WHAT IS THERAPY?
Also known as the ‘talking cure’, therapy is the process of change through conversation. When we seek help from our current distress, we are hoping to develop our full potential. Talking to someone who has the experience to give a different perspective can bring relief and facilitate change and growth. Regular contact with the therapist offers a confidential environment in which to explore present experiences. The therapist provides guidance and support to help you to reflect on ways of thinking, feeling, relating and acting which may be difficult. Links may be made between the past and present. Opportunities arise to re-evaluate attitudes and behaviour, and new ways of perceiving and relating can be tried out.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
It is good to talk to someone who can appreciate your point of view and can help you put your feelings and ideas into words. Sharing your experiences helps your emotions feel more manageable and your ideas become clearer. Difficulties can be evaluated and responses and attitudes modified. Research into neuroscience now provides an explanation into how this process of change works.
WHICH APPROACH WILL WORK FOR ME?
Short-term counselling, of between 6 to 18 sessions, focuses on specific recent issues, while longer-term psychotherapy is suitable for concerns that persist or recur. There are a number of approaches to psychological help. When we meet, we can discuss what feels right for you.
WHAT WILL I FIND CHALLENGING?
Sometimes, it can feel uncomfortable or confusing talking about yourself, and it takes time for insight to become clear. You may change in ways you do not expect, or find that it takes time for you and others to adjust to change. We offer support, and having confidence in us is important. Therapy is most effective for people who want to invest in new possibilities for themselves.
WHAT WILL I GAIN?
Some advantages are feelings of confidence and calm, more kindness towards yourself and others, insight, increased potential, new choices and more creative relationships and working patterns. Therapy also promotes acceptance of that which cannot be changed by realistically adjusting attitudes. By recovering lost or underdeveloped parts of ourselves, growth becomes possible.
