Counselling and Psychotherapy

Sadness; anxiety; loneliness; a life-crisis; work issues; illness: these are just some of the issues that bring someone to counselling. After all, there are so many sources of unhappiness which can overwhelm us.

Things can change for the better. Though it’s natural to want to turn away from what is painful, facing up to how you feel and seeking help, in the form of counselling and psychotherapy, could be the answer you are looking for.

Counselling is so much more than sympathy or simplistic answers. Counselling is a therapeutic process in which you work through your difficulties safely, reach insight, find answers and make choices that ring true for you.

What makes counselling and psychotherapy effective?

Amid the stresses of daily life, it’s easy to lose touch with our own deepest needs and feelings – until they become too painful or persistent to ignore. But counselling is a time set apart in which you can be real about how things are and how you feel, however confusing or complicated that is. You can also look at how things might be.

As you explore your inner world in a working partnership with your counsellor, your experience will be met with understanding and acceptance. This validation helps you reach a new level of self-acceptance and awareness and come back in touch with your true self, in a way which can be profoundly healing. It’s also the road to transformation, both in yourself and in your outer life.

Contact is the lifeblood of growth. Through contact one does not have to try to change, change simply occurs.
E & M Polster

Getting in touch with yourself may include getting in touch with thoughts, feelings and also your body, and seeing the influence they all have on each other. All too often our minds war against our emotions or against how our body feels.

Identifying and expressing this inner struggle can come as a relief. You can then begin to come to terms with things, leading ultimately, to more of a sense of autonomy in your life.

What to do now

Coming to counselling can take courage. It may feel a risk to open up to a complete stranger. But it’s a risk that could make all the difference.

I aim to make counselling as warm and friendly as possible. It may help you to know that I’m experienced as a counsellor and psychotherapist, with an MSc in Integrative Therapeutic Counselling. I’m also registered with the British regulatory body for counsellors and psychotherapists, BACP. You can find me on their BACP Register of counsellors and psychotherapists. This means I have the qualifications and skill to work with you in a safe, useful and professional way.

To find out more about counselling with me, please explore my website. Or if you want to read more widely, there are detailed pages on specific counselling issues such as anxiety, depression or relationships, on the Counselling Directory website and the BACP website.

When you are ready, please call or email me. If the call goes to answerphone, please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible, always within 24 hours.

I look forward to hearing from you.