THE INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

In the field of counselling and psychotherapy, there have historically been many different ideas as to how best help clients work through the difficulties and challenges they are facing in their lives.

My five-year training was grounded in an Integrative model which means that I am able to use a range of these ideas to help clients access their thoughts and feelings, and also to tailor the therapy to meet the needs of each individual client.

​If we were to work together, we might use a combination of some of the following approaches in our sessions:

Cognitive and Behavioural approach - looking at the thoughts behind actions you are taking, and how useful or appropriate they are, and then trying to help you make relevant changes.

Psychodynamic approach - exploring your past and your childhood to see how it influences you in the present.

Existential approach  - understanding what holds meaning for you in your life and how this affects your choices.

Transpersonal approach - looking at questions of spirituality and the qualities you are being challenged to manifest in your life.
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Because my training had a Transpersonal leaning, I am trained to work with dreams and I encourage my clients to bring these to their sessions. I also take a creative approach in my work where appropriate, and sessions may include the use of art, imagery work, visualisations, sand-tray, chairwork and other Gestalt techniques, as well as the more traditional methods of talk-therapy.

In addition to this, I have a particular interest in the work of Carl Jung and frequently incorporate ideas from Jungian psychology into clientwork.