I work in a warm, empathetic, accepting manner. I enjoy working from a person-centred approach where the sessions are client-led and we work with what you chose to bring to the session. I offer no-judgement and welcome clients to share whatever is creating pain for them – no matter how dark the thoughts and feelings may be.
The basis of my work – be that counselling or coaching – is that we all have within us the resources for growth, and the capacity to have a meaningful life. I find meaning in helping people understand themselves better – understand why they may feel the way they feel what they feel, think what they think, and do the things they do. Through this understanding comes greater self-acceptance, self-care and self-belief.
Trust, Exploration and Acceptance
The first session alone can be a significant relief for clients – often they have been storing up difficult feelings and worries for a long time, bravely battling on alone. Taking positive action by finding a counsellor, opening up and beginning to share difficult thoughts and feelings can immediately take some of the strength of these negative feelings away.
My attitude to you is one of total acceptance of you now – not simply what you might become. At the heart of the therapy is the belief that if you are cared for and truly heard then you begin to feel – at a deep level – that you are worth caring for.
Over time we work together to understand how your life experiences and beliefs have influenced how you feel about yourself – and the behaviours this may lead to. We listen to all the different voices in your head (we all have them) – it’s important they all have some airtime as they all have something useful to say. And in feeling heard and understood, these different aspects of you can stop shouting so loud, can stop competing for your time – and can begin to work together not against each other
Testimonials
“Emma has helped me so much in such a short space of time, completely changing the way I think to be more positive and a brighter outlook on life. Offering the warmest welcomes she really does make you feel at ease the minute you enter”
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Person-centred
My core therapeutic approach is person-centred. My training and ongoing life learning helps me integrate other approaches where it feels helpful – such as goal-orientated coaching, symptom support (whilst we work on the underlying causes), CBT, mindfulness and mind-body work.
I work with people from all sorts of different backgrounds – what unites them is a strong desire to create change in their lives. Many of my clients come with experiences of depression, stress or anxiety. They have a ‘hole’ in their life which they often have tried to heal or fill through work, food, alcohol, drugs, shopping, sex and numerous other external things they hope will help them feel better. And sometimes it does… in the short-term. But coping mechanisms eventually get in the way of true change and progress.
Process and Commitments
I usually recommend new clients to commit to weekly counselling sessions but know that this can be challenging for some clients – financially and with time pressures so am happy to be flexible in my approach.
We will both agree on a simple contract for working together, including aspects such as confidentiality, cancelation and ending sessions. I ask all my clients to read through the contract and let me know if they are happy with the agreement.
If you think this approach could help, contact me to arrange an initial consultation session.
Last Updated on 9 August, 2021