Counsellor
SPECIALTIES online and in-person
ONLINE COUNSELLING
Working online since covid has been revolutionary. Seeing clients across the world that are really well matched, in their comfortable private space - to me - more than compensates for the lack of material presence. Many clients find it easier to open up and articulate themselves from a different location or timezone, particularly if the level of confidentiality or anonymity they need is higher.
Agreeing an approach and level of challenge, getting to the heart of why you feel, think or act the way you do is the same as for in-person therapy. Counselling can be painful at times, with 'aha' moments, and times of release and recognition at others, but it is always held with the view that who you are and what you are feeling is 'OK', understandable and workable.
Many clients ask what the difference is between counselling and psychotherapy. In practise there is very little difference; with TA, counsellors and psychotherapists will often think and say similar things. It is really the practitioner's depth of understanding of the psyche and the willingness to 'go there' that makes the difference.
POLYCHRISIS
The planet and the people on it are experiencing overlapping crises; political, ecological, spiritual. With the rapid change, uncertainty and anxiety are a natural and surprisingly common responses. Finding new ways to respond is possible through fostering a compassionate approach to ourselves.
RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING
Whether family members navigating a specific issue like gender-transitioning, divorce or inheritance, to business partners contemplating changes, TA counselling can ease the path of change by finding a shared language and using a contractual approach that accounts for the material, emotional and historical.
THE BODY
Our bodies 'keep the score', they are a map of our lives, a support for our growth..... or irritant and drain, even an enemy. Paying compassionate attention to the body's signals is a key part of working therapeutically. Holding an awareness of some of the subtleties of how body, mind and spirit interact (eg polyvagal theory, subtle body, EMDR, Kinesiology, breathwork), is an ongoing project.
DEPRESSION
Depression can 'move in' with an event or change in circumstance, or be such a familiar place that is hard to imagine being different. Using a combination of here and now, experiential attention and past-exploration, we can begin to understand, forgive ourselves and begin to find lightness, love and enjoyment
Neurodiversity and Neurodivergence
You may have a diagnosis from a clinician, friend, yourself or even a youtube video; and this may have been helpful or not.
There is a dimension to counselling that is easily overlooked, but actually is part of the process for everyone; sharing what it is to be like 'you' in the world: a world that is supposedly 'neurotypical'. Having your experiences understood and affirmed is a starting point for counselling.
ADDICTION
Whether the addiction is to substances, behaviours or even a person; it saps our energy, spontaneity and enjoyment of life. Counselling looks directly and non-judgementally into the parts of ourselves we sooth with the addiction, and with compassion for ourselves, finds another way.
TRAUMA
Trauma is a wound that got through the armour, the protection you had at the time. Often there is a clear event or circumstance connected with the trauma, and sometimes clients just have a sense that part of them is wounded without being able to identify why. Indeed the nature of trauma is that our memories of traumatic events are not created and held in the same way as other memories. Shame, confusion and guilt often muddy the waters by adding a further layer of protection, but identifying, soothing and healing the wound are possible.
................Heroes and role-models
Five people in the therapy world worth checking out; Gabor Mate, Bill Cornell, Orna from couples therapy, Donna Eden, Tsoknyi Rinpoche
DISABILITY
I have spent many years working with people with a disability, and their parents and carers. Particular areas of experience are; visual or multi-sensory impairment, PMLD, Battens disease, Downs syndrome, dementia, Parkinsons disease.