I am a person-centred counsellor, and this means that I believe my client is the expert in their own journey. I also know that you most likely do not feel like an expert. But, I do believe that you know about being you, and about living in your world. I am not here to give advice or instructions. Instead, our relationship will give you the space and place to explore difficult parts of your life, uncomfortable feelings and current problems. I will be there with you, and together we can go to any dark places you feel you need to.
Person-centred counselling is relational: I offer you unconditional positive regard and this means that I approach you with an open heart and thinking the best of you, with no conditions, no judgment. I bring empathy, and I also bring myself. I will share what I am thinking or feeling, and I will also share knowledge I have that may be useful. I will challenge you – and I will get things wrong. I will be genuinely trying to understand your experience. In this way, you have the space to explore what is going on at your own pace, in your own way. Together we will make meaning for you, and with this meaning and insight, change can occur.
Because I am working with a person, rather than a diagnosis or a label, I can work with you, whatever you bring. I have worked with clients with depression, anxiety, a history of childhood sexual abuse, a history of growing up in care, a history of childhood abuse, marriage and relationship difficulties including domestic abuse, and trauma. I’m happy to work with clients who bring particular issues they’d like to explore, and with clients who aren’t sure what they want to work on, but who have a feeling that counselling will help improve their life.
Person-centred counselling is a great match for anyone going through a life transition.
I understand that life transitions can touch on all different aspects of ourselves: the change itself is one thing, but then add in ADHD for example, or menopause, or a history of trauma… Then you can find yourself holding a whole load of layers of stuff that includes your history, your present and your future, all at once. It can quite easily feel way too much. But working with a person-centred counsellor means that we can hold it together, and pick through it all, making it make sense together.
If you’d like to know more about the theoretical background to my work, try here.
If you’d like to know more about what to expect from our work together, try here.