COUNSELLING & PSYCHOTHERAPY
What is Counselling/Psychotherapy?
Both counselling and psychotherapy offer a safe, confidential space where you can explore what matters to you, what disturbs you or causes upset or pain. In short, the significant issues that shape your experience of life.
These could be issues that interfere with you living life to the full and manifesting your potential. Or they could be issues that cause you difficulty or pain and stop you coping, like low self-esteem, stress or trauma.
These may include thoughts, feelings, symptoms, work or relationships - a whole range of issues that may be difficult to discuss with other people in your life.
As your counsellor/therapist I will provide a space where these can be addressed and taken seriously.
Similarities and differences between Counselling and Psychotherapy
Counselling tends to be shorter term and more problem-focussed. Sometimes it is very helpful to chew through a problem for a few sessions and that can be enough. But often other issues from the past come up that require more understanding.
This is where longer term psychotherapy can be more beneficial, especially if you want the work to go deep enough to allow lasting changes to occur within yourself.
Why do people come?
People may want to see a counsellor or psychotherapist for all kinds of reasons, often for help with emotional difficulties like loneliness, anxiety, depression and bereavement.
Some people come in the midst of emotional crisis when they feel like they are falling apart and need some help to manage and cope with life.
Others feel stuck in recurring patterns that limit and undermine their capacity to live a fulfilled life. Such patterns may interfere with relationships, success in work and career or with simply feeling fully alive.
Whether it is for self-development or actualising your potential, or whether it is for dealing with confusion, disturbance and emotional extremes or to work through patterns and limitations - in all these situations counselling and psychotherapy can provide a wide range of techniques and approaches that can be adapted to your individual circumstances.
What kind of problems can it be helpful for ?
- abuse
- addictions
- anger management
- anxiety
- bereavement
- bullying
- depression
- eating disorders
- low self-confidence
- low self-esteem
- relationship issues
- sexual issues
- self-destructive and self-sabotaging behaviour
- stress
- trauma
- work-related issues
What can you get out of it?
- coping with crises and breakdown of relationships
- managing pain, loss, grief, trauma
- relief from physical, emotional and mental symptoms
- more freedom inside to make choices and change old ways of managing that no longer work
- resolve symptoms of trauma
- improve relationships, personally and professionally
- gain a deeper understanding of how you think, feel and behave
- feel more pleasure and generally feel more alive
- more self-acceptance and appreciation of your inner life - feeling more at home inside yourself
In summary:
counselling: somebody to talk things over with in a neutral, supportive space that attends to your thoughts and feelings, your needs and aspirations
psychotherapy: to develop a healing relationship that allows you to free yourself of old, stuck and limited ways of acting and responding in the world
What I offer?
I offer a safe, confidential, professional environment as a baseline.
My approach relies on sensitive listening, open exploration, interactive engagement, respectful challenge and mutual participation in the process.
Depending on your needs and requirements, I will provide a range of techniques and ways of working which are drawn from the diverse theories and approaches recognised within the field of counselling and psychotherapy today.
My professional training has included study of all the major branches and schools of the therapeutic field, enabling me to offer an 'integrative' approach. So rather than being constrained to one particular approach, we can tailor your therapy to your individual needs.
Watford