I work with:
INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING
A question I check in with, "are you living authentically? Or do you hide parts of yourself and if so why?" Often people have slotted into roles, habits and developed a sense of self in order to survive.
The goal of counselling is to raise awareness. I can help create meaning when difficult feelings arise and I offer a different perspective on 'life's curve balls' such as loss, family conflict, frustrations at work or expanding on your potential.
There is no fixed method or one size fits all solution.
FACILITATING WORKSHOPS
Having a dedicated space and talking through your problems together can help improve communication, challenge perceptions and habits that have formed over time. By recognising unhelpful patterns of behaviour can reduce internal conflict and develop a greater sense of awareness. Working with various stages of relationships whether that is how to have an amicable ending, explore intimacy issues or how to experience each other differently. Esther Perel - Couple's Therapist speaks about how couples navigate the depths of eroticism and domesticity in her popular Ted talk
DEPRESSION, SUICIDAL THOUGHTS
Is often a result of squashing down emotions around unexpressed anger or grief. Sometimes we need to go back in order to go forward. Our past helps further our understanding of how we have developed fixed habitual ways of being. I will work in collaboration with you to identify when and how this became and to focus on your needs in a safe space.
ANGRY OUTBURSTS / PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE
Often we can compartmentalise emotions as good or bad. In therapy we remove those labels and give permission for all feelings to exist. Anger is often about a boundary being crossed or feeling hurt. Aggression is part of being human, lets us know it is not OK and denotes a need not getting met.
STRESS & TRAUMA
Recent events have highlighted the difficulties we have in communicating around difference and equality. The effect of this can lead to us feeling conflicted or carrying shame around identity, privilege, culture or stereotypes. Themes that arise are a lack of belonging, not feeling good enough or guilt. There is no wrong or right way, I work sensitively and foster a non-judgemental approach.
ANXIETY
Anxiety is like a fire alarm going off at home but there is no fire. Feeling ungrounded, living with self doubt and using punishing behaviours can be debilitating. Our work will involve in identifying critical parts and over time to cultivate a more compassionate way of being.
It can be frightening from suddenly feeling alert to exhausted and not knowing why. I believe the body holds stress and trauma and is communicating to us all the time. I will go at your pace to raise body awareness and enable you to develop self-soothing strategies.
HEALTH MATTERS, DYING AND LOSS
We plan for weddings, birthdays and we know death will inevitably happen to us all and yet it is a topic shrouded in superstition and taboo. I can help normalise and demystify death. I believe by talking about illness and death this leads to making the most of the here and now.
Everyone at some point will be affected by grief. Our work will understand the impact of the death - was it sudden? Traumatic or unexpected? Often this can leave unfinished business and intense feelings. I will work with you to explore the how, when and why?