We pride ourselves on being one of the leading psychodynamic counselling and training organisations in the South-West. We have recently celebrated 40 years of establishment!

As a charity we provide affordable, accessible, accredited counselling and psychotherapy across Frome, Bath, Bristol, Street and surrounding areas.

As an organisation we aim to provide a vibrant, supportive, inclusive space for our students, trainees, clinicians and staff to grow both personally and professionally.

Training takes place at our premises in the heart of Frome, Somerset, where we have 5 counselling rooms and a dedicated training suite with an extensive library. Our building is fully accessible with disabled facilities, a stair lift and hearing loop.

Wessex Training provides a ladder of training from the introductory courses in psychodynamic counselling skills through to professional training in counselling and psychotherapy, as well as post qualifying training in areas such as Counselling Children and Young People in Educational and Community Settings.

We also have a lively programme of workshops and seminars for personal and professional development. 

Each stage of the training can build onto the next one for those wishing to pursue a career in counselling or psychotherapy, or can be undertaken as a stand-alone course and qualification.

Psychodynamic

Psychodynamic focuses on how early experience in life shapes our psychological development. The resulting thoughts and desires, fears, anxieties and fantasies can be a major influence on our adult selves and our relationships. This is not always obvious however and often we are barely aware of it. 

Becoming aware of these unconscious, mental processes is an important way to live a more fulfilling life. Once we understand unhelpful patterns of behaviour, we can accept more of ourselves and the life we have already led. We can also begin to make new decisions – decisions to change.

Psychodynamic derives from the work of Freud, particularly in regard to the unconscious. The idea of the formation and operation of the unconscious is our psyche represses unpleasant or forbidden material – discomfort, traumas, unacceptable fantasies, etc – so that we do not consciously think of them.

The role of the psychodynamic counsellor is to offer responses and interpretations that enable the client to understand their behaviour and feelings in these terms.