I believe that all humans are good and have the capacity to change and grow.
This is fundamental to how I work. I will listen to and respect your life events to understand how they have shaped your experience of the world. This shared understanding becomes the starting point from where, together, we can look at any changes you would like to make. My hope is that by working together, we can create a more fulfilling and meaningful life for you.
working relationally
How I work
I work relationally, which means I believe that change happens in and through relationships. How we experience the world (our relationship with ourself and others) and how others experience us impacts on our identity, our actions and our sense of ease of being in the world.
To sum up the methods I use when counselling, simply put, I listen to you. I listen using all my senses, attention and intuition in such a way that I hope you feel seen and cared about. When the relationship clicks and I can listen deeply so that you know I have heard and understood, it is a powerful shared moment.
Counselling Relationship
The counselling relationship is a place where change can happen in a safe environment. Ideas and ways of relating to others can be practiced and discussed in the sessions to “un-learn” behaviours or thought patterns that no longer serve you. For example, defensive behaviours or negative thinking may have served you in the past at a difficult time of life, but now you are in a safe space and would like a more positive outlook.
I use the person-centred core values which means that you choose the aims of the relationship and what you hope to achieve from therapy. These aims are reviewed regularly to check we are on the right path.
Areas of expertise
Who I work with
I work with difference and diversity as we are all have a unique history and life story. A person is more complicated and deeper than simply a list of life events or diagnosis.
I have helped people with some of the topics below:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Low Mood
- Panic Attacks
- Obsessive thoughts
- Sexual abuse
- Gender identity
- Sexuality
- Relationship difficulties
- Relationship break-up
- Finding purpose in life
- Making a difficult decision
- Body image
- Stress
- Working life
Long Term
I prefer to work on a long-term basis (12+ weeks) as my style of therapy works better over a longer period. This is because in addition to looking at ways of coping or reducing anxiety in your present situation, I find that everything is connected and their are tangents and other avenues that are helpful to explore.
MY PHILosophy
Person-Centred
I place you at the forefront of the counselling relationship. I am non-judgemental, I listen deeply with empathy and support you in your unique personal journey in therapy.
Attachment Theory
This theory emphasises the importance of early relationships in forming how we view the world. They could be with parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers or caregivers whose behaviour we observed as children/young people and learned from. Sometimes the behaviours we have learned do not fit with how we would like to be. Unravelling them is a part of working relationally.
Existentialism
Existentialism is a philosophy or world view that states that the world is in a constant state of chaos and flux. When people try to control the chaos of the universe it results in fear and anxiety. Finding acceptance for things that are outside our control, and taking ownership of things we can change, often form part of the therapy process.
Finding Meaning
I believe that finding purpose and meaning in life build self-confidence and can lead to a more content life. Fundamentally, finding meaning is about knowing who you are, your values and what is most important to you. This can be part of longer-term therapy or perhaps for someone who has had previous therapy.
Therapy with Rebecca 