Services
What is counselling?
Counselling is essentially a talking therapy, where you regularly meet each week to talk about what is troubling you.
My counselling space is quiet and confidential, and I create a safe environment for you to explore any issues or concerns. I will help you reflect on your thoughts, feelings and behaviours in order to better understand yourself.
Many people think counselling is about giving advice, but actually this leads to ‘disempowerment’ and in fact helps people to remain ‘stuck’ in their problems. I can help you to find your own solutions through making effective changes. This process is empowering and reminds you that you have agency in your own life. Once these changes are identified and made, you will have the skills to transfer these into other areas of your life once you have left counselling.
Putting ourselves into counselling can sometimes feel difficult and uncomfortable. I am here to assist you through this process. I am not here to judge you but to offer you a supportive space to bring whatever is troubling you. The relationship that builds between counsellor and client is pivotal to the healing that takes place. I from experience, know how important and life changing this can be.
Maybe you are not completely clear about what you need from counselling but have just a sense that ‘things are not quite right? If talking feels difficult, I have a ‘toolbox’ of imaginative ideas including drawing, role play, metaphor, picture cards or nesting dolls as a means of bringing out what is ‘resonating’ with you.
What do people discuss in counselling?
Clients talk about many different things. Some of my previous clients have discussed:
- Bullying, in childhood or within the workplace;
- Family dynamics that make us ‘regress’ and re-enact old behaviours and patterns;
- Relationship difficulties, including feeling a disconnect with a partner or teenage child;
- Boundaries, where lack of assertiveness means you lack agency in your life;
- Sandwich generation, where adults are caring for elderly relatives as well as their own children or even grandchildren;
- Burnout, where anxiety about life is rendering us exhausted;
- Divorce and the issues with co-parenting;
- Spiritual or faith issues where the judgements of others question whether we are good enough in our spiritual life;
- Menopause and peri-menopause;
- Grief and bereavement.
What happens in our first session?
In our first session we will discuss the written contract between ourselves, explaining how I work. This session is really about us getting to know each other. As an Integrative counsellor I merge Person-Centred and Psychodynamic approaches. Person-Centred means unlike a ‘practitioner – patient’ relationship which could be perceived as less ‘equal’, I believe you are the expert on your own life and my role is to facilitate changes you wish to make. The Psychodynamic approach is where we make links based on what is happening today in your life, with previous patterns of behaviour that may have occurred from earlier life experiences.
If you are feeling nervous this is perfectly natural. Be reassured that I will endeavour to make you feel relaxed and comfortable before we start. Previous clients have commented that I am very approachable and easy to open up to.
