Qualifications and Approach
Professional Qualifications
I originally trained as a Relate Counsellor and I am a Relate Certified Counsellor.
I also have:
an M.A. degree in Relationship Therapy (BACP accredited course) and
a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Psychology.
I am a registered member of BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) and a graduate member of the BPS (British Psychological Society).
As a member of BACP, I attend a number of Continuing Professional Development courses each year for personal development and to update and improve my counselling and psychotherapy knowledge and practice.
I am fully insured to practice as a counsellor.
As a requirement for any professional counsellor, I have regular supervision of my practice according to BACP requirements.
I work to the Ethical Framework for Good Practice of BACP.
What type of Counselling do I practice?
I have been trained to work in an integrative way based around the Relate model. I have developed a personal model of counselling incorporating several counselling and psychotherapy theories and approaches.
This combination includes:
Person Centred Counselling - based around the notion that each person has the strengths and resources to grow and the need to understand the individual perception of reality;
Psychodynamic Approach - how the person's past affects the present;
Attachment Theory - how the nature of our early attachment patterns influence our later relationships;
Systemic Approach - how the network of the person and others in their life influences them;
Narrative Therapy - using how humans construct stories about their lives to make meaning and how stories can be changed;
and
Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Coaching - focus is on person's strengths and resources, and solutions rather than problems.
This means that I would be working with you to explore the influence of the past on your life and current problems, the impact of your interpersonal contacts (including family, friends, and others), and your hopes for your preferred future. I also work with the "stories" that we all construct about our lives - the story of now, of the past, and of the preferred future.
In recent years, I have incorporated Mindfulness practices into my counselling practice. Briefly, Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment and accepting it without judgement. It is particularly beneficial in working with "difficult" emotions. It has benefits at a mental, emotional, physical and general well being levels. Where appropriate, I can also use cognitive-behavioural techniques and NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) techniques to help you reframe and reform your ways of thinking.
My work with you would be conducted in a confidential, sensitive, non-judgemental, and collaborative manner. We would agree on the areas that you wanted to work on and review these as the counselling progresses.
