For those who are new to it, therapy can seem like a daunting process. Much of what we think we know about therapy comes from films and television. You may be wondering if we’ll spend much of our time talking about your childhood, or whether I’ll be able to solve your problems.
The reality is that therapy is a collaborative process. We’ll meet on a regular basis (usually weekly) for 50 minutes. Through our work together, you’ll have the opportunity to reflect more deeply on your life – your relationships, your hopes and ambitions, your dilemmas.
People often turn to therapy because they are suffering, or they want to make sense of their lives and the challenges they’re facing. Therapy is an opportunity to unburden yourself and explore your thoughts and feelings with a someone who is present and compassionate, but at a distance from your life – I am not a friend or a family member. From this critical distance, I can offer thoughts and observations about patterns of behaviour or faulty beliefs which may be difficult for you to see.
Above all, therapy is an opportunity to develop the skills we need to lead a rich and meaningful life: the ability to self-reflect, to be compassionate to ourselves and others, to act with authenticity, and to find beauty and joy in our life as it is now in this moment.
Some of the issues I work with include: