I’m Done My Professional Counselling Diploma!

It’s been a week since I finished my PCD Professional Counselling Diploma, and I still can’t quite believe what I’ve been through. An amazing journey, one I don’t regret for a single second.

But first, let me tell you a little about this program, because it’s truly special.

Rhodes Wellness College was founded by Beverly Rhodes in 1996 in Vancouver, when she noticed that mental health professionals were being trained academically but not actually equipped to practice. She wanted to transform that. She wanted to create a hands-on, experiential learning environment that gave students both the theoretical knowledge and the practical skills to guide people toward holistic wellness.

And that’s exactly what I experienced.

This might “only” be a diploma, but here’s the thing: I genuinely believe that if I had gone straight into a master’s in counselling, I would never have actually learned how to counsel. Isn’t that ironic? Soft skills, the kind that make a counsellor good, aren’t something most people just have naturally. And they absolutely cannot be learned from a textbook. You have to practice them. You have to live them.

Here’s how the program worked: in each class, my classmates and I would counsel each other. We’d learn the skills theoretically, then immediately practice them on one another, which meant we were simultaneously the counsellors and the clients. In a way, we all did about a year and a half of therapy on ourselves.

I had done a lot of inner work over the previous 20 years, which was mostly self-help. I never really had the money for actual counselling, and in France, “counsellors” isn’t a job that exist, so I didn’t even know what I was missing. There might also have been a part of me that believed “no one can really help me.” These 18 months of school, in the client seat, were some of the most healing I’ve ever done. I learned so much about myself, healed so much, and grew so much.

And as a counsellor-in-training, we practiced skills from across the spectrum: the core basics like listening, acknowledging, validating, reflecting, and offering genuine empathy, all the way to tools from CBT, DBT, Narrative therapy, EFT, somatic approaches, and even spiritual frameworks, which honestly felt like coming home for me, since that’s been part of my path for a long time.

None of this could have been learned from a textbook. I really believe that. Practice should be mandatory. It’s like training a chef without ever letting them near a kitchen, or an architect without ever letting them build anything. Can you imagine?! The most important skills in counselling, and honestly, in being a decent human being in general, are the soft skills. Being able to truly offer empathy. Making someone feel less alone. Helping them feel seen and heard, perhaps for the first time.

Now that I’m back to my old routine, working on my own business again, I’m being tested every day, and I can already see the fruits of this work.

The biggest shift I notice? I’m building my self-worth. I’m not letting negative thoughts pull me under as easily, even when they do. And what used to feel like “bad things happening to me” no longer defines me the way it used to. I’m still working on this but I see a shift.

A couple of months ago, I wasn’t accepted as a TA (Teacher Assistant) for my practicum. In the past, that would have sent me spiraling: no one loves me, I’m not good enough, the whole story. But when it happened this time, I didn’t let it define me. I actually saw it as being redirected somewhere better.

Same thing now, as I look at my business and notice I don’t have as many clients as I’d hoped. Instead of panicking or collapsing into self-doubt, I’m curious about it. I don’t let it define me. I know it’s pushing me to go find my people, even if that part still feels a little scary, I’ll admit. 😉 There’s still something there for me to learn. And I’m okay with that.

Good luck, bad luck, who knows?

So what’s next for me? The last important step: joining a counselling association so that my clients can use their health benefits with me. Only then will I truly feel like I’ve arrived.

And then, keep going. Become the best counsellor I can be. Keep teaching mindfulness and self-compassion. Get back to writing here, which I’ve missed deeply these past few months. And finish my book, Self-Wholeness.

Life keeps changing. I’m ready.

And if any of this resonates with you, if you’re curious about counselling, wellness, or a career that’s actually built around helping people heal, I genuinely recommend Rhodes. They also offer a Professional Integrative Nutrition diploma, a brand new RMT program, a Life Skills Coaching certificate, a Professional Animal-Assisted Wellness Therapy diploma, and an End-of-Life certificate. Something for everyone who feels called to this kind of work.

As we used to say at school: “You don’t choose Rhodes, Rhodes chooses you.”

If you feel the pull, trust it. It won’t necessarily be easy. But it will be worth it.

🌱 If you’re struggling with your mental and emotional health, you’re not alone. I’m now offering counselling sessions, and I’d be honoured to support you on your path. Reach out anytime 🙂 Contact me

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