Intergrative Counselling

 

People come for Counselling with Problems. 

They might be problems to do with relationships, with fears and insecurities, with habits that are hard to change, low self-esteem, lack of confidence, conflicts at work or with friends; problems just making sense of life or dissatisfactions with the way life is, 'there must be more to life than this.'  Depression, grief, loss or just plain loneliness can present problems that seem insurmountable.

Why are there so many problems around these days?

We live in a time of accelerating social, economic and environmental change. But our bodies (including our brains) are not evolving at the same rate. In fact, for human beings to be living at the pace and complexity of today is a bit like expecting a polar bear to survive in a desert! These difficulties bring inevitable conflicts.

How do these conflicts become problems?

Our thoughts can sometimes be in conflict with our feelings and the sort of knots we tie ourselves up in can produce confusion and uncertainty. We may end up behaving in ways we regret or don't understand.

Sometimes ways in which we have always coped with the world no longer seem to work in the way they used to. This can lead to loss of confidence and our self-esteem can take a nose-dive.

Occasionally the pressures of life can build up so much that the whole system, mind and body, shuts down; possibly resulting in high anxiety and panic attacks, depression or outbursts of anger and aggression.

So, what can I expect from Counselling?

You can expect to be listened to and understood. You can expect to be respected for the person you are, not the person that you or others think you ought to be. You can expect to invest a lot of time in yourself. You can expect to find yourself on a path of self-discovery. You can expect to develop the resources to help yourself become the person you want to be.

Counselling has nothing to do with 'tea and sympathy', and is more than just a good listening ear.  I am able to help you to get to the heart of your problems, to map out a way forward , and then support you to make changes possible.

And how long will that take?

Much depends on your commitment to the process and the nature of the problems you are wrestling with. There can be no guarantees of any particular outcomes. But you can be sure that I will be doing my very best to help you achieve the goals you want for yourself. 

Sometimes a single session can help to put things back in perspective.  More often a program of up to seven sessions is necessary to turn a problem around.  

Occasionally, for more deep seated problems, longer term work may be indicated,  and this falls into the category of psychotherapy. 

What about cost?

Each session normally lasts 50 minutes and costs £38.  In cases of exceptional hardship I am happy to talk about a reduction in costs.