what is counselling?
Together you and I will explore the areas of your life that you are struggling with and by focusing on your emotions, experiences, behaviours and thoughts your self awareness will increase and you will have more clarity about what you want and how you want to get there. As a goal becomes clear we can use various therapeutic techniques to effect the changes needed to help you suffer less and enjoy your life much more.
Primarily I have a person centred approach (based on the theology of Carl Rogers) which is holistic and non-judgmental but I am trained in integrative therapy so I will always blend different types of therapy to suit your needs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Schema Therapy tend to be particularly popular and practical to identify and change patterns of emotions, behaviour or thoughts.
Therapeutic healing will only occur if we have a very trusting relationship, so confidentiality is paramount. I follow the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) code of ethics and standards, this means the information that we share is entirely confidential, the only exception is that I may need to release information to another professional person if I believe there is a risk to life; in that situation you and I would discuss what happens next together.
how is that different to psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy is deeper, longer-term work to resolve longstanding issues, it ensures that you have easier access to think, act and process feelings healthily. Psychotherapy discovers, reveals and uses the deeper emotional drivers that have us repeating situations and relationships we simply don’t want anymore, it can change those deeply ingrained patterns of handling relationships, anxiety and stress.
It sometimes happens that clients come for counselling, are moved by the changes that begin to occur and choose to remain in therapy to work deeply in all areas of their life enabling them to reach their full potential.
my key areas of practice:
Anxiety
Trauma / PTSD
Abuse
Stress
Addiction
Phobias
Personality disorders
Workplace/ Career issues
Depression
Panic
Grief & Loss
Self-harm
Relationship issues
Gender/ sexuality issues
Shame & guilt
Anger
Low self-esteem/ confidence
Eating disorders
Obsessive compulsive disorders
"Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we're all in this together."
Brene Brown