About
Psychotherapeutic Counselling

You
have probably found this site because you, or someone you know, want
to find help for a difficulty which is too much to handle alone. Counselling
or Psychotherapy offers a professional counselling relationship for
as long (or as short) as you need it to enable you to get through
this and change your life for the better.
About
Counseling
My
Counseling Approach
Therapeutic
Play
Frequently
Asked Questions
What
is Counselling?
A
psychotherapeutic counsellor is a qualified
mental health professional with skills and techniques to
help with both psychological difficulties/mental health and life problems,
and with the theoretical knowledge to understand complicated relationships
and psycho-social issues. They also offer a safe collaborative relationship
through difficult times, with someone you can trust to discuss confidential
problems you cannot talk about with friends or family. Research suggests
it is the relationship with the counsellor which has most effect in
therapy.
A
counselor or psychotherapist will not tell you what to do, but they
willl help you to understand your difficulties much more, enable you
to begin to use the parts of your personality which are currently
not effective, and bring new ways of seeing and acting into reach.
People of all ages with serious or minor problems can benefit from
counseling, including children. Getting support can stop issues becoming
worse, improve relationships and avoid damaging your hopes for your
life. To provide security and effective treatment, counselling usually
takes place in a regular framework of one hour appointments, but the
real 'work' also happens in between, as you reflect on or put into
action thoughts which have ocurred during therapy.
'Psychotherapy'
and 'Counseling' are terms which overlap and are
sometimes nearly interchangeable. Psychotherapy sometimes
means a longer-term intensive or 'deeper' treatment taking into account
many issues simultaneously, while counselling may
mean a shorter-term process which might forcus on specific problems.
I do both kinds of work, and many clients combine both, so I describe
what I do as 'psychotherapeutic counselling'. (However
I do not work with the most severe mental health problems such as
schizophrenia. These usually call for a group of clinicians with different
specialities working together.) The term 'therapy'
can mean a huge range of different practices, but is often used as
a convenient word for psychotherapy, counselling, play therapy, etc.
Medication.
Psychotherapists and counsellors do not prescribe medication, this
requires a medically qualified psychiatrist or a
doctor. If it appears that medication may be needed, it is normal
to see a psychiatrist or your medical doctor while continuing counselling.
Alternatively you may already be taking medication when you start
therapy. Psychiatrists rarely provide talking therapy themselves (particularly
in Japan), but they do recommend it. If you are already in the care
of a mental health professional it is best to mention your intention
to try counselling – an exception to this is if you are concerned
about their treatment of you and want to discuss this confidentially.
There
are many forms of counselling, although they share some aspects in
common. Click here for information about my Counselling
Approach
Click
here for infomation about Therapeutic
Play
Click
here for information about counselling for Children,
Parents and Families
What
difficulties can be helped by counseling?
People
seek help for all kinds of difficulties brought on by stressful situations
such as relationship problems, work stress, bereavement, difficulties
with children or memories from childhood
or a traumatic experience. Some people suffer from
anxiety or depression without knowing
the cause, but you do not need to have a 'mental health problem'
to find counselling useful. Others simply want space and help to find
a new direction for their lives or just someone
to talk to who will not judge them and keep what is shared
private. Not everyone knows at first exactly why they want counselling
or what changes they want to make. Some people go to psychotherapy
or counselling simply for personal growth not for
any particular 'problem'. You may gradually understand deeper patterns
in your life and the connection between events which happen to you
and psychological issues.