What does counselling with you at the heart of it look like?

First and foremost, it is a partnership between you and me, based on warmth, non-judgement and acceptance of each other, from which we can start to explore your situation, to grow awareness of thoughts and feelings experienced, obstacles, solutions and outcomes sought.

Gaining understanding and forming a helpful relationship with you is at the heart of how I work, be it through playful exploration, creative expression, talking, body movement or symbolically. This could involve a mixture of activities and approaches, chosen and led by you, combining talking with silent or creative processing when it is difficult to voice feelings.

I work with a sand tray, miniatures, clay, art materials and use body movement exercises, breathing and self-holding. Younger children may use dressing up, role play, puppetry, musical expression and dance to make sense of life experiences in a non-challenging way, using the metaphor in the play to deeply explore and integrate awareness of thoughts, emotions and problems. Activities are introduced in accordance with age/life stage, developmental need and as the counselling process evolves.