THERAPY
What to expect
It is astonishing how elements which seem insoluble become soluble when someone listens. How confusions which seem irremediable turn into relatively clear flowing streams when one is heard.
Carl Rogers, founder of Person Centred Therapy
It can be daunting walking into the unknown and starting counselling is no exception, so I want to take this opportunity to answer some of your questions about what therapy with me is like.
Given that we often enter counselling when we are feeling at our most vulnerable, my first priority is to work with you to create a space where you can feel safe and heard, giving you time to share your story. There can be a real healing power in being truly seen by another person and being able to step away from the roles and masks that we all wear to some extent in everyday life.
I work with clients at their own pace, respecting that you are the experts in your own lives.
My Approach
“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” Carl Rogers
I am an integrative counsellor which means I bring together expertise and understanding from different strands of psychotherapeutic research. It also means how I work is very responsive to the personal needs you bring, as I have a wide variety of tools and knowledge to draw on.
My philosophy of counselling recognises the influence of our past on our present, particularly when we consider the relationships we have with others and ourselves. Our early experiences can create patterns of trust and distrust which affect how we respond to trauma and stress throughout our lives on many different levels. However whilst we may be shaped by the past I believe that we do not need to be trapped by it. I work with clients to move towards their goals, often initially through their gradual growth in self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-compassion, as they are supported to access their own internal resources to find a pathway through.
My own path has become clearer through reaching beyond myself for meaning and connection and a greater sense of wholeness. So, where clients wish to, we may also explore their spiritual awareness together, considering whether it offers additional strength, resources and understanding to them.
My philosophy draws particularly upon person centred therapy, attachment theory, transactional analysis and psychosynthesis.
“Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be;
embrace who you are.”
Brené Brown
Ways of working
My sessions are client-led so how we work largely depends on your individual needs and preferences. For many clients traditional talk therapy, having a safe space for sharing, connection and reflection, can be enough to begin the healing process.
However, there can be times when words for many varied reasons don't feel quite enough. Sometimes trauma can get in the way of finding the words; at other times we might simply feel stuck or talked out; or we might need to access younger or more emotional parts of ourselves that have become lost behind too many thoughts and words. If this happens we might discuss whether it would be helpful to explore a different way of working for a while. Some of the additional ways of working I can offer are detailed below:
