A placement like no other: An interview with Algy Bruce on life in CHT's communities
- CHT Comms Team
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Algy Bruce has spent two and a half years on a clinical placement with CHT, becoming a familiar and valued part of our Mount Lodge and Richmond House communities.
Laura and Riah from the CHT Communications Team spoke with him shortly after he finished his placement to hear about his experience, what he learned, and his plans for the future.
How did you first hear about CHT?
Algy first came across CHT while exploring placements during his second year studying integrative psychotherapy at Regent’s University.
“I was looking for placements, and what interested me was personality disorders and addictions. I came across CHT, looked at the website and thought, this is something I’d really be interested in. I sent an email, Andreas (CHT's Head of Psychotherapy) called me, and the rest is history.”
He had heard of therapeutic communities before but didn’t know much about how they worked. What caught his attention was CHT’s community approach to mental health treatment. “I really liked that part,” Algy said, “and I thought it would be really interesting to learn more about how it works.”
Life in therapeutic communities
Algy spent the first year and a half at Mount Lodge, our high-support community in Eastbourne, before joining our Richmond House Therapeutic Recovery Community in Richmond for a further year. The two communities offered different rhythms and roles, and shaped his experience in distinct ways.
At Mount Lodge, Algy mainly took part in group therapy sessions, including being part of art psychotherapy, and also set up a regular meditation group, inspired by his personal practice. Here, he found himself fully immersed in community life, joining morning check-ins, cleaning groups, games groups, and even a trip to the zoo.
“I actually found the cleaning group one of the hardest at first. I was still getting used to being part of the community, and it was such a different experience, I didn’t know how much to or too little to talk in that space. It felt more open somehow.”
Richmond House provided a contrast to Mount Lodge, where Algy had a more defined role centred on one-to-one psychotherapy. It was a planned move for Algy to gain more experience with one-to-one work.
Boundaries, breakthroughs and belonging
For Algy, working as a therapist inside the communities was a privilege but also brought challenges. “It’s quite rare as a psychotherapist to be part of a community, being in the residents' home,” he said. “I had to keep in mind that my clients all knew each other and lived together.”
Spending time with residents in community activities outside therapy gave Algy real experience in managing boundaries. “I had to remember what was part of therapy and what wasn’t, be clear about that line, and figure out how much to share outside sessions,” he said. “I had a lot of supervision!”
Some of the most memorable moments for Algy came from witnessing how residents handled conflict.
“Seeing how things can get heightened, but then seeing the empathy and care people use to resolve them was really amazing. It taught me a lot about how much empathy this work requires.”
A journey’s end, and new beginnings.
After almost four intense years of training, Algy is taking a well-deserved break. He plans to travel through India, Nepal, and Indonesia to learn more about Eastern philosophies and approaches to emotional wellbeing.
He told us that, “A lot of the roots of therapy came from Eastern philosophy. It feels meaningful to go to where these ideas originated and see how they’re lived today, and it feeds into my long-term vision of bringing different cultural traditions together in my therapeutic work.”
Algy’s endings at both Mount Lodge and Richmond House communities were emotional and touching. “At Mount Lodge, I thought I’d leave without much fuss, without anyone noticing in fact, but on my last day there were cakes and a whole celebration. It really meant a lot to me.”
Residents and staff at Richmond House also organised a thoughtful farewell for Algy, with a letter and chocolates from the community. “It really meant a lot, and I’m very grateful”, he said.
Algy offered advice for those considering a placement with CHT.
“Expect a different experience from one you're used to. You have a lot more access to clients, which is a blessing, but it can also be tricky as you hold your boundaries in the community.” Algy told us.
He also emphasised:
You’ll be challenged.
You’ll have lots of support through supervision and guidance from CHT’s experienced staff team.
You’ll learn things you cannot learn on a typical placement.
“Places like CHT are really important because they offer a communal approach to mental health care, which is so different from our often individualised approach to mental health treatment. It’s been great sharing my experience with students and tutors on my course, who have been really interested in hearing about how community-based therapy works. It’s invaluable.”
We’re grateful to Algy for his time with us, and we wish him all the best in the next chapter of his journey. Find out more about life in CHT’s communities or about clinical placements.
