Erin Rutherford

• Year of graduation: 2022
• Current job: School Counsellor at Girls’ Day School Trust

I chose to study at the University of Northampton because of its emphasis on the uniqueness of children and young people. I’d been a high school teacher for 20 years before starting the course and I wanted to continue working with this age group. I also appreciated that the programme offered an integrative approach that drew on solid research. I felt at ease with the course leaders during my interview and that they had much to offer.

Prior to completing my MSc course, I was a teacher in local and international schools in Canada, Taiwan, Tanzania and Saudi Arabia. I worked in a variety of educational roles including International Baccalaureate Coordinator and Safeguarding Lead, where I realised my passion was working with students and families on emotional questions. I’m now nearing retirement and feel that this is my last career change.

Of all aspects of the course, I enjoyed the lessons concerning family systems the most, because of how well I could see the theory underpinning my own family and the lives of the young people I’d worked with. This element has served me best in my current practice, but literally everything I learned in my degree is useful in my current role. Each child and family are different, so I need to draw on a variety of theories to best meet the needs of the person in front of me.

I also completed a placement as part of my course, which was with my previous employer, the British School Dhahran in eastern Saudi Arabia. I’d previously been their Safeguarding Lead, so I was familiar with the procedures and unique cultural milieu of its expatriate community. My role was to provide confidential counselling to children in Key Stages 3-5.

The placement benefitted me in that it allowed me to continue to work in a setting where I already knew my colleagues and could focus on improving my counselling technique. I grew in confidence providing online counselling and it allowed me to join the BACP, a professional organisation for counsellors and psychotherapists. Completing the placement was a mandatory requirement of graduation but it also allowed me to increase my confidence before starting paid employment.

The advice I’d give to a student about to begin a placement would be if you can, choose an organisation whose values are aligned with your own, especially in terms of your choice of counselling modalities and where you won’t feel rushed.

My studies have helped my career and personal development as they’ve taken me in a new direction that better aligns with my interests and allows for more flexible working hours than teaching. My studies also gave me a network of practitioners and new friends I can consult and with whom I can share best practice.

As well as working as a School Counsellor, I volunteer weekly with a winter homeless charity in Camden, getting to know guests to provide meals and meet accommodation needs.

How would I describe my UON experience? Empowering.