What is therapy?
If you’ve never experienced therapy before, it can perhaps seem daunting. But rest assured, my approach is to create an environment and offer a relationship where you can feel safe and comfortable to open up about what you’re struggling with. Here’s my short guide to therapy.
Therapy is……
A conversation with you at its heart
Therapy at its simplest is a conversation. It’s a conversation where the focus is on you. And it’s a conversation with the goal of supporting you to become more aware of yourself, your relationships, and your situation, and to experiment with new possibilities. Ultimately, it’s a conversation with the goal of healing, guiding you towards a more enriching, fulfilling, meaningful life where you have more choice, greater flexibility and deeper satisfaction.
A trusting relationship
My commitment as your therapist is to listen deeply to you and be alongside you in your unique reasons for seeking therapy. I’m not a neutral, detached observer but actively engaged with you. Building a trusting relationship in which you feel comfortable and able to open up is the cornerstone of how I work. This can often be healing in itself.
A chance to explore
I don’t start with an agenda for you. The sessions are guided by what you bring and what’s important for you. As you and I talk, I’ll reflect back and clarify what I hear from you, encourage ways of deepening your awareness, share my responses to you, and offer you opportunities to try out new possibilities.
An opportunity to be creative
Yes, it’s known as talking therapy and it’s true that mostly you and I will talk. But there may be times when silence is what is called for or when I might suggest we explore using other creative forms of expression such as breathing and relaxation exercises, writing, guided visualisation, drawing, movement and focusing on body sensations.
What can therapy help with?
It’s a safe space to explore your experiences, circumstances, difficulties, strengths, life history and way of being in the world.
Therapy is always unique - because you are an individual.