What was your experience like? Was it before or after you were committed to psychiatry? If after, did being a psychiatrist make it weird in any way?
Have you ever seen a therapist?
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There are actually very few programs (if any) anymore which require residents to be in dynamic (or any) therapy.
I did in college to earn extra credit in a psychology class. It was to allow the Phd students some experience and it was videotaped then used for teaching. I actually enjoyed it and found it helpful even though I went into it thinking I had no issues to just boost my grade.
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I don't know about before or during studies, but my Psychiatrist has both a Union supplied Psychiatrist/Therapist available to him, as well as a Psychoanalyst that he sees privately. Far as I know he sees them mostly to manage issues such as any countertransference that might be coming up in the therapy room, potential stress induced burnout, and just to maintain a healthy emotional state overall. He works with a lot of abuse and trauma victims, as well as a variety of personality disorder presentations, so I imagine some of us might just drive him a tad bonkers from time to time. 
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I have a support system in place that helps me deal with the stress and the emotional weight that this job entails, but there is no substitute for the intensity of focus and subsequent benefit that one gets from a psychotherapy session. I would be hard pressed to find someone to provide me therapy in my current setting. In the past, I had a coworker who was also a pastor that was helpful for some debriefing.
*edit* I never really answered the initial question. I have had some limited individual therapy during my training and have been involved in group therapy for a long time. I don't feel that awkward about it because i realize that it is really me as the patient that is doing the work. In fact, I have done good work with some crappy therapists, one of them ran from the room crying once because I was going too deep into my relationship with my father and it struck am nerve for her. It does work better for me when the psychotherapist has more ability. It just isn't as necessary when you reach the point where you see that all relationships can be a learning and growing experience.
*edit* I never really answered the initial question. I have had some limited individual therapy during my training and have been involved in group therapy for a long time. I don't feel that awkward about it because i realize that it is really me as the patient that is doing the work. In fact, I have done good work with some crappy therapists, one of them ran from the room crying once because I was going too deep into my relationship with my father and it struck am nerve for her. It does work better for me when the psychotherapist has more ability. It just isn't as necessary when you reach the point where you see that all relationships can be a learning and growing experience.
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At UCLA, it was optional but offered at a highly discounted rate from some of the top folks in town (even analysts were on the list). We also had a process group that was pretty helpful. And the piece de resistance was getting the chance to attend a Tavistock weekend. What happens in Tavi stays in Tavi...
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In my residency we had a really good group therapy experience for a few months within my PGY year with a very good therapist. It was part of our required learning on how to do group therapy. It helped knit us together further as a cohesive and mutually supportive group. Of course, we got along pretty well already before we did group therapy. We didn't have a problem maintaining confidentiality.
We also had discounted rates with psychotherapists in the community available for our residents, including psychoanalysts. Some of my friends took advantage of that and felt it was very valuable. I wasn't able to do therapy due to financial and time constraints at the time.
My mother did take me to a local psychiatrist once when I was an angry 15 year old. I flipped the poor guy off and walked out. I sort of regret it in hindsight. However, it does give me a some idea how people who are brought to clinic may feel sometimes.
We also had discounted rates with psychotherapists in the community available for our residents, including psychoanalysts. Some of my friends took advantage of that and felt it was very valuable. I wasn't able to do therapy due to financial and time constraints at the time.
My mother did take me to a local psychiatrist once when I was an angry 15 year old. I flipped the poor guy off and walked out. I sort of regret it in hindsight. However, it does give me a some idea how people who are brought to clinic may feel sometimes.
