Sometimes we feel stuck or find ourselves acting in ways that don’t seem to help us.
We are all used to solving problems in our day to day lives, but there are times when the problems can seem too big or solutions don’t seem so easy to find. This is when we may benefit from talking therapy with a qualified specialist.
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
I am a qualified Psychotherapist and Counselor (UKCP registered).
I work with both individuals and couples.
My approach is respectful, sensitive and patient. I seek to understand the issues, dilemmas and challenges that each person brings in order to help them to discover new options and alternatives so that they can enrich their lives and move forwards.
Appointments are available in person at the Perth Wellness Centre, Inveralmond, Perth (Scotland) on Tuesdays and online at other times. Outdoor “walking and talking” therapy also available.
I have completed Level 1 training in Gottman Couples Therapy and I use Gottman therapy methods in my work with Couples.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Remember that it can take time and commitment to change things and that change is not always easy – be patient with yourself!
Personal Construct Psychology
Books
An invitation To Personal Construct Psychology
By Trevor Butt & Vivien Burr
Constructivist Psychotherapy:
A Practitioners View: The CBT Distinctive Features Series
By Robert Neimeyer
The Child within: Taking the Young Person’s Perspective by Applying Personal Construct Psychology
By Richard Butler and David Green
A Beginner’s Guide to Personal Construct Therapy with children and young people
By Heather Moran
Children and Parenting
Playful Parenting
By Lawrence J Cohen
Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child
By Dr Ross W Greene
The Explosive Child
By John M. Gottman
A Boy Made of Blocks
By Keith Stewart
Siblings Without Rivalry
By Elaine Farber & Elaine Mazlish
How To Talk So Kids Will Listen And Listen So Kids Will Talk
By Elaine Farber & Elaine Mazlish
Links
Personal Construct Psychology Association – UK organisation supporting PCP psychotherapists
Coventry Constructivist Centre – UK constructivist group offering regular study days, foundation courses in Personal Construct Psychology and other events
The George Kelly Society – international website for PCP
Personal Construct Theory and Practice – international online peer-reviewed journal with an open archive (free-to-access)
Couples
Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love
By John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work
By John Gottman and Nan Silver