MY COUNSELLING APPROACH

Why Counselling?

As life goes on, patterns of feelings and thoughts become part of us. Some patterns may be negative and get in the way of living a full life. You may be anxious about certain situations, feel bad about yourself, or just feel down about where life has led you. If you suffer this in silence, the pressure of keeping it quiet can build up inside you. It can be exhausting to go on with your outer life, while living an inner life you don’t share with anyone.

Your feelings and thoughts may also be related to your work, an accident, a relationship breakdown, the way you were treated as a child, the death of a special person many years ago, or the loss of an imagined life that you dreamed you would have. It all matters.

Person-Centred Counselling

I chose to be a Person-Centred Counsellor because its founder, Carl Rogers, believed that everyone has the potential for personal growth. Three core conditions are needed: unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence (honesty and authenticity). I have seen how effective this can be. As a basis for a therapeutic relationship, these conditions allow us to work at a deep level.

Person-centred therapy aims to help you be happier, have a healthier perspective on yourself and accept that life has highs and lows. Being human means experiencing the whole range of emotions and what matters is how you process them. Exploring emotions with a counsellor can lead to growth, rather than feeling stuck.

What Happens

It can be a relief to tell someone how things really are for you. People often go away from the first session feeling lighter, as if a weight has been lifted. Something unsaid has been spoken aloud, and genuinely heard, perhaps for the first time. My style is genuine, informal and professional. I’ll also challenge you when I think it will help. The therapeutic relationship is the key and this means making an authentic, compassionate connection with you.

Why I Think Counselling Helps

If I can tune in to your inner world and get close to what your experience is like, we can explore together how you have got to this place. That’s good for opening up to change because if someone else understands you, it makes your experience feel more real. You may then feel able to step back and see it with new eyes. Exploring your inner life in this way can be thought-provoking and liberating.