How do I approach my work?

​

I think that therapy works best when a person feels really motivated and ready to make changes in their lives. Therapy is hard work. It requires answering difficult questions and talking about painful and stressful things. Having goals for therapy is important as it helps guide the work and keep us on track. Don't worry if you don't immediately know what these are, we can work these out together.

​

Irrespective of the type of problem you come for, together we will work towards a shared understanding of what has brought you to feel as you do. We will be looking at what might have caused the difficulties and what is keeping them going. Better understanding why you feel as you do can be useful in the healing process and can help people develop greater self-compassion. From developing a shared understanding, it will become clearer what intervention might help. 

​

The work itself depends on your difficulties and your goals, but it is usually a combination of talking through difficulties and trying out new things, at a pace that you can manage. Doing new things is usually a combination of enhancing your existing coping strategies and testing things out in different or difficult situations, thereby directly trying to change the things that have kept you feeling low, anxious or stuck. We may also discuss strategies for learning to accept and cope with the things that you cannot change. I am also likely to make suggestions about your well-being, to achieve and maintain good psychological health both now and in the future.

​

A final thought...

​

It can be very difficult for people to ask for help in the first place. As a society we are getting better at talking about feelings, but it can still feel like it is 'only me'. Coming to therapy can feel exposing and awkward. This is completely understandable, particularly in your first session. If you would like to have an initial conversation with me or an initial session to see how you feel, I would be very happy to do that.