What is counselling and psychotherapy?
Counselling is a process where the therapeutic relationship between the counsellor and you is key. If you feel listened to and understood in a safe, non-judgemental environment, it encourages you to see your situation more clearly, making sense of what has happened to you and gaining understanding and explanation of where things are going wrong for you. It’s not about giving advice or offering quick and easy answers but it does enable you to take responsibility for your own life and make your own decisions.
I use counselling and psychotherapy strategies interchangeably (psychotherapy focuses on longer term issues often going back to childhood). You do not have to pick one or the other.
How will I know who is the right Counsellor for me?
Counsellors have different approaches to the Counselling process and that is why it is important to look at different counselling websites to see who feels right to you. Progress is more likely to take place when you have a good relationship with your counsellor. I am happy to offer an initial one off appointment for you to see if you think you could work with me.
Counselling and Psychotherapy theories
I am an Integrative counsellor who uses mainly Person Centred, Psychodynamic and Transactional Analysis Theories. I will also use elements of other theories if they seem appropriate to you.
Person Centred Theory
Person Centred Theory is based on the idea that you are the expert on yourself and there is a natural striving within you to reach your full potential; You will know what you need to address in your life and what the right choices are. My provision of a safe, non-judgemental and empathic relationship will enable you to examine what’s going on for you and how you want to be.
Psychodynamic Theory
Psychodynamic theory describes how everyone creates their own internal world based on what has happened to them in the past. These past experiences will then dictate how we think, feel and respond to situations that are happening now. In essence, we are always trying to fix past traumas in our present lives without realising it.
Transactional Analysis
Transactional Analysis believes that you are responsible for what happens in the future regardless of what has happened in the past. This liberating theory encourages you to change, establish self-control and realise that you have freedom of choice.
It proposes that we all have three ego states of Parent (a recording within us of how our own parents responded to us), Child (our childhood reactions to experiences in our childhood) and Adult which analyses responses from both the Parent and Child to see if they are appropriate for life today. We all use our Parent, Adult and Child interchangeably in our daily life.
I will help you to consider if you are stuck in one of those ego states in certain situations and work with you to 'grow' the other egos and so improve your interactions with others.
Wokingham RG40
Bracknell RG42