About Counselling 

One of the most important aspects of counselling and psychotherapy is the relationship between the therapist and the client. This relationship is based on trust, confidentiality, and mutual respect. A strong therapeutic relationship can enhance the effectiveness of the therapy. Counselling and psychotherapy offer a secure and confidential environment where you can openly explore what is troubling you with a qualified professional. Through this process, you are supported to explore your inner world, thoughts, emotions, and behaviours, fostering deeper self-awareness, self-compassion and empathy towards yourself and others. It can help you work through complex emotions and find ways to cope with them. Counselling also helps identify unhelpful patterns in your thinking and behaviour and space to explore ways to change them if desired.

Counselling and psychotherapy can help with feelings of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, difficult life events and trauma, work-related issues and stress, grief, shame and relationship issues.

Counsellors do not give personal opinions or advice, nor do we prescribe medication. Instead, we support your journey to discover your own solutions, develop self-awareness and live a more fulfilled life.

Person-centred therapy is a form of talk therapy developed by psychologist Carl Rogers in the mid-20th century, with over 70 years of research. This approach emphasises your capacity for growth and self-direction. In person-centred therapy, the therapist creates a supportive and non-judgmental environment where you will feel valued, understood, and accepted. The focus is on your experience, allowing you to explore thoughts, feelings, and behaviours without fear of criticism or judgment. This approach rejects the idea that there is a wrong way of being or thinking; it promotes your growth, as facilitated by the therapist. Person-centred therapy is used to address a wide range of issues, including anxiety, depression, relationship problems, and personal development.

Core Principles of Person-Centered Counselling:

Unconditional Positive Regard: The therapist accepts and supports you, the client without judgment. Helping you to feel safe and understood, and able to open up and express yourself freely.

Empathy: The therapist tries to understand your feelings and experiences from your perspective. By showing this understanding, the therapist helps you to feel heard and validated, which builds trust and connection.

Congruence (Genuineness): The therapist is honest, genuine, and transparent with you. They don't hide behind a professional facade but are open about their own feelings and reactions, creating a more honest and trusting relationship.

The counselling sessions are client-led. The client takes the lead in therapy sessions, deciding what to discuss and explore. The therapist does not direct the conversation or give advice, respecting the client’s ability to guide their own healing process.

Complex trauma is when an individual experiences traumatic experiences, often over an extended period, leading to a merging or blurring of those experiences in their memory and emotional processing. This can result in a range of psychological and emotional difficulties that are more complex and challenging to address compared to single traumatic incidents.  Some common causes include:

• Childhood Abuse and Neglect: Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse during childhood, as well as neglect or abandonment (including emotional abandonment) by caregivers, can contribute to complex trauma.

• Domestic Violence: Growing up in a home environment where there is ongoing domestic violence can lead to complex trauma, as it involves repeated exposure to traumatic events.

• Community Violence: Living in neighbourhoods or communities characterised by high levels of violence and crime can subject individuals to ongoing traumatic experiences.

• War and Conflict: Surviving war, armed conflict, or political violence can result in complex trauma due to exposure to multiple traumatic events and the loss of loved ones.

• Natural Disasters: Experiencing natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or hurricanes, particularly when accompanied by additional stressors like displacement, loss of property, or the death of family members, can contribute to complex trauma.

• Medical Trauma: Prolonged or severe illness, invasive medical procedures, traumatic childbirth, or medical emergencies can also lead to complex trauma, especially if experienced during childhood or in vulnerable populations.

• Interpersonal Trauma: Complex trauma can also result from ongoing interpersonal trauma, such as bullying, harassment, or exploitation in relationships, workplaces, or institutions.

These factors, when experienced over an extended period and without adequate care, support or resources for coping and recovery, can contribute to the development of complex trauma. 

The following website might be helpful: https://www.complex.org