What I Offer
Online Individual Short and Long Term Psychotherapy
This is a talking therapy, delivered on a one to one basis over weeks, months and often years, to help you understand the roots of your distress. Once you understand what lies behind these unhelpful thoughts or behaviours, you can bring about the changes necessary to enable you to feel better and live a more fulfilled life.
Online Couple Therapy
This is a process where couples can reflect on and explore the interactions in their relationship that have become problematic, and look at the underlying reasons for this. Couples are usually seen together, but occasionally there are circumstances where they might feel it helpful to be seen individually.
Online Counselling Supervision
I offer Integrative Supervision on a one to one basis for therapists working with individual clients. My governing body, the BACP, states that "Supervision is essential to how practitioners sustain good practice throughout their working life. Supervision provides practitioners with regular and ongoing opportunities to reflect in-depth about aspects of their practice in order to work as effectively, safely and ethically as possible."
My Approach
I trained within the Integrative model of counselling and this multi-stranded model allows me to adapt my approach to different clients, as we are all individuals with unique needs.
I’m a relationship specialist, and the therapeutic relationship that we build is central to the effectiveness of the work we do together. I believe (and research shows) that the relationships we have in our lives can shape who we are, and have a profound influence on our brain development.
It is often these deeper meaningful connections that we build with others that allow us to heal, grow and reach our potential. Sadly, if we don’t experience this we may stagnate, becoming depressed and experience mental ill health.
I will not sit silently in your sessions and be a 'blank screen.' I will actively listen, engage and at times gently challenge you in an open, genuine and compassionate manner.
I often work with something called 'transference/counter transference.' This is an unconscious process that may echo some of the relationship dynamics in other areas of your life, and it can help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself and your relationships with others if I share and explore what I am feeling with you in the session.
I see part of my role as supporting you in finding connection within yourself, and making sense of your emotions and lived experiences.
I believe there are always reasons for certain thoughts and behaviours, but if we don't understand them, speak about them or are afraid of them, we can paradoxically be more inclined to repeat these unhelpful patterns in our lives.
I see part of therapy as looking at the 'shadow' parts of our personalities; the bits of ourselves that are not easy to look at. We often try to avoid this, but making sense of and integrating these parts is often essential for any real change.
As Richard Rohr said, "If we do not transform our pain, we will most assuredly transmit it - usually to those closest to us: our family, neighbours, our co-workers and, invariably, the most vulnerable, our children."
Initially, when we first begin therapy we may not have the answers, but we can navigate the difficulties and we can figure it out together to find a way forward for you. I see part of my role as holding onto the hope for you, even when things may feel dark.
Sometimes, I may suggest other methods of working, such as creative imagery and metaphor if this feels appropriate. Words are not always the most effective way to process emotions. Some clients may find music, films or books that convey their experiences/feelings better, and I am open to exploring other ways that will best support you in your process.
The poet Thomas Elliot in his poem 'Little Gidding' encapsulated the process of therapy in the line "We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time".
