Approach with Adults
I am a humansitic, intergrative and psychotherapeutic counsellor which means I have a broad backdrop of influences and understanding that informs my work but the client is always placed at the centre. In this way I can draw on a range of different therapeutic theory and approaches to best understand and serve my clients and their needs. I believe people are their own best resource in terms of healing, growth or change and that by facilitating the right environment for my clients, I can help them understand and reflect on what is going on for them; how they operate in the world and get in touch with what it is that they need from their life and relationships within the context of their own narrative.
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I sometimes work in a proactive way, drawing on creative therapeutic techniques such as art, play and movement as well as mindfulness and self-compassion. I try to work responsively to the client in front of me and go at their pace. I work in both a long and short term way and after an initial discussion of your aims from therapy, we would decide upon the duration of our work within the first few sessions, allowing some degree of flexibility and review throughout.
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Some common areas of my work include: Anxiety, Neurodiversity, Depression, Stress, Trauma, Spirituality, Burn out, Grief and Loss, Stuckness. I am a big believer in Self-compassion and the power of taking control of our natural, but sometimes forgotten, ability to be aware and mindful with our whole being. My work is informed, amongst others, by Carl Rogers who prioritises the positive effects of the therapeutic relationship and I integrate into this person centred, relational approach a range of theory including but not exclusively: IPNB, Attachment ,Gestalt, Psychodynamic, Existential, Transactional Analysis, Transpersonal and Somatic Experience
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Young People
Feeling safe in a space, emotionally and physically is of paramount importance in my approach to working with young people. My aim is for the young client to feel seen, known and cherished within a healthy boundaried counselling framework. This means I will often take several sessions ensuring the young person feels known by getting to know them. From this healthy and safe foundation we go on to explore the young person's feelings and thoughts and how life is for them right now as well as how it has been in the past. Through this exploration, that can look very different depending on the client, the aim is for the feelings to have been felt, processed and understood and then we can move into a place of strategy and empowerment, whereby the young client is able to make conscious decisions about how to manage their big feelings now that they understand them better.
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Children
My work with children is grounded in a play-based, developmentally appropriate approach that honours each child’s unique way of expressing themselves. I draw on the SPICC model, which assumes that the central goal of child counselling is to support a return to, or achievement of, healthy, adaptive functioning appropriate to their stage of development. I hold firm to the principles outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and work in a way that is fully informed by robust safeguarding practices. I bring my own congruence to the work and stay in touch with my inner child, which helps me meet children with genuine curiosity, warmth and acceptance. At the same time, I maintain a healthy emotional distance that supports the safety and clarity children need to thrive in the therapeutic relationship. Through creative mediums such as art, play, movement and storytelling, I provide a safe space where children can explore their feelings, build emotional understanding, and begin to experience themselves with greater confidence and security.
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