Constructivist Talking Therapies

A Constructivist Perspective:

We use our past experiences to make sense of our lives, the world and the people around us. The way we make sense of these things affects how we anticipate the future and the choices we make. In turn, this affects how we behave towards ourselves and others.  The work of therapy is a process of gaining insight into how these things are working for you at the moment.

Constructivist therapies are a joint venture between the therapist and the client which involves establishing a collaborative working relationship based on trust and respect.

In this way, my clients and I work alongside each other to develop the potential for alternative ways of understanding, experiencing and interacting with the world that allows a greater sense of choice and freedom.

Perhaps you are looking for some help with:

Coping with day to day living

Dilemmas

Changes

Stress

Making difficult decisions

Identity

Relationships

Parenting

Any other challenges

​or

Any other issues that

you think might benefit

from a psychological approach

Therapies:

I begin with the assumption that the way in which each of us experience and understand the world in which we live is a unique process. Our understandings of how the world is are central to our sense of self, the decisions we make, the options we see available to us, the things we do and the way we interact with others and ourselves.

Constructivist talking therapies are a joint venture between the therapist and the client which involves establishing a collaborative working relationship based on trust and respect. You will be encouraged to creatively tackle the challenges you face in life and develop ways of meeting them that are both meaningful and fulfilling to you.

I am not offering “treatment” in the way that a doctor prescribes medications and procedures that aim to treat various conditions. This kind of work is more like a special kind of educational opportunity, respecting both your experience and goals.

Through listening, gentle questioning and encouragement, I help people to explore and understand their difficulties in ways that allow them to feel safe. In this way, we work alongside each other to develop the potential for alternative ways of understanding, experiencing and interacting with the world that allows a greater sense of choice and freedom.

Getting The Most out of your Talking Therapy Sessions

1. It can be helpful to make some notes after each session. Include anything that you think is important, would like to remember as well as anything that you found helpful.

2. If there is anything that didn’t go so well for you during the session, it can be useful to note this as well and even to feed it back to your therapist at the next appointment.

3. Take time during the week to note down thoughts and feelings, as well as dreams that seem important and bring them to your therapy session.

4. An important part of therapy is learning to face problems and difficulties. It is important to be open with your therapist as to what is going on. Your therapist can only help you with what you tell them.

5. Since one of the reasons for undertaking therapy is that our existing way of going about things is not working, be prepared to look at things in new ways and experiment with new behaviours or ideas.

6. Remember that it can take time and commitment to change things and that change is not always easy – be patient with yourself!