Counselling & Psychotherapy
What is Counselling & Psychotherapy?
Therapy takes place within a private and confidential setting, where you can feel safe to explore problems without feeling judged and it gives you time to think and reflect on what is impacting your life and helps put positive changes in place. Counselling and Psychotherapy offers the opportunity to put things into perspective and assists towards gaining a deeper understanding of your relationships and develop greater self-awareness. It helps you to recognise emotions, thoughts and behaviours that perhaps hold you back or are interfering with your day-to-day life and in time, you will think more positively, clearly and calmly, leading you towards feeling better about yourself.
We will take time to explore and understand the unconscious aspects of your behaviours, thoughts and feelings and by doing so, we will be able to identify what is contributing to emotions that you feel are perhaps hindering or upsetting you in some way. You may wish to explore your issues from a here and now perspective, or you might wish to focus upon making changes for your future and perhaps also want time to explore the meaning of what has happened to you in your past and find ways in which you can change and feel more at ease with yourself.
As well as being the facilitator towards better mental health, counselling and psychotherapy doesn’t just resolve emotional and psychological difficulties. It can be a catalyst for personal growth and development and the key to unlocking and discovering your true authentic self.
There are many reasons why people come for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Some people come for very specific mental health challenges and others because they need to talk to someone about how they are feeling or wish to explore a particular life challenge they are facing. Talking to friends and family isn’t always an option and so having a safe confidential space where you can talk without fearing judgement, just be yourself and feel truly understood can be life-changing.
Benefits of Therapy
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It offers the opportunity to focus on areas of your life where you might feel challenged & overwhelmed.
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It will help deal with elements of life that might throw you off balance.
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It gives you a safe, confidential, non-judgemental, compassionate place to talk where perhaps talking to friends or family isn’t an option.
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It’s the chance to prioritise your own well-being and self-care.
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It helps address your fears, anxieties, worries, difficult emotions, anger, pain, sadness or loss
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It will help you to heal & move forward in a positive way.
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It will stimulate your sense of curiosity & increase your self-awareness.
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It will help you embrace change.
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You can explore your concerns in the here & now and also journey into your past experiences and your childhood to understand what might be affecting your present-day world.
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It will help you understand how your past experiences inform who you are today.
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It offers a chance to experience a unique relationship of implicit trust, openness & acceptance
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It will give you the opportunity to gain a better understanding of yourself
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How an Integrative Approach Can Help
Integrative psychotherapy brings together various psychotherapeutic approaches and has the view that no single approach is relevant for all situations. You as a client are unique and as such the therapeutic technique implemented must be tailored to your needs and the personal circumstances you present.
We are complex beings with complex thinking mechanisms and as such cannot have one brush stroke method applied to us. No one single theory can offer a comprehensive answer to all the personal challenges we face. The Integrative Approach takes into account that we all have different personalities, characteristics, experiences and individual needs and hence why those differences are reflected by the use of different approaches that match those varied human elements we all possess.
However, when all is said and done, for therapy to work, it must at the heart of it have a strong, containing, trusting relationship between therapist and client. That is when the work truly begins.
What Can You Expect from Therapy?
At times, therapy may feel very challenging and possibly even unbearable as we explore together the conflicts you are battling with internally. You will gain insight and profound awareness of yourself, which in time will bring with it relief and knowledge to help you change unhelpful patterns of behaviour, overcome difficult feelings and in turn improve your wellbeing. Often clients describe it as a roller-coaster experience of self-discovery but one that can profoundly change you for the better and help make positive healthy changes. It is a journey of constant self-discovery.
Counselling and Psychotherapy can help access deep-rooted concerns that may lie within our unconscious thoughts and may address problems that have developed over a longer period of time, often finding links with events or experiences that have occurred in your past. Together we may explore early life experiences and look at persistent or distressing emotional problems. You will unravel feelings which may have been burdening you for some time and are still impacting you in the here and now.
Some examples of why someone might come to therapy include:
Domestic, Physical, Psychological, Emotional, Sexual, Neglect, Self-Neglect, Abandonment, Financial, Discrimination, Modern Slavery, Bullying, Gaslighting.
Abuse
Alcohol, Substance Misuse, Shopping, Sex, Gambling, Hoarding, Gaming, Social Media, Exercise, Kleptomania, Food, Internet, Risky Behaviour.
