Photograph: Supplied by Juan Greggor
A former student of the Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) in Hereford has graduated with a Masters in Psychotherapy alongside his faithful guide dog.
Years of study paid off for Isle of Man resident, Juan Greggor and his guide dog Angel when they proudly accepted his MA in Integrative Psychotherapy at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in Preston.
Angel has attended lectures through both of Juan’s degrees, so she certainly earned her own graduation gown for the ceremony in December.
Juan, who was a student at the RNC from 2013, was inspired by the College’s counsellor Roberta Hardman.
He is now keen to publicise the importance of mental health, especially amongst the disabled community. He said:
‘Roberta is just fantastic – she was my inspiration to become a therapist because of the learning about myself I gained from working with her.
It is my belief as a disabled Psychotherapist that anyone with a disability or chronic health condition has a more fragile mental health because of the extra stresses of living in a world that is just not built for us, so having that added support on hand is absolutely vital to maintain a good quality of life.’
After years of hard work and study Juan is now working part time on the Isle of Man as a Counsellor.
He said that living residentially at RNC really set him up for university life:
‘It was a really lovely halfway house because while it was a residential setting there were also the Residential Support Officers who were on hand if we ever needed help. So it was independence but there was also support in the background if we ever smashed a glass and couldn’t clear it up safely, or dropped our keys and kicked them somewhere.
I was already somewhat independent in that area, but RNC for me was really about being able to access education on an equal playing field and having those educational doors opened. It has paved the way for my success at university.’
He added:
‘There was also plenty of time to socialise and try different activities including trips abroad, tank driving and horse riding!’
Juan even competed in the Riding for the Disabled Association National Championships, after riding regularly with Hereford RDA during his time at RNC.
He still rides once a week: ‘It really helps with my other physical health conditions. Horse riding is a big part of my life.’
Juan’s qualifications from his time at RNC helped him to secure a place at the University of Central Lancashire to study a BA Hons in Counselling and Psychotherapy Studies; he graduated with First Class Honours in 2018. He then completed a professional training qualification to become a Psychotherapist.
‘I had to complete 100 hours of client placement in one of the local Hospices in Lancashire and started working with clients as a trainee psychotherapist in 2019. During the Pandemic I moved back to the Isle of Man and worked both with St Catherine’s Hospice in Lancashire and Hospice Isle of Man to complete my hours.’
Juan was delighted that UCLAN made a lot of adaptations to make it a more inclusive experience for him.
‘The University was absolutely stellar – they built a zebra crossing outside my halls because students would routinely park over the pathway and the digital services from the library were very extensive and accessible. UCLAN’s Inclusive Support service arranged the building and maintaining of Guide Dog spending pens at each halls of residence. They were incredibly supportive at UCLAN and really aimed to reduce my stress and improve my experience as a disabled student.’
Juan feels that after taking inspiration from the RNC counsellor, he has managed to start a great career in counselling and psychotherapy.
