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My Approach to Counselling and Psychotherapy...

My approach to counselling is humanistic and integrative, which means that my way of working is grounded in the humanistic approach, but I draw on different modalities to suit the person I am working with. You can read more about the specific theories I work with by clicking on the link above, but on this page I will try instead to give you an overall idea of my stance.

I enjoy working with a wide range of clients and I am happy to speak with you about any issue that is bothering you, that is important to you, or that you feel is getting in the way of your life. People talk about all kinds of issues in counselling and psychotherapy, and you can click here to find some common issues clients might bring.  

At the core of my counselling and psychotherapy practice, is a respect for your ability to make your own choices. This means that I won’t advise you, or tell you what I think you should do with your life. If at any stage, you do not know what the right choice is for you, I see my job as one that will help you to clarify your own beliefs and values to help you to make the choice that feels right for you. I do this by engaging in exploration and discussion with you, and by trying to ask good questions that will help you to think about your difficulties in different ways. I do offer feedback and observations from our work together, and I may bring up patterns I have noticed in our work for your consideration. I may also suggest that you challenge yourself to try something new at times. In the end though, the choice is yours.

As a counsellor, I am interested in what works for you and what doesn’t, and I encourage people who see me to talk with me about both the positive and negative aspects of the therapy for them. Although these conversations are rarely easy to initiate, they can be some of the most useful in our getting to know one another, and in building a solid therapeutic relationship. It is unlikely that we will agree all the time, but I believe that the process of learning to negotiate our disagreements is at least as important as the valuable work we can engage in when the therapeutic relationship is flowing easily.

I believe that the quality of the relationship between the counsellor and the client is one of the most important aspects of our work. I am also aware that trust takes time to develop, and I understand that it takes varying amounts of time for different people. I think finding the right psychotherapist for you is important, and we can take the time at the beginning to allow our relationship to develop and see whether it is a good ‘fit’ for you.

As a counsellor and psychotherapist, I believe that the process of clarifying our issues and making lasting changes, does take time. The actual length of time is different for everyone and depends on many factors. However, if you are feeling stuck at any stage I encourage you to talk with me about this, so that we can explore what might be getting in the way for you.

And lastly, on a more personal note, I have been on my own journey, experienced my own process of change, and I continue to work regularly at deepening my self-knowledge and my professional knowledge. My hope as a counsellor and psychotherapist is that I can utilise my training and my experience to accompany you on your own unique journey.

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