What I Do
I work with the person sat in front of me and everything that person brings to the counselling room.
Whether it's working with adults, young people or families, the principle stays the same: it's all about you.
Working with Trauma
A lot of my counselling work has involved working with trauma and the indelible legacy it leaves on a person's life. Being able to open up and talk about those traumatic events can sometimes feel impossible, especially when
your immediate response has always been to shut down. Where do you start? What words do you use? Some
clients have felt that their experiences are best captured through their illustrations, dreams and poems.
Two wonderful clients in particular have given me permission to show their artwork.
Every picture tells a story, a story that, sometimes, can’t be put into words.
ADULTS
Counselling is all about you. It allows you to take a closer look at what is causing you pain and stopping you from getting on with your life. We look at your story, your choices and what has happened to you along the way.
CHILDREN
We all communicate how we're feeling through our behaviour and children are no exception. A child who presents as being angry, anxious or who self-harms is communicating dis-stress and dis-ease. Counselling helps children to explore what's happening in their emotional worlds and the effect it's having on their everyday lives. Encouraging children to face a problem and talk about it promotes positive mental health. This encourages independent thinking and self-governance and the belief in self. These are tools that children need to navigate their way through the school playground, classroom and beyond.
COUPLES
It's not unusual for couples to hit a wall in their relationship. Relationships can be challenging and couples will show the best and the worst of themselves within that relationship. Often the pressures of balancing work, children and life in general can mean that the relationship becomes starved of attention.Couple's counselling looks at the two individuals in that relationship, the obstacles they are facing and hearing two stories. It's about understanding and finding a way forward. It's about reconnection.
FAMILIES
Family counselling is about looking at what is happening within the family and how and when things started to unravel. It gives each member a voice to communicate how they're feeling and what their needs are from the rest of the family. It's about listening to everyone's perspectives and establishing collective goals in order for the family to move forward.
Let's talk about how I can help
We don't consciously wake up in the morning deciding to feel anxious, depressed, angry or in pain because it simply doesn't work like that. Nor do we consciously decide to take it out on others, shut down, or isolate ourselves but often the internal triggers within us are being pressed and we need to find out why. Counselling looks at you, your history, your defences and your patterns of behaviour. It allows you to reflect on your past and how it maybe interfering with your present. Counselling facilitates self-awareness and understanding, which helps facilitate change.