Professional Services

Counselling

Many people seek counselling because they have identified specific goals or issues that they wish to work on. Counselling is an issue focused process attended by clients on a regular appointment basis.

The counselling approach I offer is person-centred. I draw from cognitive behavioural, psychodynamic and gestalt models. The focus of the work is on the concerns that the client describes, while at the same time noticing the particular experiences, possible difficulties and impact related to these concerns . Through the process of counselling, which is primarily short term and issue focused, there is particular emphasis on identifying thoughts, feelings, behaviours, assumptions and perceptions. This part of the process creates the ground for identifying alternative perspectives and possibilities which can then underpin ways of addressing concerns.

“…group of us felt that ideas were being fed to us, whereas we wished primarily to explore our own questions and doubts, and find out where they led.”
Carl R. Rogers

The Rosetta Stone when discovered in 1799, offered the possibility of being able to translate ancient Egyptian texts previously out of reach of being understood. It offers a possible motif for the process of psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a process that facilitates living in clearer connection to individual, personal integrity. Psychotherapy has a primary focus on the experience of the individual, and as such is primarily different from counselling which tends to be ‘issue’ focused.

Through the process of psychotherapy attention will be skillfully drawn towards personal insight, as the client addresses the experience of their presenting issues and concerns. This method of addressing concerns also provides the client with greater self insight. Psychotherapy has the capability and efficacy to bring about deeper awareness of inner experience, and it is from here that the most effective long term change and issue resolution takes effect. Studies have illustrated that while counselling type approaches show effective short term issue focused outcomes, psychotherapy has better success outcomes in longer term broarder development and perspective.

Sandplay Therapy

Sandplay Therapy, or Jungian sandplay as it is often called, is a method of depth psychotherapy. It offers a specialised way to learn more about internal experience and working through difficulties that may be sourced there.

Sandplay is a technique that was developed by Dora Kalff, who applied  the analytic psychology of Carl Jung to image making. She discovered that creative expression using sand and miniatures/figurines, could give access to self insight, promoting greater awareness, and understanding. Dora Kalff and Carl Jung both described how image making can offer greater therapeutic value and insight than words alone. This forms the basis of Jungian sandplay and  makes it possible to work with deep levels of experience through a non-verbal creative and sensory based process.

“Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has stuggled with in vain”
Carl Gustav Jung