Zig-zag journey to Counselling Psychology- the benefits of life-experience

Hello everyone and welcome to our next instalment of the Pathways to Psychology blog. Today we hear from Marios Georgiou, a second year Counselling Psychology Doctorate trainee from City St George's, University of London. Marios highlights an important point- that not all Psychologists come to Psychology as their first or even second careers, and that there is great benefit in the life skills and experiences which accompanies a Psychologist throughout their career. We hope you will find Marios' journey an inspiration.

Marios Georgiou

A ZIGZAG TO THERAPY: MY JOURNEY TO TRAINING AS A COUNSELLING

PSYCHOLOGIST

My path to training as a Counselling Psychologist has been anything but a straight line. Becoming a Psychologist was one of my first ambitions even as a child, but a lot of things got in the way (mainly me) and I started the journey later than I could have. Ultimately, this was a good thing.

EARLY EXPERIENCES

I can see how my early interests working with people helped shape my interest in a person-centred approach. During my time at Camp America, I spent a summer as a Science Counsellor (not therapeutic, just delivering sessions to campers in my topic) working with children and young adults with learning difficulties and autism spectrum disorder. What stayed with me was that they taught me a lot about honesty and patience. The kids would sometimes say something so direct and striking, like they saw right through me, and it made me pause and wonder why their honesty so struck me? What had they revealed and why wouldn't I personally say it so directly? 

Working as a Student Support Worker at Queen Mary and Royal Holloway Universities taught me lessons about meeting people where they are. Taking notes for students with learning difficulties and physical impairments required more than transcribing - it demanded understanding each student's needs. I learned to develop what I now recognise as an alliance, maintaining that delicate balance between professional support and connection. They did not need to be coddled, they just needed support. These experiences laid the groundwork for understanding the fundamentals of connection. The core principle from these remained the same: seeing and responding to the individual in front of you.

THE DETOUR &TURNING POINT

In 2012, after studying molecular biology at undergrad, I found myself in need of something more personally meaningful than working in the lab. I was drawn into the world of intellectual property (or "IP", i.e. patents, copyrights, etc.) and did a Master's degree in it; then, I spent nearly a decade working with startups and companies in technologies across AI, drug discovery, and life sciences. I thought this was a step up because I got to help protect scientists' inventions. 

My curiosity then led me to pursue the MSc Psychology (conversion) at Birkbeck, while working in IP. The more I learned about Psychology the more I realised it was innately fascinating. It was a pleasure to learn. It became clear that my future lay in bridging these two worlds, ultimately leading me to my current journey as a trainee Counselling Psychologist at City St George's. 

The thread that connected all these experiences is connection. In 2023, the Person-Centred approach I'd found the value of at camp and support was the one I practised in my first year on the DPsych at City St George's, University of London.

MY CURRENT PRACTICE

In my role as a trainee Counselling Psychologist, whether I'm working with clients dealing with limerence (strong emotions and feelings), anxiety, self-esteem issues, or intrusive thoughts, I'm reminded that each person's experience is what I'm trying to appreciate and be with above all else in the session. The skills I developed in those early roles - adaptability, empathy, and the ability to create safe spaces for vulnerability - now form the foundation of my therapeutic approach. Somehow, my seemingly disparate experiences have converged into something meaningful. I still enjoy working with researchers and inventors ad hoc, mainly because I like studying the patterns - not just in the technologies being developed, but in the psychological processes driving creativity and resilience.

THE DOCTORATE EXPERIENCE

Now in my second year, I've begun developing my practice and am psychodynamically minded. I consider my previous career a strength, so I'm glad I took my time getting here. I know what it's like being a Londoner with a 9-5, trying to climb the corporate ladder, dealing with the politics of work. This is a new world for me now. The DPsych has been challenging and transformative. What initially drew me to this programme was its integration of Humanistic values with rigorous academic training. I have two placements, one NHS and one private practice, which give me diverse experiences in terms of clients and presentations. One thing that is a real strength of the Counselling Psychology Doctorate is being able to choose your placements more flexibly, though the fact they're usually unfunded and you need to find them yourself are real hurdles.I'll admit that even though the Clinical Psychology Doctorate was enticing because of the funding and prestige of making it through the application process, I envy very little about the course otherwise.

CHALLENGES AND REWARDS

The transition from the corporate world to full-time training presented significant barriers. Balancing clinical placements, academic demands, and personal therapy whilst maintaining financial stability required careful planning and resilience. It's a continuous balancing act. The leap from intellectual property to psychological practice meant developing an entirely new professional identity—an unsettling and liberating process.

The training itself has deepened my understanding of multiple modalities, helping me recognise how my own history shapes my clinical work. Group supervision has been particularly valuable,offering a space where theory meets practice and where I've begun to develop my therapeutic stance and curiosity. For those considering this path, please know you can come to this at a later time if you can't quite commit yet, and this delay will likely work in your benefit as it has for me.

Thank you Marios for sharing your experiences. You share an important and valuable reminder of the need for connection and meaning-making in our roles as Psychologists. To truly understand another person can be a challenge but is always also a privilege.

We hope you enjoyed reading about Marios' experiences. Maybe it made you reflect on your own career or perhaps fueled a curiosity to learn more about Psychology. Take a look at our blog for examples of other inspiring Practitioner colleagues, and get in touch if you were a trainee or qualified Practitioner Psychologist, PWP, Counsellor, Psychotherapist or Mental Health Nurse. It would be great to share your stories and inspire the Psychologists of the future. 

Kind regards,

The Pathways team.