Integration and congruence - can a counsellor and marketer sit in the same space together?

It’s been since 2017 when I left my career in marketing and pursued a career in counselling, kindof. From 2017, I began a diploma in clinical hypnotherapy, a three year diploma which I’m nearly finished. In 2018, I started a full-time postgraduate diploma in education (counselling). I wasn’t sure at the time if I would apply for the Master of Counselling. I was just doing what I needed to do to get into the Master’s programme (gaining 100 hours of practical counselling-type experience, taking lots of professional and personal courses). Completing the postgraduate diploma did not automatically get me entry into the Master’s programme. I needed to apply to enter this programme and complete a big application outlining how I met the prerequisites for the Master’s programme, attend an interview and have references checked - oh and make the grade point average for entry. I think that’s it?

Eventually, when I got accepted. I don’t say this like it was easy, or I knew I ‘had it in the bag’. I’m not like that. I was really humble about the whole thing because I’ve done the opposite before and, well, have experienced the let down. And, I really wasn’t sure if I would make it in or not. It was really hard to tell. I didn’t know who I was up against, and because this was a new field for me personally, I didn’t know really if I’d make the cut based on what I had done (maybe it wasn’t enough? That’s what I thought).

I’m telling you this because from the time that I stopped in marketing and swapped over to this career, I have been slowly pondering and just kindof letting the curiousity of how the heck would I make the most of the other master’s degree and the other experience I gained in my previous profession and mix it with my life now?

It’s taken me all this time until now.

Of course, I considered the most obvious, such as creating a website like this one, having my own business in the future. This is different from what I was thinking. I wanted to know now that I’ve realised in hindsight, whether there would be space in the counselling room for the marketer in me?

Today, as I walked my two dogs for our long daily walks (I’ve found fitness is a great way to pass the time, and super positive for wellbeing) while listening to Daryl Chow’s ‘The First Kiss’ on audio, I gained some insight after this lengthy 3-year reflective saga.

It’s ironic because last year I had supervision with Daryl Chow and he and I worked on supporting me to integrate, and feel okay and accept, me the marketer with me the counsellor. The irony is that today while listening to his book, I gained this deep insight into whether there was space in the counselling room for me the marketer.

The answer is a huge yes.

I’ve noticed over the past three years that there is a big overlap between some counselling models with business models. For instance, in pluralism, we work with clients to find goals, especially SMART goals (i.e., specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely). Additionally, the pure effort of finding goals, and changing these into tasks, or bite-sized steps of action towards the ultimate goal is, again, similar to business, communications and marketing plans. In marketing, I would work within my team following a marketing and communications plan. This plan would sit under a broader business strategy. We would also have our own strategy for our department. In marketing campaigns, I would ensure that I always considered my target market (in counselling, I check in with my client and alter my approach based on their preferences), and I would ensure that I outlined to my target market the call-to-action (CTA), or what they needed to do to gain the benefits I outlined to them. Same thing in counselling. By the end of a session, I work with them on summing our session up and finding out from them what they need to do next. Oh, in marketing I would gain customers’ feedback on services, products. I do the same thing in counselling, where I ask my client to ‘grade’ me using a Session Rating Scale (SRS). These are just some similarities, there are more. There is so much overlap!

What a relief. I don’t think it’s negative, personally, that there is overlap. In marketing, we used a lot of psychology and social sciences because we needed to understand our customers. A good counsellor will also work with the client and be client-directed. Counselling is about the client - it’s their therapy!

My brain loves practical stuff, and I also love emotions. It’s the best of both worlds!

So I suppose I am slowly integrating the sciences together, which I think is absolutely gorgeous. That’s what I want to achieve, and I want my clients to achieve, integration of all parts. For instance, we don’t want, for example, one ‘part’ of the client, the trauma-part, the child, the wound, for instance, left alone in one part of someone’s mind or being, or neglected, unloved, but allowed into the full mix of the client - integrated. Wounds and all. I suppose this has to do with self acceptance, but I think it’s deeper than this. I know as I’ve gone around the spiral a few, many times when it comes to integration, as I work on deeper levels I become more integrated. I fill these ‘parts’ with more love, it’s deeper, it’s quite beautiful.

Additionally, with congruence. This is another thing I really am conscious of, personally. I’m the same Chrissy when I work with my clients, deliver a podcast, talk with my mum on the phone, hang out with my son - although my roles are different as a counsellor, podcaster, daughter, and mother, for example. I am still the same Chrissy though. And I am learning and have learned (as I have gone around the spiral of healing) to identify through my feelings when my 'parts’ might need more love. Am I feeling scared? Where is this coming from? What do I need now? Is this my inner child? Am I staying true to my feelings right now, and, if not, I check in gently as to why. Am I being me, me, or just showing a little bit of me? Sometimes, this is a good solution, but I think it’s about being aware. And then I have learned and am still learning (because I’m human) to tend to what I need so I stay congruent, still me, still Chrissy.

So, yes, I think there is room for both marketer and counsellor in the same space, and I can take the parts that overlap and use my experiences and education from my background as I learn how these sciences fit together - kindof like a symphony. I like it when this stuff happens, this integration, congruence stuff. It’s kindof neat.

Take good care x