Deciding to come for counselling can be a difficult decision, especially if you have never experienced it before. The thought of sharing your feelings with a stranger can feel very daunting.
You may think that your issues are not significant enough or that you might be seen to be “making a fuss about nothing”. Alternatively, you may worry that your problems are so huge that they may overwhelm anybody you choose to share them with. These feelings are normal. Counselling is very often called a “talking therapy” because it gives you the opportunity to talk about what is troubling you. Counselling is time set aside regularly just for you, where you can let go, explore and feel safe in knowing that you are being heard and understood by someone who isn’t going to judge you. |
Sometimes life puts obstacles in our way, which can mean that it becomes increasingly difficult to live how we wish to.
These obstacles can be significant life events such as the death of a loved one, the breakdown of a relationship or the loss of a job. Alternatively, experiences in our past and our ways of being in the world may have an impact on how we relate to others and how we respond to challenges that we face. Maybe we feel angry or upset all the time but don’t know why. Counselling is about helping you to understand yourself: how you relate to yourself internally and how you relate to others around you. Together, we will work at a pace that suits you. It is not about me telling you what to do, it is about supporting you to find your own solutions, giving you the choice to make changes in your life. |
The Types Of Therapy I Practice:
I am an intergrative, humanistic counsellor – predominantly person centered but sometimes using a combination of Transactional Analysis, Gestalt, Brief Therapy and creative therapy where appropriate. Person centered: A non-directive approach which believes in your ability to make the right choices and your potential to find the best solutions and make the appropriate changes needed in your life. Person-centered counselling was first developed in the 1940s and 1950s by Carl Rogers. It is one of the most widely practiced forms of therapy in the world today. It works on the belief that given the right conditions, each person has the ability to change and move in the direction of a more fulfilling and satisfying way of living by trusting their inner resources to find their own answers and direction. When the client learns to fully understand how they interact with the world around them and how they experience themselves in relation to the world, they gain greater self-awareness and acceptance, which empowers them to make their own choices and take control over their own lives. The client has the capacity, within the safety of a therapeutic counselling relationship, to begin this process of healing or change. Transactional Analysis (TA): Helps to explain why we think, feel and behave in the way we do. Developed by psychiatrist Eric Berne, it is a form of modern psychology that examines a person's relationships and interactions. It involves a set of practical conceptual tools designed to promote personal growth and change and can help individuals to reach their full potential in all aspects of life. Neuro-Linguistical Programming (NLP): Sometimes known as Brief Therapy or Solution Focused Therapy, NLP provides practical ways to help clients change the way they think, view past events, and approach their life in a different way. NLP focuses on enabling clients to find their own solutions and achieve their full potential. Gestalt therapy: A highly positive and practical integrative therapeutic approach which helps clients focus on their immediate thoughts, feelings and behaviour and to better understand the way they relate to others - helping them find a new perspective or see the bigger picture. Role play is often used to aid the resolution of past conflicts and this can be especially beneficial when working with bereavement. Creative therapy: For those who find it especially hard to express their feelings, and find 'talking therapies' sometimes too challenging - using the imagination, and working with objects or art, can offer a new dimension. There is no pressure to find the exact words to convey a feeling and it is not necessary to talk in detail about difficult or painful experiences - an image or object can 'speak' for you. Often ‘light bulb’ moments of recognition and understanding, triggered as subconscious feelings, are brought to the surface using creative therapy techniques. |