Expertise
Psychotherapy can help with many issues. Below are just a few examples.
Trauma
I believe that trauma is when a person has a negative experience that they cannot process. A trauma can be a significant events for example:
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Accidents
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Birth trauma
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Violence / warfare
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Abuse
Trauma can also be an accumulation of smaller events for example:
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Living with a narcissistic parent or partner
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Bullying
When we hold our trauma we hold it in our memories as well as the physical sensations in our body that the trauma gave us at the time it occurred.
When we don't process trauma in a healthy way, this can lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) anxiety or depression. EMDR is a proven technique to help a person re-process those traumas, allowing you to let go of past traumatic events.
Bereavement
“They say time heals all wounds, but that presumes the source of the grief is finite”
― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince
The experience of bereavement or loss can be very varied and your response to it is unique to you. It is quite normal to feel angry or sad when a loved one dies or leaves. Even the loss of a pet can have a major psychological effect, as they are often like a family member. You may feel grief, anger, loneliness or denial as a result of loss and bereavement. It is important to realise that any feelings you have are “normal” as they belong to you.
You may think “I should be feeling better by now” – every person grieves in their own way and in their own time. When you have lost someone special then you may always miss the space they leave in your life.
Talking to a counsellor may help you work through your feelings and allow you to express yourself in a non-judgemental space. Many of my bereaved clients have shared their worries about “burdening” their loved ones, especially if they are also grieving.
Bereavement counselling aims to get you to the point where you may feel able to function and feel “normal” again – however long it takes. By creating a place to keep the person you lost, and finding ways to remember them (like anniversary celebrations, or leaving flowers at a memorial site), you should be able to preserve their memory and honour the impact they had on your life.
It is about adjusting to a life without them but still being able to live your own life the way you choose.
Anxiety
Anxiety is the overwhelming feeling of constantly living in fear. This state of alert can be feel very debilitating and can effect all areas of your life. This is your body's way of permanently turning on an alarm system.
Psychotherapy can help you to talk through the underlying causes, by exploring your past, present and future worries. When we understand "why" then we can start to look at the "How". I use EMDR to support the healing of the symptoms as well as reprocess any traumas that might have contributed to anxiety that you experience today.
Depression
Depression is the long term suppression of all the emotions and feelings you have experienced over your lifetime. I believe that over many years hurt, disappointments and trauma have been locked away and instead of expressing them, they have collected and eventually become too overwhelming and your body shuts down.
Feelings of constant sadness, helplessness, lack of motivation and even suicidal thoughts can indicate you may have depression. In psychotherapy I provide a space where we can begin to unpack those feelings and give them a space and you a voice. We can begin to discover who you are, heal the past and work towards a more hopeful future.