Counselling Services
Person Centred Counselling will allow you to explore any difficulties you may be experiencing in your life at your own pace. It is a humanistic approach which looks at how we perceive ourselves and reflects on our inner values and self-worth. You may not even be aware of some of these issues, but this process of exploration will allow you time to figure it out. It is very important to feel comfortable and safe with the counsellor you choose, this will help you build a trust and allow a professional counselling relationship to be formed.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) may be introduced into your counselling sessions. This can help you manage problems you are aware of in a more structured way, setting goals and timescales. This is based around the concept that your thoughts, feelings and actions are interconnected, so any negative thoughts can lead to negative feelings and actions. It is a more structured approach and focuses on specific issues and looking at what can be done differently and what effects this will have on you. It encourages you to examine your actions, by changing the way we think so we can create more positive behaviours.
Partners and family members will all have differing coping styles including talking things through, withdrawing, becoming down, anxious or angry.
It can feel almost impossible to work through our relationship difficulties when our styles of coping clash and our needs feel so different. My work in this area focuses on creating an environment where you can talk openly and honestly with each other.
It encourages more effective communication and an opportunity to explore problems and find ways of understanding each other and moving forwards.
At the moment I am only able to offer Couples Therapy Online.
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse) can involve physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse. Usually, it happens with someone you are close to, either within a couple relationship or family setting. This type of abuse can affect anyone, regardless of ages, gender or social background. Emotional abuse is when someone uses manipulative techniques to make you feel a certain way and ultimately control you. This could involve someone putting you down, calling you names, making you feel like you are imagining things, blaming you for the abuse, controlling what you do and who you see and/or intimidating you. Over time this wears down a person’s sense of self, making it difficult to know how/when to reach out for support. Having worked for a number of years for Woman's Aid I have a good understanding of the signs to be aware of and ways to cope.
Counselling for Young People
Many young people are struggling with how they feel. They are having problems with friends, family or school, they are anxious, depressed, angry or scared and need to talk to someone, but find it difficult to talk to people they know. Counselling and other advice services can help them talk things through, support them without making them feel judged, and in confidence. Advice services can make a positive difference to their lives. Be positive about counselling as an option. Your child might well not ‘gel’ with the first counsellor they see, having worked with young people I feel have developed an understanding in ways to communicate to help build a comfortable and safe bond with young people.