Counselling means different things to different people, and at different times. That doesn’t sound very helpful, I know. I think of it as meeting you where you are now. Looking to the past for clues as to how you got where you are today, and then either exploring and making sense of the present, or working to shape and alter it so that the future looks and feels different. I work on different levels … looking at what’s actually happening, what you think/tell yourself about that, and how you feel about it.
How will we do that? I’m an ‘Integrative’ therapist. That means I use many different therapeutic approaches and tools, and will use the one which best suits you, depending on what you want to examine, your learning styles and your own personal preference.
You may find creative interventions, such as visualisation or miniature work, to be particularly helpful, or maybe the thought of that brings you out in a cold sweat. No worries, we can stick to talking!
I tend to use the following counselling techniques (listed in alphabetical order, rather than my preference for use!);
- Art and creative therapies
- Cognitive and behavioural therapies
- Existential therapy
- Gestalt therapy
- Humanistic therapies
- Person-centred counselling
- Psychosynthesis
- Transactional analysis
So you already know I’m an Integrative Therapist. I’m also ‘Person Centred’ in my approach (also called ‘Client-centred’ or ‘Rogerian’). This means I’ll work alongside you, rather than telling you what to do. That’s different from never challenging you. There’ll be a fair amount of difficult questions, but only when it’s in your best interest … I don’t just ask tricky questions for the sake of it!
One more ‘label’ for who I am and how I work … I’m broadly ‘Existential’ in my approach. I mention this because this sets the tone for everything I do. Whilst I believe what’s happened in the past has implications and influences, I don’t think it’s helpful to blame the past. I certainly don’t think we are defined by our past. So I look to the past for clues and insight, but ultimately I believe in our power to make choices, take action and design our own reality.
I’ve done the training and read the books, so you don’t have to. I won’t keep knowledge to myself, like a secret recipe. I’ll explain it to you, signpost you to further information if you want to research on your own (or not! no pressure!) and offer some areas for you to work on in between our sessions (or not! your choice.)
Perhaps you don’t feel as though counselling is for you, but yet you want to make some changes, are feeling stuck or unfulfilled. Maybe more of a coaching approach appeals? We can do that. Or both!
Contact me to arrange a meeting to see how we might work together.