How counselling can help you
Counselling is often called the talking cure and it can be hard to believe that it will really help what seem like insurmountable problems, yet, time and time again, it has been shown to alleviate suffering. Experiencing a therapeutic relationship, where what you say is listened to with respect, thought about carefully and responded to with empathy is in itself is a profoundly healing experience. By listening carefully to your words and how you express them a skilled therapist can offer new insights and understanding.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy draws on a wide range of thinkers and practitioners including the theories of Freud, Jung, Winnicott and Klein. It is a therapeutic process which helps you to understand patterns which often you are not aware of and which influence relationships both past and present. Increased understanding can give us more choice on how we want to live our lives. Coming to therapy gives you space, in what is often a busy world with little time to reflect, to explore your present situation and emotional state. It can also involve talking about your early life and past experiences.
However, it is a misconception that people in counselling and psychotherapy only talk about their past. How you feel now and how you find yourself acting, what is happening in your life, and what has brought you to therapy, is extremely important.
I will listen carefully to you and try and help you make sense of your feelings,thoughts and behaviours.
This process is not about giving you advice but I will make comments or interpretations, help clarify what you are thinking or feeling to help you understand yourself better and help you decide what sort of life you want to lead.
Open-ended or Time-limited Psychotherapy?
I offer time-limited and open-ended therapy. For both, weekly sessions are arranged usually at the same time each week. This gives the work a sense of continuity and regularity. Where working patterns are irregular it maybe possible to arrange therapy sessions a little differently and this can be discussed.
In time-limited therapy, the number of sessions are agreed at the beginning so it is clear when the therapy will end. I usually work to 10-12 weekly sessions. Time-limited therapy can be very useful where there is a clear focus to the work. It maybe that a recent life event or onset of stress / anxiety has brought someone to seek help or wanting to talk through and make a very difficult decision.
In open-ended work, the end of therapy isn't decided until later on in the work and usually this is discussed and thought about together. Open-ended work is helpful where difficulties are more long standing or multifactorial. Open-ended work also gives time for trust to develop.
Bedford