HOW I WORK
Therapists work in different ways from differing stances, however, it is the quality of the relationship is the key to whether therapy is most effective.
My practice is primarily based on Gestalt therapy but also informed by other approaches. This means that I work from a fully holistic and integrated stance taking account of the whole person - body, mind and soul. I work by exploring your thoughts, feelings, and behaviour helping you gain clarity around your experience. I believe our bodies hold messages that when listened to can begin to loosen old patterns offering the opportunity for updating in the present day.
Many people have concerns about who they are in the world, where they fit and how they are received. These questions become more pressing when we face difficult circumstances. Through our life experiences and interaction with others we can learn to mould ourselves to "fit in" and then lose touch with what we really think and feel. We can become stuck in patterns that get in the way, changing how we relate to ourselves and to others. This can stop us living satisfying lives.
I believe who we are, emerged as a response to the environment we faced in our past. With compassion, we can look at ‘how’ we do things rather than ‘why’. Working at your pace with support, we can create space to look at difficulties helping you to come to a greater awareness of yourself in the here-and-now building courage and resilience. Through this awareness, different choices and possibilities can emerge in how you live your life.
Therapy is a creative endeavour and a collaborative process where I will be an active partner in our dialogue offering both support and gentle challenge. If it seems useful I will offer my own feelings, thoughts, and reactions as they emerge in the service of our work together. We may also work with dreams, metaphor and images, and relate this to your felt experience now. Building resources through experimentation can help find ways forward. Central to this is compassion and a commitment to respectful dialogue.