What is Therapy?

 

Therapy is 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 along 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 related to your issues.

• Challenging unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours.

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

• Improving your sense of self worth and building on strengths.

• Improving boundaries and communication in relationships.

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

 

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 therapy 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!​ You will lead the direction of the work and decide what is most important to focus on. We will explore how things are affecting you in the present day but we may also explore the influence of past experiences and what your future goals and intentions are. 

 

Working with your 'timeline' helps you to thread things together and make more sense of the factors that shape and influence who you are today. 

 

What is a session like?

 

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.

 

There may be times where therapy might feel challenging, 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 at times: this is normal. 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.

 

​Why work with me?

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I am a BACP accredited therapist and have been in practice for over 12 years. I always remind myself that I am human first- therapist second. I am down to earth, open to challenge and aim to bring lightness and humour where appropriate so that you can be fully yourself and we can build a collaborative working relationship together.

 

I know how important it is to find a therapist who is the right fit- someone who is professional yet human and just really 'gets it'

 

Over the years, I have undergone further training in body based therapy, integrating IFS, nervous system work, mindfulness and compassion focussed approaches. I have developed an approach that focusses on the body- mind connection.

 

Talking can help, as we need our brains and minds on board to process our experiences but sometimes we need something a little more to really feel a shift. Listening more to our bodies supports to build a connection and understanding of self on a deeper level, developing a greater awareness of our own needs, limitations and boundaries.

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My core training is in integrative/Humanistic therapy. 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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