What is Counselling and Psychotherapy?

People from all walks of life come to therapy for long or short periods of time and for a variety of reasons. Counselling is a place to explore your feelings, worries and concerns in total confidence with a trained and experienced professional, who will listen to you in an attentive, empathic and non-judgemental way. In doing so, the therapeutic effect will enable you to get back on track, to take on board some fresh perspectives, regain confidence and move forward. I have seen this happen many times over.

In a typical counselling session I meet with a client and explore any difficulties or worries they may be experiencing in a neutral, supportive, reflective environment. Each session lasts 60 minutes and in general, I meet with my individual clients on a weekly basis. Couple counselling sessions take place fortnightly. Helpful information for all new clients can be found here. 

What’s the difference between Counselling and Psychotherapy?

Counselling tends to be more short term work (generally 6 to 12 sessions) focussed on supporting a therapy client through a specific situation such as relationship breakdown, bereavement or job loss. Psychotherapy, on the other hand tends to be longer term work, focussed more on personal growth and covering wider issues, for example, building on a person’s self esteem, increasing personal awareness and exploring the roots of underlying feelings of anxiety or unhappiness.  

How can Counselling and Psychotherapy help me?

Counselling and psychotherapy sessions provide you with a safe, confidential space in which to talk freely and openly in a way that is rarely possible with even close friends or family. During each appointment the client is gently encouraged to explore various aspects of their life that may be troubling them. By listening attentively in an empathic, non-judgemental way, I will attempt to understand the difficulties from your point of view, enabling me to help you find fresh perspectives on your situation. 

As the level of trust between us develops, I will encourage you to look at aspects of your life, your relationships and yourself, which you may not have considered or felt able to face before. Discussing current issues can help you make sense of how the past is shaping your present, identifying destructive patterns, and behaviours that may be affecting your day-to-day life. This process leads to an understanding that can help you to see clearly, reducing confusion and emotional pain, enabling you to move forward whilst deepening your awareness as to the underlying causes of distress.   

During counselling clients are able to build up their resources whilst reviewing their current coping strategies and if they are unhelpful to gradually update them. The most frequent thing that clients say to me is that they feel stronger and more emotionally resilient as a result. It is this resilience that helps them get back on track, deal with the ups and downs of life differently and to respond with increasing confidence to life’s changes and opportunities.   

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi