How Therapy Can Help

Here are some of the areas I commonly explore with clients:

• Building resilience

• Improving self-esteem

• Addressing the root causes of stress and anxiety

• Learning to challenge self-critical thoughts

• Developing better coping skills

• Strengthening relationships

• Overcoming stuckness

• Developing self-compassion

• Improving work/life balance

• Addressing unhealthy perfectionism

Right now, I have a particular interest in people-pleasing behaviours. People pleasers tend to be generous-hearted, putting others first at the expense of their own needs. Over time this can be very problematic, ramping up anxiety, denting self-esteem and getting in the way of living a good life.

The School of Life has a very good video on this:

What happens in a session?

In the first therapy session I ask you questions about your health and wellbeing. I might ask about any significant events in your life and what you are hoping to gain from therapy. I would take (anonymised) notes so that we have a clear idea of your goals and expectations.

After our initial session, how we use our time will be guided by you, though I’m happy to offer suggestions. Occasionally we might do an exercise together, such as exploring your values or looking at your thought patterns. There would be some reflecting and exploring of past experiences, especially the ones that are continuing to affect you. As the therapy develops, there would be a forward momentum – an exploration of what you might want going forward and how you might make it happen.

The work can be short-term or open-ended. We would have regular reviews to track the progress of the therapy.