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Student motivations for undertaking a child and adolescent psychotherapeutic counselling course

ABSTRACT Tutors of a child and adolescent psychotherapeutic counselling programme undertook a thematic analysis of five student assignments, from the same student cohort, designed to investigate their motives for undertaking the course. The assignments were thematically analysed utilising ideas derived from consensual qualitative research and narrative inquiry. The stories suggest that students identify relational adversity in childhood or adolescence, manifestation of emotional distress, restorative experience of relationship and being available for relationship as being key factors in their motivations to become therapists. Additionally there were both commonalities and differences when compared to existing literature concerning motivations of therapists who do not intend to work with children. These findings have implications for therapists, supervisors, educators and accreditors of counsellors and psychotherapists.