Therapy

Therapy is probably the most recognised talking therapy. There are actually a number of different ways counsellors and therapists work which means that, even if you have had counselling or therapy previously, this experience might be slightly different.

That being said this might be a good opportunity for me to tell you a little bit about the type of therapy I offer.

The way I work looks at four key aspects which impact an individual’s life.
These are:
● Relationships with ourselves, others and the world around us.
● Where our meaning or purpose is found.
● Developing an understanding of ourselves as a whole being including not only our minds but our physical bodies as well. This can also incorporate spirituality in whatever form that might take for each of us personally.
● Exploring our ability to make choices as an agentic beings.

This model is inclusive and therefore means it can be applied to all backgrounds, cultures, social contexts and faith groups. I work with the client as the focus of all work and have been trained in a way which looks at who and how you are today based on your experiences, sometimes from as far back as your early childhood, but also how you perceive the world around you and how that might impact you.

If you are curious, have questions or need to know more specifically which therapeutic approaches I am trained in and use please feel free to contact me.

Supervision

Are you a counselling or psychotherapy student?

I remember my own journey through training. It was exciting and terrifying all at once, full of light bulb moments and times of utter confusion. I had amazing support from my lecturers, personal therapist, supervisor and agency manager throughout my training and I now have the privilege of teaching those wishing to step into this amazingly rewarding career.

One aspect of my training that I remember sometimes becoming lost over was the academic elements. Assignment writing, referencing, knowing which sources were best to study from, how to meet criteria etc. I sometimes felt I could have found it useful having someone to sit with me and help me with the academic aspects the training was asking of me.

Due to my own experiences, I have chosen to offer tutoring as part of my services. By this I do not mean teach you content from scratch, you have tutors and lecturers within your courses for that, nor to talk about your skills or placements, that is what supervisors and agency managers are for. Instead, what I want to offer is extra support for assignments. Reflective journals, process reports, case studies, essays and research are all key aspects within counselling training, and all require different writing styles which can seem confusing at times. I won’t do the assignments for you or tell you what to write, instead we will look at how you can get your own thoughts down on paper in the format being asked for, as well as ways for you to support your thoughts where appropriate with external sources.

I also have a lot of experience with neurodiversity so can offer support and guidance around how to develop routines and structures and techniques to support academic aspects.

This would be flexible in the sense that I would not expect a commitment to a set number of sessions or frequency of them. I’m happy to meet regularly or a one off, in person or remotely, for one or two hours depending on what you feel your need is.

If this is something which you feel you might benefit from, please feel free to contact me and we can talk further.

Counselling and Psychotherapy Tutoring

To me, therapy is a space to explore experiences and find ways to live through them with the bonus of someone by your side being there for you during that time.

I approach each person as individual and explore their experiences and challenges through the lens of their relationships, embodied experiences (including long term and acquired health conditions), where there is meaning and purpose in life and finally, what it means to be an individual with agency and free will in a world that can stifle that. With this in mind I’ve recognised that different therapy models can give excellent insights to different aspects of you, so I use a few of them together, in a pluralistic way, so there can be a fully rounded understanding of our clients and their experiences.

This translates in a similar way within my supervisory practice. I aim to create a robust and authentic relationship with you which is built on a secure, co-created, foundation. The hope is that you feel able to develop into the professional you hope to be. I am offering a space for you to reflect on yourself as the individual you are who is also a practitioner.

For established practitioners, supervision can provide ongoing support and development, a space to reflect on challenging cases and complex dynamics. I aim to provide perspective on your work and support you in identifying any blind spots or areas for continued growth.

For those starting out, supervision is a place where confidence can be built, knowledge can be grown and courage can be found through exploration into experiences and learning of counselling and psychotherapy. Using my knowledge as a lecturer/tutor I can offer a good understanding of the academic aspects of training with insight into what is needed to demonstrate the application of theory into practice.