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 emotional difficulties and issues in your life. People come to counselling for all sorts of reasons and you do not need to have a mental health problem to benefit from it.  It can be a space for growth, reflection and personal development. My training is integrative, which means using different approaches to fit your individual needs and circumstances. Areas you may wish to focus on can include:

 

• Understanding, processing and regulating feelings and emotions.

• 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.

• 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 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. Building a working relationship and trust with your therapist is important. Feeling heard, understood and comfortable to go to the uncomfortable places is hugely important, as it will help you work towards your therapy goals and wishes with more confidence.

 

What is a session like?

 

We will always work on whatever you wish to bring, which will guide and shape the direction of the work. Therapy can be challenging and painful at times, as you begin to turn towards and work with difficulty. It is ok to bring the whole of you- crying and swearing is totally ok with me! It is normal to feel a bit more emotionally tender than usual after some sessions. We will check in at the end of each session and think about what you need to take care of and resource yourself in between the times that we meet.  Going through a therapeutic process can also feel very rewarding. It can bring about new insights and changes, so you may also feel lighter as you process your feelings, explore your potential and build new ways of living and being in the world. 

 

Whilst therapy is not a quick fix and change can take time, small steps can make a huge difference to how you feel overall. I will check in with you at regular intervals to review how things are going and whether you feel that we are heading in the right direction.

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Why work with me?

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My approach is compassion focussed yet practical, focussed on supporting you to build a deeper self- awareness and acceptance of all of the different parts that make up who you are.  Working with me will support you to look at how you have developed ways of adapting, whether consciously or unconsciously, to survive through difficulty and suffering. Our work will predominantly take place in the 'here and now' but we will also work with and consider how past experiences have influenced and impacted on who you are today.

 

I am training in trauma-informed mindfulness, which can be particularly helpful for those feeling 'stuck' or living with chronic pain and fatigue and wish to develop a deeper understanding and connection with the body. 

 

 

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