My style and approach to therapy

I work using a number of styles or modalities of psychotherapy, and in particular:

Person Centred Therapy

The principles of person centred therapy are that each of us has within us the power to resolve our issues and solve the problems we face. It is a fact that you know yourself better than anyone, and so it follows that I should not tell you what to do, but I will help you explore your thoughts and feelings. I will be like a travelling companion as opposed to a tour guide. I will walk with you on your journey of discovery, sometimes pointing out things that we might see and discussing how you feel about them. I will help you better understand yourself and so support you to learn and grow.

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

For many of us our early life experiences have major influences on how we see life, how we behave and ultimately how we feel about ourselves. By exploring together your earlier life, your childhood and family relationships in particular, we can develop a map of how you got to where you are today.

As our relationship develops you will become more comfortable to discuss things of importance and significance to you. You will be able to talk about some experiences or thoughts that you may have kept to yourself for many years. In fact you may realise that you have had thoughts that you have kept even from yourself. This approach to therapy helps put your past and experiences in perspective and provides a good foundation for moving forward.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is often used to deal with issues such as anxiety and depression. This approach is more directive in that I may ask more questions and lead you to think about the things that worry you most. We will discuss and explore how you feel and think about things, and I will help you learn to understand how your thoughts affect your emotions. As you develop an understanding of how your thinking affects your emotional wellbeing you will be able to apply more control over your emotional state.

Overall you will probably find that I will use a blend of the above approaches depending on what issue and concerns you bring to our meetings.