From student to psychotherapist: An educational journey that should start at the University

EN DANNELSESREJSE, DER BØR STARTE PÅ UNIVERSITETET

Abstract

It is widely agreed that psychotherapy is a complex process that requires a vast amount of knowledge, skills, and responsibility on the part of the psychotherapist. Still, in the Danish education system, the master's psychology education is financed at the lowest rate. From an educational journey perspective (German: Bildung), we describe the University Clinic (UC) at Aalborg University as a case-example of how to teach and train psychotherapy practice to psychology students. By describing UC’s organization, including the psychodynamic treatment model, clinical supervision, and research, we
show how the UC’s learning model qualifies and prepares novice psychologists for the labor market. We argue that by using theory in practice, researching
in practice, reflecting on practice, and by using qualitative and quantitative methods, the students acquire both the expertise and critical thinking required to undertake psychotherapy in the clinical community. Psychology is both a scientifically based and justified study and a profession, in which the students must be educated broadly to master clinical judgment and professional ethics so that specific knowledge, skills, and competencies can be used for everyone’s best. To produce such essential learning processes and outcomes require financial investment in university psychology departments
but may, in turn, benefit psychotherapy clients and, therefore, society.