Addiction
Temper Tantrums, Arguments, Fighting, Physical Violence. Inward Anger: Self-Harm, Isolating behaviours, Negative Self-Talk, Self-Punishing. Passive: Silent-Treatment, Sulking, Sarcasm, Snide Remarking.
Anger Management
Panic Attacks, Stress, Worry, Obsessive Compulsive Behaviours (OCD) Generalised Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Separation Anxiety, Phobias, Agoraphobia, Medical Condition related anxiety, Substance Use related anxiety.
Anxiety
Bereavement, Grief, Loss, Loneliness, Isolation.
Death & Dying
Defiance, Outbursts, Impulsive Responses, Pyromania, Kleptomania.
Disruptive Behaviours
Low Self-Esteem, Confidence, Self-Worth, Self-belief, No sense of Belonging or Acceptance, Trust Issues, Love or Intimacy Issues.
Emotional Challenges
Pica, Rumination, Avoidance or Restrictive Eating, Bulimia, Binge eating, Anorexia, Purging.
Eating & Feeding Related Behaviours
Life-Limiting or Terminal Illness Diagnosis, Living with a Progressive or Chronic Illness, Living with Medically Unexplained Pain or Discomfort, Living with a Life-Limiting or Restricting Disability.
Illness & Disability
Financial Difficulties, Physical or Learning Disability, Major Life Changes; Work related concerns, Housing Issues, Social Withdrawal.
Life & Social Management
Feelings of Guilt Shame Fear or Blame, Depression, Bi-polar disorder, Dysthymia, Cyclothymia, Mood Dysregulation, Sadness, Melancholy, Loneliness, Tearfulness, Emptiness, Hopelessness, Worthlessness, Hypersensitivity, Irritability, Aggression, Low mood, Seasonal Effectiveness Disorder (SAD), Menopause, Catastrophising, Negative Thinking.
Mood Issues
OCD, Body Dysmorphia, Hoarding, Trichotillomania, Excoriation, Obsessive Jealousy
Obsessive Compulsive & Related Issues
Insomnia, Sleep Disturbance, Sleep Terrors, Nightmares, Narcolepsy.
Sleep Issues
Parent-Child; Sibling – Sibling; Extended Family Relational Problems, Divorce or Separation, Spouse or Intimate Partner Issues, Extra-Marital Affairs, Housing or Economic Issues, Family Conflict.
Family Issues
Voyeurism, Exhibitionism, Frotteurism, Masochism, Sadism, Paedophilia, Fetishism.
Paraphilic Behaviours
Paranoia, Distorted Thinking, Detachment, Eccentric or Antisocial Behaviour, Borderline Personality Disorder, Histrionic or Narcissistic, Personality Change.
Personality Concerns
Immediate, Unreasonable or Irrational Fears relating to Nature, the Environment, Injury, Animals, Situations, or Physiological.
Phobias
Preconception, IVF, Perinatal, Antenatal, Post Natal Depression, Postpartum Psychosis, Miscarriage, Termination.
Pregnancy
Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Delusions, Hallucinations, Disorganised or Abnormal Behaviours, Post-Partum Psychosis.
Psychotic Disorders
Friendships; Work; Family; Romantic.
Relationship Issues
Cutting, Biting, Scratching, Head Banging, Punching Self, Alcohol and Substance use, Burning, Hair or Eyelash pulling, Medication Misuse, Ingesting or Inhaling Poisonous or Harmful substances, Risky Behaviour.
Self-harm
Unexplained pain and physical discomfort disrupting daily life.
Somatic Symptoms
Intoxication, Withdrawal, Restlessness, Nervousness, Depression, Concentration, Fatigue, Remission, Hallucinations.
Substance Related Issues
Suicidal ideation, intent, fleeting thoughts, Severe Emotional Pain and Feelings of Helplessness and Hopelessness, Previously attempted suicide.
Suicide
Attachment issues, Social Engagement issues, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Acute Stress, Adjustment Disorders, Trauma - current, recent or past event, Trauma – acute, chronic or complex, Flashbacks, Acute Stress, Distressing Memories.
Trauma & Stressor Related Issues
"I should have become an "I" before I became a "we"."