Left me disenchanted
HI Everyone,
It has taken me many many years to finally post about Karuna. The experience of training was not a pleasant one. I am hoping my concerns are no longer issues for the sake of ther people Here are my reasons for reviewing this organisation a 1:
1. We were never given any advanced reading, so there was no way to prepare like a normal Master's degree. I asked every time and was told, yes, yes. In three years it never happened.
2. When I asked academic questions that were challenging for the lecturer I was invalidated by being told, "You need to come out of your head".
3. We were required to do Kum Nye every morning a practice that involves breathing through the nose and mouth. I am asthmatic and breathing through the mouth made me feel horrible. I ignored this requirement and was not penalised, but I was pressured to continue.
4. My group was riddled with issues that the Institute did not address, such as the breaking of the contract that students could not have sexual relationships (yet one couple did not form and remained public about it the entire time, with no repercussions. Essentially, they did not uphold the boundaries that we were contractually obligated to.
Most notably the owners of the Institute were going through a divorce during my training, this was really uncomfortable for everyone (I guess life just happens, but it should be kept outside of the group). I was trying to find my voice and when I finally had the courage to speak, I was asked (privately) not to rock the boat further and silenced as they "couldn't deal with more challenges".
5. My therapist (as therapists had to be graduates of the school and their were limited numbers in London) was also a lecturer for another cohort. He would show up Sundays before my group ended and hang out with my group, making me feel beyond awkward. It was a terrible boundary breach and the therapist, was not in anyway compassionate to me about it in our requried psychotherapy. I would hide every Sunday to avoid him and leave my group.
6. I had really unpleasant experiences with two of their graduates that I used as therapists/supervisors. One was anti-semitic and not knowing I was jewish made some shocking comments (I did not know how to them tell her I was Jewish and ended up feeling very confused and felt I could not trust her). The other told me I could not be angry at her during an session (for changing the fees) and when I opted not to come back due to this pronouncement, she kept calling me to apologise. I had to get the institute to intervene to have her stop. A few years later when I needed records of working with her for psychotherapy required hours, she denied having had me as a client and I nearly had to take legal action. It left me concerned about what kind of people they train. This is not directly the Institute's fault, but it is something that is related to the quality of their training.
7. Finally, I just asked for a copy of my transcript and was told, they don't hold student records past 7 years. I have never heard an academic institution doing this. Yes, Middlesex accredit them and may give out the certificate, but it is still shocking. They washed their hands of helping me.
Until point 7, I have kept silent for 13 years, I decided to speak up. Maybe in the last 13 years things have improved. For me, they were bad enough that I switched my field of therapy and beyond my case studies never practiced core process.