The way I work
Introduction
I am an integrative counsellor/psychotherapist. This means that I use a number of psychological theories and counselling models that reflect my own feeling about the causes of human unhappiness and psychological problems. They also reflect my own thoughts about how unhappiness can be healed. By working in this way I feel I can also honour the unique nature of each individual. (If you would like to read anything more about ethical values in counselling please look at the BACP website.
Human beings are a complex integration of feelings, thoughts, behaviour and spirituality, and it is the therapeutic relationship between the counsellor and the client that brings healing, integration and cohesion.
Counselling Models that I Use
My practice draws on the following models, theory and information. I use them flexibly and gently - so that I can be ‘myself’ when working with my clients. My first priority is to work therapeutically with the anxiety that a client may be feeling:
Gestalt practice: The Gestalt model is a ‘way of being and doing’ rather than a set of techniques. I feel it is the ‘real me.’ It is grounded in the reality of everyday life and the ‘unfinished business’ (especially ‘loss’) that clients often bring to counselling.
The aim of using the Gestalt approach is for a person to discover, explore and experience his or her own pattern and wholeness. People can then let themselves be totally what they really are, and what they potentially can become. It aims for an integration of body, feelings and intellect, seeing the person's most basic needs within the context of everyday life.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: I sometimes integrate CBT strategies into my online work if I think they might be helpful. CBT focuses on how thoughts and feelings can impact on our behaviour. Learning to identify and change negative thought patterns can bring positive changes to how we feel, think and behave.
Psychodynamic theory: I have this at the back of my mind when I work with clients online, especially when thinking about their childhood, and how this might have influenced their present relationships. Harmful dynamic patterns of behaviour, thought and feeling that develop in childhood can be repeated in later life, and I can recognize or work with these patterns therapeutically with clients.
Creative Writing: Sometimes clients like to use more creative methods to help them express their feelings and thoughts. This way of working can sometimes engage the whole of our brain more effectively. For instance, I use story writing, keeping a journal and the use of metaphor to help clients express and release memory and emotion. It is one of the therapeutic tools that I have available to me.