Hannah McCarthy

I’m grateful to the UOS Inspiring Futures team and my lecturer who supported me in my undertaking of a trainee yoga therapy and addiction course that was outside the scope of my university degree but enhanced my understanding of addiction and will positively impact my future career.  

When my first academic year came to a close, I wanted to utilize the momentum I had gained to continue self-learning throughout the summer. Having financial support from the bursary team of £150 towards the training enabled me to commit to a four-day week course learning about the physiological, neurological and emotional experience of having a drug dependency and the process of recovery. This knowledge and experience provided skills for me to facilitate relational space for this client group through evidence-based practices such as yoga nidra, breathwork, movement, therapeutic relationship and spirituality within a group community.  

By being in a meaningful relationship with a psychotherapist / yoga therapist we navigated trauma, emotion, talk and movement, this integration conveyed what’s possible in the counselling realm. In my future career I want to be combining my skills as a counsellor with somatic movement therapy and this course provided insight as to how I might achieve this and create my relational model of counselling. I’m excited for the future.