How I Work
"My intention is to provide you with a safe space to speak freely without judgement."
I take a holistic approach that allows for your unique situation.
The therapeutic process works best with individuals who are seeking sustainable change in their lives. At times it is necessary to lean into our discomfort to heal and I will support you in this process.
I am a professionally trained counsellor experienced at working with Person Centered and Narrative Therapy. These modalities have proven to be effective for many issues.
I have attended workshops in Transactional Analysis as ongoing professional development.
“Curiosity is at the heart of what it means to be human” - Elizabeth Weingarten
Narrative Therapy is a postmodern psychotherapy. It’s aim is to support a client to become the expert in their own life and live in a way that reflects their goals and values. People live their lives through stories that are developed by the social environments they live in. These stories can focus on problems, areas of difficulty and failure. If ‘problem’ stories are given emphasis, an individual can begin to feel and believe that this is their only reality and suffering can occur. There are always possibilities for alternative stories to be told.
Externalising is a narrative therapy tool that enables a client to begin to recognise that the problem is the problem and that they, themselves are not the problem. The aim is to enable a client to build skills and strategies to put distance between themselves and the problem they may be experiencing. This distancing helps an individual to begin to create change and cultivate alternative positive stories that focus on solutions rather than on the problems.
Narrative Therapy draws on the ideas of social constructionist theory and was developed in the 1980’s by Australian, Micheal White and New Zealander David Epstein. This kind of therapy seeks to have an empowering effect on a client and offers counselling that is non-blaming and non-pathological, where there is a view that problems can be both solvable and survivable.
Person Centered Therapy is a humanist psychotherapy. It has a non-directive, empathetic approach that empowers and motivates a client in a therapeutic process in order to build their capacity and desire for personal growth and change.
The aim is for a counsellor to create a non-judgemental environment that allows for client change by utilising the three core conditions which are congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathetic understanding.
Congruence and genuineness require self-awareness and an understanding of how thoughts and feelings interact with external experiences, so over time a client becomes more understanding of themselves. Congruence helps to establish trust between counsellor and client. Unconditional positive regard sees a counsellor accept a client no matter what their circumstances are offering reassurance and positivity in addition to using skills including active listening, eye contact and open body language so the client knows they are engaged in the session. Empathetic understanding supports a counsellor to practice being a mirror to a client’s thoughts and feelings, enabling them to understand the client and their experience while being sensitive to their point of view. As rapport between client and counsellor begins to establish, the environment allows a client to reflect on their perceptions, inner thoughts and emotions offering insight that they may not have had previously. These techniques allow the client to grow psychologically, increasing self-enquiry and self-awareness in addition to the stimulation of behaviour change.
Person Centered Therapy was developed by Carl Rogers in the 1940’s. Rogers believed that in the right conditions a person can reach their full potential and live a life where they are able to be the truest version of themselves.
Transactional Analysis is a form of modern psychology and method of therapy that examines a person’s relationships and social interactions. It’s objective is to support a client in building awareness in regards to how they communicate with others by helping them understand why they act, feel and think the way they do.
Social transactions (conversations) are analysed so a client is able to become aware of the ego states they are in when communicating with people in their lives. The process of transactional analysis empowers a client to alter the ego state they often find themselves in, which can have a positive impact on emotional distress they may be experiencing.
The three ego states are parent, adult and child. Ego states are unconsciously activated within transactions that can lead to conflict and negative emotions. For example, even though a person is an adult, their parent still speaks to them as if they are a child. The now ‘adult’ child is constantly put into the ‘child’ position by their parent and communicates with them in this position - unconsciously. When the ‘child’ is able to respond as an adult and engage the parent as an ‘adult’ and they can respond as an adult not as a parent, the transaction becomes more balanced and life-giving.
Being able to understand what ego states come up in transactions can enable a client to bring a conscious awareness to their thoughts and behaviours. This supports a client to become less reactive and more responsive in social transactions with those who they are closest to and over time allows them to communicate more effectively and authentically, increasing their confidence and improving their relationships.
Transactional Analysis was developed by Eric Berne in the late 1950’s.