Counselling
I offer confidential support in a warm, empathic and non-judgemental way.
People seek counselling for many different problems and come from a huge range of backgrounds, all with a unique set of circumstances. You may be someone in crisis, unable to see a way through a situation and feeling lost and alone. Perhaps you are seeking specific tools and techniques to manage and cope with stress, anxiety or depression.
You might be facing a difficult life decision when making a decision feels impossible. Perhaps you are struggling with difficult personal relationships, either with a partner, work colleague or family member.
It can sometimes take many years to find the courage to seek help for issues which run deep, perhaps stemming from difficult, early experiences in childhood or from trauma. Many of those with whom I work experience shame, embarrassment or hopelessness. Talking to a stranger (at first) can feel intimidating, worrying and difficult. Alternatively, it can be exciting, offering a sense of relief to finally be heard in some way.
However you are feeling when you first reach out, I work hard to put you at your ease and enable you to feel comfortable so that we can build a professional relationship of trust and acceptance.
I have experience supporting many presenting problems, including:
- Relationship issues
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Low self-worth, low self-esteem
- Anger
- Bereavement
- Trauma and abuse
- Loneliness
- Lack of purpose
- Difficult families
- Alcohol misuse problems
- Domestic abuse
- New parent anxiety
My training has been integrative, bringing together two main approaches – person-centred and psychodynamic – to create a cohesive theoretical framework underpinning my work. This means that I can work with presenting problems (what is happening in the ‘here and now’) while also considering how the past may be shaping the present. As well as addressing current difficulties, it can be useful in some cases to think about unconscious processes and the influences of early experiences on our lives. My training and experience enables me to assist with both.
