I have had an extensive career with people in a Human Resources capacity which has included working with individuals and groups to resolve personal and work place problems through mediation and counselling techniques.
During my early career I realised that I really enjoyed helping people to overcome their individual problems. I later wanted to put these ‘counselling skills’ I had acquired over the years into a new career and felt that my experience only complimented my counselling, hypnotherapy and mediation work. This experience helps me develop my treatment for many issues and I have an awareness and non-judgemental consideration of the diversity of people, their attitudes, thoughts and feelings. The techniques I previously used needed to be tailored to the suit the employees and employers. This is no different to the need to tailor treatment in any therapeutic relationship in order to help clients find the solutions to their problems enabling them to take the steps they need for a more fulfilling life.
I believe we are all capable of achieving our realistic goals in life if we really want to and psychotherapeutic counselling can help individuals to achieve this.
THERAPY APPROACHES
The approaches that I use in counselling are tailored to the needs of the individual and their circumstances. Through listening and understanding my clients I will select the most appropriate approaches and theoretical models that I believe will provide the most effective treatment.
Some of the types of approaches I may use in my therapeutic treatment include the following:
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
CBT looks at resolving client problems by changing negative thought patterns. It provides a basis for helping clients identify the negative thoughts and behaviours and replace them with new alternatives, ultimately changing how they think about things and how what they do affects their thoughts and feelings. CBT is a widely used theory which is used to treat a wide range of problems including clients with mild to chronic conditions which affect them physically and mentally.
Including the CBT approach in therapy will involve clients’ participation in the form of completing homework tasks, keeping journals of your experience for reference and discussion and putting what they learn into practice.
Psychodynamic
This approach helps clients to understand the impact that our past experiences can have on our present lives. Therapy using this approach will explore the clients past from their childhood to the present day, including the influence of our subconscious minds to understand how this may have an impact on any difficulties in the present. Clients may through this approach be able to understand how and why they experience difficulties in the present through having insight and deeper understanding about themselves.
Person Centered Therapy (PCT)
PCT is an approach that I believe should underpin all therapeutic relationships. It based on the belief that within each of us we hold the potential to live our lives to our maximum capacity. It encourages the individual to work out what areas they need to focus on and then to work out the best course of action to follow to resolve their issues. I use the PCT approach combined with other approaches to ensure that the therapy is as effective as it can be.
Advanced Professional Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling
Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner in Low Intensity CBT.
I have worked with the NHS IAPT team in Wiltshire for 7 years and have been counselling privately since 2010.
Mondays 9 am- 2.30pm and 6pm – 9.30pm
Tuesdays 5pm – 9.30pm
Thursdays 9am – 2.30pm
Fridays 5.30pm – 8pm
Saturdays 9 – 12pm and occasionally late afternoon
£45 for individual
£55 for couples/groups