"Finding My Place in Counselling Psychology: An International Journey to the Doctorate” - Ashley Brown, Trainee Counselling Psychologist.

Hello everyone

We have the pleasure of a second blog post today! Ashley Brown, Trainee Counselling Psychologist, is paving a way through reflection, connection, and speaking up for Black women, mental health, and stigma-an area which deserves much more attention and support. What an inspiring read!

  "Finding My Place in Counselling       Psychology: An International   Journey to the Doctorate” -                              Ashley Brown, 

Trainee Counselling Psychologist

My journey toward training as a Counselling Psychologist didn’t begin in a classroom; it began at home. When I was a child, my parents became foster carers. Growing up in a fostering household meant I was exposed early to the realities of trauma, instability, resilience, and emotional complexity. I saw how differently children responded to hardship and how behaviour often held a deeper story underneath it. I didn’t yet have psychological language for what I was witnessing, but I developed a quiet, lasting curiosity about people: how they cope, how they adapt, and how care can make a difference. Looking back, that environment planted the seed for the work I do now.

I grew up in Houston, Texas, and completed my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in the United States. I did not begin with a fixed plan to become a psychologist. I initially considered a career in social work, but after taking elective psychology classes in my first year, something clicked. The subject felt like a natural fit to me; intellectually engaging, personally meaningful, and closely connected to the kinds of human questions I had always been drawn to. From that point on, my direction became clearer.

After graduating, I didn’t move directly into doctoral training. Instead, I chose to gain broader life and work experience and moved to Melbourne, Australia in search of adventure before beginning graduate school. There, I worked in several people-facing roles that were not labelled as “clinical,” but were deeply relational. These roles taught me how systems operate, how support is delivered in real-world settings, and how often emotional needs appear in everyday environments. Alongside this, my own experiences in personal therapy were significant and helped confirm that therapeutic work was where I felt most aligned. While in Australia, I also met my now husband, who is Scottish, which ultimately shaped my decision about where to continue my postgraduate training.

My path eventually brought me to Scotland, where I was accepted onto a Master’s degree in Health Psychology. The programme strengthened my academic and research foundations and helped prepare me for the demands of doctoral-level study. Through my Master’s training in Health Psychology, I gained strong research and behavioural science foundations, but I realised my strongest pull was toward therapeutic relationship work and longer-term psychological change. Counselling Psychology’s philosophical stance felt closer to my values and how I understand distress and healing.

I was especially drawn to Counselling Psychology’s pluralistic and socially aware ethos, its attention to meaning, culture, power, and collaboration, and its openness to multiple ways of understanding distress rather than a single model.

Starting the doctorate was both exciting and emotionally demanding. At the same time as beginning training, I was planning my wedding, working, building placement hours, and adjusting to the expectations of doctoral-level study. There was a period of feeling stretched in multiple directions while also attempting to find my footing within the programme. Learning what was expected of me academically, clinically, and professionally, was a steep but valuable learning curve.

One pivotal moment when I felt truly certain I was in the right place, came during my first-year research project on barriers to Black mental health support-seeking. As a Black woman in training, this topic felt both professionally and personally meaningful. My interests were not only welcomed but actively supported by staff and that encouragement mattered deeply to me. It helped me see that my voice, background, and research focus had a place within the field. As someone from a background that is still underrepresented within the profession, that support felt especially significant. Since then, continuing research focused on Black women’s mental health and stigma, has been one of the most meaningful aspects of my training.

Clinical practice has been equally formative. Sitting across from clients week after week has taught me that therapy is less about perfect technique and more about presence, collaboration, humility, and repair. Training has helped me develop an integrative and pluralistic stance, guided by each client’s goals and lived context rather than a rigid theoretical position.

When I reflect on what I am most proud of so far, it is not one single milestone but a combination of things: contributing research that centres underrepresented voices, sustaining demanding clinical hours alongside doctoral work, and continuing to grow into a psychologist whose practice is grounded in values, reflexivity, and social awareness.

Doctoral training is not only about acquiring skills, it is about being shaped by the process. Supervision, mentorship, and personal therapy have all been essential parts of that growth.

If I could offer any advice to prospective trainees, it would be this: your path does not need to be linear to be valid. Lived experience, cultural perspective, and personal motivation are strengths in this profession, not distractions from it. Build your support network early, stay close to the questions that matter to you, and do not wait to feel fully ready before you take the next step.

My path into Counselling Psychology has not been linear, but it has been deeply rooted in early experiences of care, cultural awareness, and a commitment to meaningful psychological work. If your own path feels indirect, uncertain, or evolving, that may not be a weakness. It may be preparation.

Thank you Ashley for sharing your reflections. Hearing how you found your place in Counselling Psychology, and were offering a voice to so many areas of psychology previously neglected, is inspiring and humbling. We wish you every success in your career.

Maybe Ashley's experience reminds you of your journey- get in touch to add your blog entry.

Kind regards,

The Pathways Team.