I decided to train in Person-Centred Counselling as I believe it suits my personality well and feels like a good fit for me. This means that counselling sessions are generally client led so I work at your pace with what you want to bring to sessions. I do not come up with answers for you but I will gently guide you towards a better understanding and acceptance of yourself, and where you are at in your life right now. I fully believe you have the answers within you for what’s right for you, and that being able to explore your issues in a safe and trusting environment can bring about new insights, growth and change.
More and more in my work I am seeing the impacts of trauma on people's lives. Not only on an emotional, psychological and social level, but physically in the body. What brings about a trauma response comes in many different forms - it may be a single event such as being in an accident, or something that has been going on for a long time such as living with an abusive family member. There are as many different responses to trauma as there are individual people. And for some people trauma may remain unresolved and held in the body. It can result in many chronic mental health and physical conditions, as well as maladaptive ways of being such as constant hyper-vigilance ('fight or flight'), or a hypo-aroused shut-down state. I am currently working towards a Level 5 Diploma in Somatic-based Trauma Therapy to enable me to work safely and more effectively with people affected by trauma. This incorporates a bottom-up approach alongside talking therapy, whereby I may bring in some psycho-education and embodiment practices to help develop some inner resources to help calm and regulate the nervous system. We cannot process trauma unless we feel grounded and safe, and calming the nervous system in this way is an essential part of trauma therapy.