Ambition: Filthy or Fully Functioning? with Sarah Henry & John Wilson
In the helping professions, ambition can feel like a dirty word. Therapists are often expected to be self-effacing, ego-free, and endlessly altruistic. In this landscape, the drive to succeed can feel out of place—or even shameful.
In this honest and unscripted conversation, Sarah Henry and John Wilson explore what it means to be ambitious as a therapist. Drawing on their personal experiences—and the differences between them in race, gender, and class—they’ll open up a reflective space around success, ego, and what we’re “allowed” to want in this work.
Together, they’ll explore questions that are rarely voiced:
- Is ambition compatible with being a therapist?
- Are we allowed to chase our dreams—and what happens if we catch them?
- Where does drive end and narcissism begin?
- Who gets to be seen as successful, and who gets judged for it?
Whether you’re fired up about building something bold or quietly wrestling with internal conflicts around visibility, money, or meaning, this discussion will offer solidarity, perspective, and connection with fellow ambitious clinicians.
Learning Outcomes:
- Reflect on your own relationship with ambition and success in your therapeutic work.
- Recognise how ambition is shaped by identity—including race, gender, and class.
- Explore how ambition can be integrated into your professional identity with integrity.
Impact on Practice:
- This session supports practitioners to think more confidently and critically about ambition, helping you align your career choices with both personal motivation and professional values.
Course Content
Presenter
I am a co-founder and Director at Onlinevents, dedicated to democratising learning in the helping professions. We host the world’s first and largest video learning library akin to “Netflix” for these professions.
Additionally, I serve as a Director at Temenos Education and lead the Counselling & Psychotherapy Programme. Our focus is on nurturing students to become their most potent selves, both personally and professionally.
With over 20 years of experience, I currently manage a private practice as a Psychotherapist and Supervisor, offering services through video, text chat, and virtual environments.
I also facilitate groups and am involved in the Going Global and La Jolla programmes, rooted in Carl Rogers’ Encounter Group movement.
I am a past Chair and now an Honorary Fellow at the Association for Counselling & Therapy Online (ACTO). I have served on the board of the World Association for Person Centered & Experiential Psychotherapy & Counselling for 6 years.
Sarah Henry is a racial identity specialist, published author, counselling tutor, counsellor and consultant. Born in England to parents of Jamaican heritage, Sarah’s formative experience was a notable dynamic of complementary and clashing cultural norms. Elements of this disparity continued into adulthood and as she became more aware of her own racial identity and ‘not quite fitting in’. Her honest incorporation of these experience informs her empathic and non-judgemental approach to her work in supporting others to become more confident and inclusive in conversations and interactions about race.
Sarah has a published chapter in the 2023 book by Pete Sanders and Janet Tolan titled People Not Pathology: Freeing Therapy From The Medical Model. This chapter is focused on the overmedicalisation of Black people in mental healthcare settings and offers both information and support for therapists looking to work with Black clients.
She has presented and lectured nationally on race, racial identity and social justice and has worked with University of Roehampton, OnlinEvents, Counselling Tutor, PCCS Books, Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB), Black and Asian Therapist Network (BAATN), A Disorder 4 Everyone, Medico Digital and others.
