Individual Counselling

Our counselling approach

In our practice we seek to establish a relationship with our clients, which is private, respectful &  non-judgemental, so that each person is able to feel that their experience is understood and valued. We use  an integrated approach in my counselling to enable exploration of conscious and unconscious behaviours, emotional experiences, and beliefs. We value working with the whole person – feelings, mind, body and spirit.

We draw on a range of counselling approaches to facilitate processes of change and personal growth. These include evidence based psycho-therapies including Emotion Foccused Therapy (EFT), Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as well as client centred and spiritual counselling approaches. This approach to counselling enables a client to deeply explore the repetitive painful interactions, thoughts and feelings that underlie psychological problems.

Psychological problems we specialize in:

• Difficulties managing one’s emotions
• Persistent unwanted thoughts 
• Depression                     
• Anxiety             
• Anger management          
• Low self-esteem                                    
• Men’s issues                   
• Sexuality issues                          
• Grief and loss
• Addictions
• Effects of trauma

 What to expect from an individual counselling session:

^{We will begin by giving you the opportunity to explore your story in great depth, and will support you by reflecting back your feelings and their meaning. This process commonly helps to understand what can and what can’t be changed about a situation.} 

^{While we help people to explore childhood issues and past traumas in order to understand current behaviour and thinking, we believe that we can only change in the here and now. Therefore the focus of the sessions is to identify unhelpful behaviour, emotions and thinking. Once the problem is fully understood the counsellor and the client might jointly decide on a value driven goal. As part of an action plan strategies to change the problematic situation may be explored. Alternatively, you may decide to change the way you think and feel about the problem. The therapeutic process may include some homework between sessions, such as journal writing, observing and / or changing behaviour, or challenging your own thoughts. Counselling can be quite challenging at times, but you will be in control of the process at any stage of the counselling session. Most clients require a number of sessions to reach their goals or deal with their presenting problem.}

Counselling or Psychotherapy?

^{Counselling usually involves a few sessions to find a ways to deal with a specific problem. Psychotherapy requires a deeper exploration of the reasons lying behind the presenting issues, often, but not always stemming from one’s childhood. It aims at a change of long held unhelpful patterns and can bring up uncomfortable emotions which require a lot of courage to face. Psychotherapy usually involves working together for a longer period of time and a deeper commitment to psychotherapy.}

Counselling can be like having a sore tooth 

^{Suppose you have a rotten tooth and you go to this charming dentist who plays great music, cracks jokes, makes you laugh, examines all your good teeth but neglects the rotten ones – so it’s a very enjoyable and painless experience. And that happens each time you go back – your tooth is getting worse, but still the dentist does not go anywhere near that rotten tooth. Why? Because he doesn’t want to cause you any pain or discomfort. Would you be happy with that dentist? If you want healthy teeth, you have to go to the dentist, even if it hurts. Sometimes counselling is similar. To build a better life, we need to do things that can be uncomfortable.}