My Approach
As a Person-centred and Focusing-oriented counsellor, I specialise in helping you notice your body’s signals about what's wrong in your life. By tuning into these ‘felt senses’, what feels stuck can begin to shift, bringing relief and a sense of moving forward.
Person-Centred
It’s about meeting a genuine person who's present with you. Most of the time, you'll be doing the talking, and I'll be listening. Instead of rushing to problem solve, my approach is to slow down, give you time to 'be with' the situation, and notice how your body feels as we talk. This is the experiential part of my approach, where I use a process called 'Focusing'.
What Focusing Is
Focusing is a gentle way of tuning into your body’s signals about what’s really going on for you. When something goes wrong, we carry a “felt sense” of it; a vague, hard-to-put-into-words sense that holds more than just thoughts or feelings. I will help you notice and stay with this, and when you can express your 'felt sense' accurately, it's usually a relief and brings a shift you can feel.
Meaning Making
It's natural to avoid painful feelings, but as I support you, you might notice sensations, images or metaphors with a sense of meaning attached to them. Being very specific about what you are sensing inside helps to make sense of your situation and resolve the ‘stuckness’ in your life. This may include working with unresolved pain from relationships.
Parts Work
Sometimes, we might notice different “parts” of you with conflicting needs; for example, a harsh inner critic and a part that feels small or hidden. I will support you to hear what each part wants and needs, so they can be re-integrated and transformed into life-forward forces. (Similar to IFS)
Self-Soothing
Because this work can be powerful, I also help you learn ways to soothe and steady yourself when needed. We always go at your pace, and you are free to say no to any suggestion I make
What to expect
Over time, this process helps you understand and accept yourself more deeply. Clients describe a sense of befriending themselves or finding an inner love. They take action and make choices that feel more true to them, and notice change happening naturally.
Shall we begin?