My Approach

I've spent over thirteen years as a teacher, tutor and mentor in addition to my counselling training.  As such I have a wide range of techniques to use with clients. It is; however, empathic listening and establishing a real understanding of your experiences and emotions, without judgement, that are the cornerstones of my approach.  We work at your pace and although I will work to help you move outside your comfort zone to consider alternatives and allow for reflections, I will do so with respect. 

 

Some clients have a clear focus and goal and we can plan a way to get to that goal. Do you want to reduce your anxiety, or feel more confident in social situations, or try to gain more control over your anger?  

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Some clients have a great sense of loss that pervades their every day life: this could be a bereavement or it could be a significant change in life that creates a sense of loss: has a child grown up and left the family home, or are you coming to terms with a relationship breakdown?  These events can create a void of feeling or a hurricane of emotion.  We can work together to unravel these thoughts and emotions using talking therapy and active therapy too.  

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My CBT training means we can also work to identify unhelpful or maladaptive thought patterns that may have initially developed as a way to cope with a set of circumstances and now are no longer serving you.  Together, we can develop healthier and more helpful ways of thinking.