Counselling or psychotherapy??​ Well, that depends on what you need.​

 

Counselling typically focuses on specific events, issues and challenges such as stress, relationship problems, career changes, or the loss of someone close. It tends to be shorter-term and solution focused with clear goals such as developing coping strategies, gaining clarity, exploring ideas and alternatives, or finding closure.

 

​Psychotherapy, on the other hand, tends to be more in-depth and long term with more of a conscious commitment from you to understand yourself on a more deep, intimate and honest level in order to bring about acceptance, forgiveness and eventually change. Change only happens once we face ourselves, warts and all.

​

Sometimes, during the painful parts of our lives we repressed or ostracised the parts of ourselves we couldn't face (like the jealous, angry or needy parts) because they didn't fit with our self-image. And yet, these ostracised parts seem to surface again and again in our relationships, triggering deep emotions and regretful patterns of behaviours we just cannot shake. We might then project our ostracised parts onto others which can make us feel (and look to others like) we are always angry, critical, suspicious or controlling. Or perhaps we often find ourselves with intense feelings of rejection, abandonment, shame and regret, which can cause a cascading of ruminating thoughts, physiological symptoms like tummy upsets, headaches and stress, and anxiety and depression. 

​

Psychotherapy can help process traumatic wounds and old patterns of thinking and being. My sessions are always dynamic, relational and present-moment focused.​ As a therapist, I love psychotherapy sessions because they can be extraordinarily healing and transformative. If you'd like to read more on healing trauma and old wounds, and inner child work, click here.