Together...
Counselling and psychotherapy can be the first and important step in taking care of you! But this in itself can be daunting as you may not be sure what to expect.
The initial session is important for you to meet me, to ask questions and to decide if you would like to work with me. I will be gaining information from you about issues to work with, history and goals. I will formulate a Treatment Plan for you which I will share and this will be regularly reviewed and updated as required.
The relationship between client and therapist is paramount in order for you to feel safe and comfortable to work through your problems. I provide a warm, genuine and trustworthy relationship throughout our work together, enabling personal growth and self awareness to flourish. Having your feelings heard, understood and explored can be intrinsic in facilitating change. I will listen attentively and explore aspects of your life in order to gain clarity and insight.
I believe that everyone is unique and what can be difficult for you may not appear so for others which can further impact on your self belief and esteem. I normalise feelings and emotions - which can often feel overwhelming or confusing if you have tried to ignore them. Together, we will identify the issues for you, the impact of these, the goals you have and how we will aim to achieve these.
Therapy is a two-way process with engagement required from both client and therapist. A therapeutic relationship is different to any other relationship as both people are focussing on the client.
Therapy at times can be painful as you may be connecting with feelings that you have avoided or which feel overwhelming. I will work with you to understand these and work through them. We can think of the metaphor of rebuilding foundation stones and this can be difficult but rewarding.
Skills and strategies will be explored to equip you with the tools to manage difficult emotions when not in the therapy room to reduce scare and confusion. I may use psycho-education if aspects of theory will support your understanding; for example the Parent Adult Child (PAC) Model which is effective for understanding who we are.
Therapy is a unique experience where you can authentically be yourself, exploring your self in a safe environment.
I also offer Clinical Supervision - please refer to this section for more information.