My Work

PSYCHOTHERAPY AND COUNSELLING The basic theory behind most psychodynamic therapy is that difficulties we may have in the present are rooted in our past experiences especially in childhood. These experiences can lead us to distort the way we view ourselves, others and our lives, and they can condemn us to self-defeating patterns of behavior which we seem compelled to repeat, however much we would like to move on. So what we do about this is to talk, listen, reflect and come to understand the relationship between the people involved. We look at current problems in relation to past experiences and conflicts, in order to make the desired change possible and life more fulfilling. By talking things through with a skilled, non-judgmental therapist, who will gently offer clarification or interpretation, you are enabled to arrive at the right answers yourself, those that come authentically from within you. Whatever you say is in complete confidence, and therapy can help you develop an action plan for putting yourself back in control of your life and of your emotions, developing alternative ways of doing things that might work better. You don't always have to be "ill" to be in psychotherapy or counseling! Often it is just that your life is not working as well as it might, or that you find your situation confusing, and thus may find it hard to prioritize. Therapy can help you sort out your feelings and help you do whatever needs to be done to allow your life to work more as you would wish. You may feel an improvement already at or soon after your first session, or perhaps the improvement comes more cumulatively after the first few sessions - different people respond differently. But also, the process of exploration, the journey itself can often be as important as the destination itself - change often evolves rather than happens dramatically. Psychosomatic Problems These tend to be physical symptoms such as headache, stomach ache, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, hair loss, skin and joint problems, and so many others which tend to come and go and become chronic, but where there is no traceable organic cause. We know now that there is a very strong link between mind and body, and that these conditions are best treated psychologically as well as medically, since the actual cause of the problem originates in the psyche, and whatever the pain is there, gets converted by the mind-body link to the physical problem manifested. Couple Therapy Two people who feel they have not been getting on as well as they had hoped may visit a therapist together. Sessions last around 1 hour or so, and are aimed at impartially and non-judgmentally helping the two to understand their relationship and why it has been working as it has been. We then use that understanding to help the two communicate much more effectively with each other, which then leads to the two feeling more comfortable with one another once gain. A marriage or other partnership can be healed and enhanced this way. For best results, rather than seeking therapy late and as a last resort, clients come whilst there is still goodwill with which we can work. Overall Benefits of Psychotherapy and Counseling - Greater awareness of your real, authentic self, and thence of your true needs. - Improves self-esteem, confidence, focus. - Feel more at one with yourself and with others. - Restores a sense of direction, an ability to move on. - Restores a sense of calm and steadiness, a self-belief, a sense of working from your centre outwards. - You arrived with problems. You leave with yourself.