Integrative Therapy - also called Integrative
Counselling
This is where a counsellor uses a range of therapeutic
approaches and depending on the your needs, the counsellor
will take elements from differing therapies and use them
to help you, but this will always depend on the your
particular issues and needs.
In my case I was trained in a range of therapies so I can
use this combined approach to help you work out a more
positive way forward. It is only when we start the work
that I can gauge what might help you the most and this is
not fixed as our work will change as you progress, so we
will be fluid in our way of working together.
Person Centred Counselling - sometimes called Client
Centred
This is at the core of all my counselling so I am a person centred counsellor, it is not a method or approach I may use, it is who I am as a counsellor.
Fundamental to being a person centred counsellor is the
absolute belief in the other person's (you) innate ability
for personal growth, even though it may not seem obvious
to you I believe it exists in all human beings.
A person centred counsellor will only see things from
your point of view. Your inner world will be seen and not
tarnished with judgement.
Being genuine with you, showing you empathy and not
feeling judged are the building blocks of a relationship
where you will be truly valued. One where you can feel
safe to explore yourself enough to move forward and
hopefully let go of parts of you that are not helping you
or are holding you back from being all you can become,
which may just be called ...happier, more content, more
accepting of you.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
This type of therapy is often used in shorter term work,
but I have found that using CBT as a tool if appropriate
in longer term work can be very helpful.
CBT looks at the way we think and feel in certain
situations and how we act, what our behaviours are that
come from those thoughts or feelings. These thoughts,
feelings and behaviours may be unhelpful to us and have a
negative impact on our lives.
This is where CBT will challenge those thoughts in a safe
and positive way. Together we will reach a point where you
can replace unhelpful ways of thinking and feeling
with more positive thinking styles and actions. This
change will lead to feeling better about yourself and
being more in control of how you choose to feel or respond
in any situation.
Psychodynamic Therapy
This is a therapeutic approach that in essence
brings our unconscious mind into the conscious and helps
people unpick and understand what may have been to
difficult to hold in the here and now or present day
thoughts. This will help a person be clearer and more in
control of their own feelings and be less driven by past
painful experiences.
The core of this work is the belief that we are all
affected by our past and it is our past that can affect
our present adversely, if we have experienced difficulties
in our younger years.
By gently looking at the past in therapy, we can often
find clues and answers to questions we have about our
present. This can be liberating and a great relief.
When I work in this way with clients, I do so by
agreement and never go where you do not want me
to.
I use other therapeutic approaches and methods but I hope
this will give you a good enough sense of the kind of
counsellor I am.
Please feel free to ask me anything.
