What is Counselling?

 

Counselling is a talking therapy carried out by a trained professional in a judgement free, confidential space. It can help you to manage a range of emotional difficulties and issues in your life. People come to counselling for all sorts of reasons and you do not need to be in crisis or have a mental health problem to benefit from it.  It can be a space for growth, reflection and personal development. Areas you may wish to focus on can include:

 

• Understanding, processing and regulating feelings and emotions in mind and body.

• Developing more self-compassion and care towards yourself.

• Improving your sense of self worth.

• Improving boundaries and communication in relationships.

• Finding a sense of meaning, purpose and and belonging in life.

• Making sense of your family system and related childhood experiences.

• Challenging thought patterns and behaviours.

 

Where do I start?

 

Start wherever you feel comfortable. In the first few sessions, we will be getting to know more about you and what has brought you to counselling. It is a settling in phase where you will start to unpack and explore your worries in a bit more depth. However, there is no pressure or expectation to 'dive in' and working at the right pace is important.  You may have specific things that you want to work on or things might feel a bit more unclear- both are totally ok!

 

Over time, coming to sessions regularly will support you to 'thread' things together and begin to build a deeper understanding of the source of your issues and how things are impacting on you today. I believe that a safe and quality therapeutic relationship can hugely support your progress. Feeling heard, understood and comfortable to go to the uncomfortable places will help you work towards your goals and wishes with more confidence.

 

What is a session like?

 

We will always focus on whatever you wish to bring, which will guide and shape the direction of our work. There may be times where therapy might feel challenging. This is normal, particularly if you are working on difficulties that have been around for a long time. It is ok to bring the whole of you- crying and swearing is totally ok with me! You may feel bit more emotionally tender than usual, so we will check in at the end of each session and think about what may you may need in order to support yourself in between the times that we meet. 

 

Going through a therapeutic process can also feel very rewarding and liberating as it can bring about new insights, changes and hope. You may also feel lighter as you become more familiar with working with  your feelings, exploring your strengths and potential.

 

Therapy is not a quick fix and sustainable change can take time but small steps can make a huge difference to how you feel overall. I will check in with you at regular intervals to review how you feel things are going.

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Why work with me?

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Human beings are incredibly resilient and we all develop ways of adapting to survive through difficulty and suffering. I offer a down to earth, compassion focussed yet practical approach, which incorporates work with both the mind and body. This can support you develop deeper self-awareness, understanding and connection with yourself, as a 'whole person' This awareness can help you to make more conscious choices in life and move forward from coping strategies that no longer serve you.

 

My core training is in integrative humanistic counselling which respects individual potential for growth, so the approach will be tailored to fit your unique needs and circumstances.

 

You can read more about this approach to therapy here: 

 

https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/types-of-therapy/integrative-counselling/

 

 

 

 

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