"Birds make great sky circles of their freedom.
How do they learn it ?
They fall, and falling, they're given wings. "
Rumi.
Welcome !
I am an Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist, working in an embodied, relational way.
I offer in person and online counselling,
in English and French.
Qualifications :
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MBACP (Reg)
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Diploma in Counselling, BA Hons (UWE). Trained in the following therapeutic approaches: Gestalt, Person-Centred and Psychodynamic.
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Certificate in Counselling (UWE).
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Online and telephone counselling Certificate (National Counselling Society).
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Certificate in Group facilitation (Training called "Grace and Chaos" led by Nick Totton, Founder of Embodied Relational Therapy).
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"Mindfulness for Well-Being and Peak Performance" Certificate (Monash University)
I also attended a number of workshops focusing on the themes of creativity, body/mind relationship and spirituality :
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"Creative Clarity group workshop" and "Inner Voice, Outer Voice" led by Holly Stoppit (Dramatherapist).
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"The Playful Heart", led by John Dent, Body Psychotherapist.
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"Consious touch and embodiement" led by John Dent and Lynn Hide.
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shamanism. Vision quests, sweat lodge.
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Self development / exploration of connection, boundaries and presence : Equine therapy at the "Red Horse Foundation" in Stroud.
How can therapy help you
Therapy is about learning to explore yourself in a non judgemental way. My approach is Humanistic which is based on the belief that we all have the goodness, the drive for creativity and capacity to self-actualise. Everyone of us hold unknown inner resources that wait to be unveiled. I am here to facilitate the process of exploring yourself whilst supporting you in the difficult times. I work relationally which means that we co-create and build trust together. Identifying your emotional needs and finding ways to express them is a big part of the ongoing work in therapy. Personal growth implies facing aspects of us that we might reject, dislike or that are difficult to confront. Therapy is bound to be challenging at times, but I aim to lead this in a safe and gentle manner so you find yourself more and more resourceful and able to face the actual challenges of life outside of session times. It is essentially a work that is freeing and rewarding.
The beginning of the therapeutic journey starts on the day you decide to seek help and the way you chose your therapist. There are a few practical parameters like, time, place and money but the most important one would be the general impression that you might get in the room with the therapist. This last criterion is essential for you to make the decision of whom is going to accompany you in the therapeutic journey.
That is why I find important to take the time to make contact with a few therapists before making a decision. Sometimes you know right away, sometimes not.
I can work with a wide range of issues such as :
Relationships, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Addictions, Bereavement, Burnout, Self-esteem, Body related problems, cultural/other identity issues, spiritual/existential questioning.
Nevertheless, life difficulties cannot be summarised into "types of issues" as written above and the central axis of my work sits in an open curiosity of who you are.
Relational Therapy
Therapy is a Co-created work :
I work relationally which means that I don’t consider myself as an expert in the room, but, rather, use my humanness and realness so I am accessible to you. I use both my emotionality and reasoning depending on what you bring.
Therapy is not an easy path, although it is rewarding and freeing, an individual can go through very uncomfortable feelings sometimes. For us to build trust, I create and maintain a “safe space” so you can express whatever comes, in whatever form.
For some people, therapy can be something to look forward to, somewhere to mark a pause, feel heard and understood.
The relational aspect of the work, where building trust through therapist / client attunement, is a key factor.
Integrative Therapy
What it means:
Integration means bringing together parts of a whole to renew, restore or begin again. We have different parts of our personality or diverse aspects of ourselves. Making these parts or aspects connect contributes to healing. (feeling whole or unified)
It also means that I draw upon various approaches according to your needs and wishes : Gestalt, Person-Centred and Psychodynamic are the approaches I was trained for.
Finally, my work is also about connecting thoughts, feelings and body sensations, in order to bring about a more unified sense of self.
Gestalt and creative
My style is Gestalt dominant :
The Gestalt approach tends to focus on the moment-to- moment process even if the narrative is in the past. This aspect of the work helps stay present and attune to your inner world.
Gestalt looks at the whole (holistic). For instance, the feelings, thoughts and physical manifestations are all important and can connect to each other. The spiritual side of a person’s life (religious or not) can also be included and explored in the therapeutic work if it is needed. In other words, the emotional, cognitive, physical world are not separated although it is important to look at each aspect in its own time.
It is sometimes difficult or impossible to express verbally what we might feel or think. I give space to creativity in my work. Although Gestalt is “talking therapy”, we might use objects to represent relationships/feelings/thoughts. We might also use metaphors, gesture/movement ,sound or drawing. This is sometimes suggested but not central to the therapy process, and certainly not compulsory .