Many people feel the need for additional support at some point in their lives. Exploring concerns with a trained professional can help people to understand themselves better and thereby find their own solutions to their difficulties.

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Because of the different types of therapy available, choosing a counsellor may be confusing. Research indicates that no one therapeutic approach is more effective than another; instead, the success of therapy seems to depend on the quality of the relationship you form with your counsellor. Hence, it is extremely important that you find a therapist with whom you feel sufficiently safe and comfortable, so that you can talk openly about what is on your mind and in your heart. It is also important that the therapist or counsellor possesses the skills, training and experience to help you with your current situation.

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My own therapeutic approach is Integrative Psychosynthesis. Integrative means that I draw upon a number of different approaches and adopt a flexible way of working, responding to each individual's needs. Psychosynthesis offers a holistic approach to living. It works with the mind, feelings, body and spirit, providing a context wherein each of us has the potential to unfold to our deepest sense of self and purpose. In addition to its own structures, Psychosynthesis serves as a point of reference for co-ordination of other ideas and approaches including Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Cognitive Behavioural and Systemic thinking, which I draw upon, as appropriate.

 

A Psychodynamic approach places importance on the link between the past and present (origins of issues), on looking at patterns in relationships and feelings  and in working symbolically and with the less conscious parts of self. A Humanistic approach emphasises the importance of the expression of feelings, and focusses on helping you to find your true or 'authentic' self, which may be hidden under longstanding life scripts or beliefs about what you 'should' do or be. A Cognitive Behavioural approach focusses on addressing counter-productive ways of thinking and behaving that may be inhibiting you from having the life you want. A Systemic approach recognises that we are each part of many groups - family, work, community - and that our own struggles and ways of being may be bound up with those around us.

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Additionally, I am a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and Mindfulness Teacher, and include these approaches depending upon an individuals needs and wishes.

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My way of being as a therapist is also informed by my commitment to anti-oppressive practice, openness to individuals' right to define themselves and their lives, trust in the creative process, and awareness of the interconnectedness in all life.