About Therapy
About Therapy
Counselling & Psychotherapy
Counselling and psychotherapy (both referred to as “therapy”) provide a dedicated and confidential space in which you can explore emotional difficulties, gain some insight into their origins, come to terms with painful experiences and develop capacities to think and behave in new ways. It is a process of understanding, expression, growth and change.
Relationship is key
Research evidence has consistently shown that the most important factor in the success of therapy is the quality of the relationship between client and therapist. That means you need to feel safe, that you trust me to treat what you bring to counselling with sensitivity and without judgement and to work in your best interests. A critical part of the initial phase of therapy is to get to know one another and allow that trust to develop.
Couples Counselling
When working with couples I retain an impartial stance between you, acting as a neutral observer to help you develop healthier ways of communicating and resolving problems and learn to acknowledge and respond to each other’s needs in the relationship. Sometimes a specific issue has emerged such as an infidelity or an addiction and you may need support dealing with difficult feelings such as anger, betrayal, guilt and then rebuilding trust; in other cases connection and communication has deteriorated for no single and obvious reason and you may want to explore the origins of this and find healthier ways of resolving problems between you and being intimate with each other.
The difference between counselling and psychotherapy
People often ask about the difference between counselling and psychotherapy. Broadly speaking counselling tends to be focussed on specific issues and be shorter term while psychotherapy involves deeper exploration of our psychological make up and so is longer term. But in practice there is a great deal of overlap. Often clients come seeking help with one particular difficulty and the awareness this brings leads them to examine more deeply-entrenched patterns of thinking, feeling and behaviour which underlie all areas of their life.
Magazine - 'Ideas in Psychotherapy'
If you are interested in learning more, I curate an online magazine on 'Ideas in Psychotherapy'.
Click on the cover to view the magazine.