Psychotherapy
And
Counselling

How it works

I begin with the assumption that the way in which each of us experiences and understands the world in which we live is unique to us.

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.

An important part of therapy is learning to face problems and difficulties and to tackle them in new ways. 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.
 

Couples Therapy

I draw on Gottman Couples therapy methods in my work with couples

Gottman couples therapy is based on over 4 decades of research into what makes relationships work offering a structured approach to strengthening relationships, with an emphasis on building emotional connection and learning how to manage conflict in ways that are constructive rather than destructive.

Therapeutic interventions are used to improve communication between couples so that they deepen their understanding of each other, improve friendship and increase emotional connection, closeness and intimacy.

The Initial Assessment
Couples therapy using the Gottman Method begins with a thorough assessment over 5 appointments which looks at the relationship in detail.

Firstly, there is a joint session between the couple and the therapist. The therapist will then speak with each member of the couple individually (appointments 2 and 3). In addition, couples will be asked to complete a number of questionnaires.

Everyone will then come back together for a fifth appointment for feedback and planning the next stage.

This process highlights the areas of the relationship that need work and enables the therapist to decide on the interventions that will be most valuable to the couple.

A Constructivist Perspective

Our understandings and experiences of the world around us are central to our sense of self, the decisions we make, the options we see available to us and the way we interact with others.

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.

Getting The Most out of your Therapy

It can be helpful to make some notes after each session.

Include anything that you think is important or would like to remember as well as anything that you found helpful.
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 to feed it back to your therapist at the next appointment.

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.

It is important to be open with your therapist about what is going on for you. Your therapist can only help you with things that you tell them. about.

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.

It takes time and commitment to change things and that change is not always easy. It can be useful to think about your expectations before embarking on therapy.