.
However, if I need to choose one, communication is essential for me. Articulating ideas clearly, actively listening whilst working collaboratively with my client is essential to the autonomy of the therapeutic relationship and ultimately the success of it.
The Unexpected Skill
Is there a skill you learned in a completely different context that you now use in your professional life?
My undergraduate education was in international business and human resource management, which has really assisted me in the business side of my work. However, the most surprising skill I have now been (trying) to use is the accounts class I studies as part of my MBA.
At the time I found that to be excruciating, and the exams were so difficult, however having minimal understanding has assisted in my approach to my business that I thought would never be useful.
In the same way when I am in the therapy room and refer to the ‘dot to dot’ where we essentially map out all of the important and at times what feel less important moments from our lives to finally create the full picture, in the end things finally link up and make sense, that’s one for me now.
From University to Now: Could you tell us a bit about your current journey from university to your current role? What was your degree, and how did you end up here?
I always wanted to be a lawyer; I loved the idea of wearing a suit to work every day and being in the corporate wheel. I started off studying politics and law. I was less confident then and one not great grade in law made me step out and change directions, finally settling on Business and HRM. By then I worked part time at Zara in lower management role alongside university and loved fashion so focused on that with the intention of doing a masters in something in that area.
Life has a funny way of working itself out, my then boyfriend (now husband) landed a role in Amsterdam. I went over to take some time out after my degree before I started my masters. 12 years later, living in multiple countries in Europe and the middle east and two children in tow changed that plan. I am very grateful that my life took me in that direction, I have had the privilege of meeting people from all walks of life and been able to immerse myself in cultures I would of otherwise missed completely. For me that is the real value and contributes to my ability to connect to people.
During that time, I studied my MBA, although psychology was what I wanted to do I settled on the psychology of business, still interesting to me. After the before mentioned accountancy module I decided that perhaps this was not the direction that I wanted to go in. I knew I loved people and after years of being I the company of business owners, leaders and diplomats during my time abroad I decided that the most important thing for me is the people and the wellbeing of them. I studied my post graduate and as they say the rest is history.
The One Thing: If you could go back and give your university-student self-one piece of career advice, what would it be?
It is never too late and trust the process. I have come to realise that these old sayings that we have heard repeatedly for the most part have some meaning and truth to them. When I was a student, I felt overwhelmed and at times directionless, that might have been due to life moving around me however I also think unless you are very sure of what you want it is very hard to take the path where the directions make the most perfect sense to you.
I was very concerned about what my peers were doing and how I felt in the end that in fact I did not have it all figured out just yet. I had lots of fun at university and I worked hard, although for a time I felt my degree was irrelevant it has given me so many tools that have helped me along the way which I am incredibly grateful for. I have created a life that I am proud of even if I did not get there in the way my student self-thought that I would.
The Fun & the Future
Fun Fact: What is a fun surprising fact about your industry that most students wouldn’t know?
The depth of our training and the space that we hold for our client is heavy, careful and a privilege. However, what might surprise some people, that we are human and when it’s appropriate it can feel lighter and we can laugh in sessions together. For me, meeting the person where they are who is sitting Infront of me can be surprising and unpredictable and on some occasions fun. The connection and safety of the space can create these moments that make the relationship more meaningful.
Tools of the Trade: What’s a tool, app, or piece of technology that you can’t image doing your job without?
Supervision. When you have space that is confidential to share some of the heaviness that comes with my job it is essential, and although my MBA accounting module helped me understand it more QuickBooks app is essential as it minimises the time that I need to make for my administrative duties. Having a therapist’s heart makes it at times challenging to have a business head, this tool makes it easier to track the finance side of things.
Future of the Job: Looking ahead, how do you see your role or industry changing in the next 5–10 years? What new skill do you think will be important?
AI is going to have an impact on the way my industry is led. I already see a rise in the individuals psycho education and with that the want for more in the room. As much as I’m sure these things are incredibly valuable and can help with understanding the process of how we can get to where we need to be it cannot do it for you. In the same way I do not ‘tell’ people what to do in the counselling room, my belief is that neither can AI. Nothing can change how it feels when you are met with a person who is trying to understand your life in your frame of reference whilst creating a space that feels authentic and with genuine empathy, that is where the real change can happen and it can be incredibly empowering. I also believe that there is beginning very slowly to be less stigma around counselling which is incredible. I work with students often and I greatly admire the way that they are taking charge of their mental health in a way that I hope feels safe for them. No stigma.
The Myth Busting Question: What’s a common myth or misconception about your job or industry that you would like to set straight for students?
I think in terms of the work, that people often think that therapy can be a sign of weakness or only suitable for people with severe issues. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Seeking therapy requires significant strength, courage and self-awareness to address personal challenges. Whilst therapy can be useful for anyone experiencing trauma of some kind, Therapy is also useful for anyone dealing with daily stress, life transitions or looking to improve their overall wellbeing.
If anyone is looking to embark on a career in the field, developing your own sense of self within the training and grasping a deeper understanding of yourself is essential to being able to be there for our clients, and ultimately for yourself. As I said before. Trust the process, we are all a work in progress and perhaps the biggest myth of all, just because I hold space for others to figure it all out does not mean that I always do.
What Skills are you Developing
Sue’s journey highlights how people-focused careers rely on strong interpersonal skills, self-awareness, and the ability to manage both emotional and practical responsibilities.
Her experience also shows that careers are rarely linear—skills are built over time through life experience, reflection, and adapting to new situations.
These are not just counselling skills—you are likely already developing them through your studies, relationships, and everyday experiences.
Reflect on your Experience
- When have you supported or actively listened to someone in a meaningful way?
- How do you manage your own time, workload, and wellbeing
- When have you had to adapt to uncertainty or a change in direction?
- How have you demonstrated professionalism or handled sensitive situations?
- What experiences have helped you better understand yourself and others?
- Which of these skills do you feel most confident in—and which would you like to develop further?