How I can help

How can you help me?

We all experience difficulties in life, don't we? It's just part of being human. Sometimes we can overcome them on our own or with the help and support of friends and family. At other times, we might feel overwhelmed by difficult feelings or stuck in patterns of thinking and behaviour which we feel powerless to change; friends, no matter how supportive, are unable to help, or maybe we fear that our pain will push them away if we keep on talking about it.

I can provide you with a confidential, non-judgmental space in which you can come to understand yourself and your feelings more deeply, and in which new perspectives and new possibilities for change can emerge. My role as a counsellor is not to give advice, but rather to facilitate self-exploration, change and growth. You won't ever be told what to do or be pressurised into making changes you don't want to make, but you will be challenged to consider new and more empowering ways of thinking and behaving, which can lead to constructive changes and/or a greater acceptance of how things are.

Isn't it weak to have counselling?

We are social and relational beings and are designed to be interdependent. All great athletes have coaches to help them to achieve their potential. They can't do it on their own. If you wanted to take your business or career to the next level, you might enlist the services of a business coach or mentor. If you wanted to get fit, you might get yourself a personal trainer. So what's weak about employing the services of a counsellor if you want to move forward on an emotional and relational level?

When it comes to managing difficult emotions, most of us don't have great role models, and so we grow up lacking the emotional skills necessary for a satisfying and fulfilling life. Having counselling is just about removing the blocks to achieving your potential and learning from someone who has travelled down that road themselves. Most counsellors have had at least some therapy in the course of their careers - we certainly don't see it as weak!

Can you help me with my particular problem?

I have worked successfully with a wide range of issues and concerns, including:

• Depression and anxiety
• Being bullied, harassed, abused
• Anger management
• Relationship difficulties
• Exploring gender or sexuality
• Facing difficult decisions about the future
• Life transitions
• Addressing unwanted patterns of behaviour, eg. unhealthy eating habits, self-harming
• The impact of past physical, emotional or sexual abuse
• Trauma symptoms

If you are experiencing emotional pain that just won't go away, it is worth talking it through. You can read more about my approach on the About me page.

If you are suffering from trauma symptoms, you may be interested in another therapy I offer, called Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). Please visit my EMDR website for further details.

What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? - Thomas Merton