What is Counselling?

Integrative counselling

Integrative counselling looks at the whole person, taking into account mental, physical and emotional needs. Techniques and tools from different modalities are tailored for an individual approach.

The aim is to develop self-awareness. When we understand the causes of concerns or triggers for behaviour, we can confidently set goals and develop new behaviours to improve satisfaction with life.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy

The psychodynamic approach is derived from psychoanalysis, but focuses on immediate problems to try to provide a quicker solution. It stresses the importance of the unconscious and past experience in shaping current behaviour. The aim is to build an accepting and trusting relationship and encourages an exploration of early relationships with parents and other significant people. It encompasses interpretation and the understanding of transference, where feelings experienced in previous significant relationships are projected onto the therapist.

Transactional analysis

Transactional analysis is a comprehensive approach that incorporates aspects of humanistic, cognitive-behavioural and psychodynamic therapy. It categorises the human personality into three states – Parent, Adult and Child – which can help us understand how we interact with others.

Using a TA framework we can explore how beliefs and our individual interpretation of the world around can create recurrent and problematic patterns of behaviour. By understanding our patterns, drivers and core beliefs we can work towards change.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

CBT aims to bring about change in thinking (cognitive) in order to change what we do (behaviour). It focuses on current problems and practical solutions to help break unhelpful cycles and repetitive negative automatic thoughts.

The way we think about situations affects the way we feel and behave. If we view a situation negatively, we may experience negative emotions and feelings which lead us to behave in an unhelpful way. CBT will help identify and challenge any negative thinking situations can be dealt with in a more positive way.

CBT can be helpful for depression, anxiety, stress, phobias, obsessions, eating disorders and managing long term conditions.