My Counselling Approach
I counsel holistically, with an eclectic & integrative style.
What does this mean?
Holistic counselling takes into account the physical, emotional, spiritual & psychological aspects of an individual & helps clients to grow their self-awareness & self-acceptance to develop sustainable & effective change to enhance emotional well-being.
Therapists are considered “eclectic” when they selectively apply techniques from a variety of approaches to best fit your needs.
Integrative means that the therapist combines different approaches & fuses them together.
I use a person-centered approach which means that I believe that my clients have the desire & the capacity to grow towards fulfilling their true potential, & that they are the experts on their own lives.
I am deeply committed to my own personal growth, I bring not only a high level of professional training to client care, but also bring my own experience of healing, recovery, & transformation.
If you have service needs beyond my practice scope, I will endeavor to help you identify appropriate referral options.
*When speaking of “healing” I am not referring to medical or physical conditions, but rather an experience where the traumatized parts of the psyche & body are given a chance to integrate & release, which assists in the regulation of the nervous system which can ease or resolve symptoms.
Psychoeducation - The list of issues that benefit from psychoeducation is endless. The rule of thumb is that every person will feel more relaxed & in control of themselves if they have a greater level of intellectual understanding of why they do what they do & where it originated. People who are educated about their situation are more likely to actively participate in their self-management & have compassion for themselves. This brings about healthy social & self-worth changes which all add to the individual’s life.
Embodied Processing, a Somatic Therapy ('Soma' meaning Body) - Working with the felt sense of emotions in the body. An understanding that trauma is stored within our body/nervous system & therefore has to be explored & processed out of the body through safely interacting with the felt sense of stored emotional imprints.
What does an Embodied Processing session look like?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyUl6hASTOc
Modalities that influence Embodied Processing: Somatic experiencing, Polyvagal Theory, Neuro-linguistic programming, Internal Family Systems, Hypnotherapy, Conversational Hypnosis, Neuro-affective Relational Model, Attachment Theory, Kiloby Inquiries, & Ancient Wisdom Traditions.
Attachment-based Therapy - Taps into the experiences that influence early attachment experiences, or the bonds that developed between you & your early caregivers, in order to resolve the resulting feelings, thoughts, communications & behaviours that you may have adopted as avoidant, anxious or disorganised coping mechanisms in adult life in relationships to others & self.
Trauma-informed Therapy - Trauma-informed care means shifting from the medical question of “What’s wrong with you?” (labelling your symptoms/survival adaptations with a 'disorder'), to the trauma-informed question of “What has happened to you?”
Our symptoms & behaviors' are often a result of how we've learned to survive a dysfunctional environment since childhood.
The definition of Trauma is often misunderstood. Trauma is not an event. Trauma is something that happens inside of us as a result of what happened to us, or, what we needed to happen but didn't.
Trauma informed care means understanding that the whole mind, body & soul must be a part of the healing process.
Without a trauma-informed approach, all that is being looked at is surface level symptoms. Focusing only on symptoms is like cutting branches off a tree & expecting the tree at its core to change, rather then looking for the 'root' cause of the issue (pun intended!). We need to get down to the roots for true healing.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy - Encourages mindfulness to overcome the unhelpful thoughts & feelings that result from difficulties that come with life. ACT builds on a model of accepting our reactions, staying present & making choices that then enable an individual to take action.
Strength-based Therapy - Focuses on your internal strengths & resources as tools for overcoming failures, pain & trauma. Your relationship with your therapist is collaborative, open, & non-hierarchical. Your community is viewed as a support system of resources, as opposed to being viewed as an obstacle.
Solution Focused Therapy - Focuses on arming you with problem solving skills by focusing on the impact of your present decisions on your future. SFT empowers you to become more goal-oriented, rather than becoming paralysed by problems. This therapy is recommended for anyone who struggles with managing & responding to their problems.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - Is a short term approach that allows you to address your goals by considering the thoughts, feelings, & experiences that support desired behaviours.
Motivational Interviewing - Helps you make decisions for yourself with conviction, based on motivation & positivity. This is a great form of therapy if your quality of life is negatively impacted by your indecisiveness & uncertainty.
Relaxation strategies - The practice of nervous system regulation into the calm & safe state.
Mindfulness - The practice of being present & aware of your thoughts, feelings, & experience from moment to moment. This is an ideal practice for someone wanting to increase their self-awareness.
Get in touch today to get started
When you're nervous about stepping outside of your comfort zone, remind yourself: It feels scary because it's unfamiliar, not because I'm incapable.
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