This month, Fiona Cook PTSTA, one of the Directors of Physis Scotland reflects on endings, with a focus on the ending of our academic year and in particular the stepping down of our esteemed colleague and friend Barbara Clarkson as Director of Physis Training.
I wonder what your thoughts and feelings around endings might be? I imagine they will be linked to the many and varied endings we all experience throughout our lives; and how we feel about endings will be linked to our experience of the experience, if you understand what I mean. Whatever our experience, endings always involve change and something different happening from that time onwards.
So, speaking personally and generally, in the past I have often found endings quite tricky as there have been many endings in my life that I have had no control over. Endings that have not been my choice or decision, when my life and feelings have been affected by the decisions of others or the universe and I have had to regroup and take my life in a different direction.
So, are there ever ‘good’ endings? Or are they all ‘bad’? Does how I categorise or feel about them depend on whether it is my choice to initiate the ending or if they are planned well in advance? Possibly. But maybe not as there are so many variables to consider in each and every ending we experience. So how can I consider each ending in their own way and also consider the beginnings and opportunities every ending brings for me and others, so that I can feel and experience what I am feeling and experiencing without dread or reproach. Definitely a re-decision for me!
This last weekend at Physis Scotland we had many endings. Firstly, it was the final training weekend of the academic year and our Foundation year students completing their first year. For some, the decision to end their journey had been made at the beginning. They only ever wanted to complete Foundation Year as a stand-alone programme and so they have ended. It was sad to say goodbye and we were also able to celebrate with them, so a juxtaposition of emotions – sadness and joy. At the other end of the training taxonomy, our Advanced Year 3 students completed their 4-year journey towards becoming a Certified Transactional Analyst. Another ending, but also one to celebrate with them as they leave this part of the journey. We will miss them and we are proud of them.
Secondly, this past weekend marked the ending of Physis Training Ltd under the directorship of Barbara Clarkson and affirmed the successful transition we have made morphing Physis Training into Physis Scotland over this past couple of years. Despite the fact we knew this ending would come and has been planned for a number of years, it was still tough to say good bye to Barbara who has single-handedly been at the helm of Physis since 2010. Our Celebration Party to mark this event was a lovely evening where past students, colleagues and friends gathered to celebrate the many achievements of students and friends, to say a huge thank you to Barbara for helping to grow the TA community in Scotland this far, and also to say goodbye to this inspirational lady as she stepped down. It was a bitter sweet affair with tears of sadness, joy and celebration for many.
So where am I with endings now? Experiencing them is still tough and emotional, but I have learned they also come with change and opportunities for growth, the chance to review and perhaps do things differently. So they are not all bad, are they?
We hope all of our students positively grab the opportunities their endings will provide; we wish Barbara our gratitude and very best wishes for the next phase of her life and for Physis Scotland? Well, we will continue to maintain, sustain and grow the TA community in Scotland and take every chance this new opportunity brings us.
Endings are beginnings……
