There are times in all our lives when we feel unable to cope. Sometimes the causes of our problems are circumstantial and seem fairly clear and we just need someone to help us find a way through this difficult time. At other times our problems are difficult to understand and as much as we try we can find no answers. Talking to a Counsellor who is impartial can help shed light on these unfathomed places, helping us to work through our personal difficulties and find new ways of coping with life's inevitable struggles.
"It is not so much man's experience which troubles him, but his perceptions of his experiences that trouble him" A.T.Beck
As Children we make many decisions about who and how we are going to be in life, we make these decisions based on our experiences growing up and Ideally they are good experiences and good decisions and we like ourselves, sometimes our ideas about ourselves are more negative. We rarely go back and re-visit the decisions we made and although they served us well as children and helped us feel safe in the world, we may discover these attitudes and behaviours are outdated and unhelpful to us as an Adult. We struggle but can't quite put our finger on what is causing the problem.
Counselling is an opportunity to better understand ourselves and discover new ways of behaving, thinking, feeling and relating, leading to a more content life and better relationships with both ourselves and others. Maybe you never learnt how to ask for what you needed or how to stand up for yourself, assert yourself at home or work. Maybe you struggle setting Boundaries for yourself or saying no to people. Maybe you struggle to feel you belong, struggle to socialise or make small talk. Maybe you struggle with focus, memory, attention or holding down a relationship. Maybe as a parent your noticing your Children don't respect the Boundaries you set them.
As a professionally trained counsellor I have completed 10 years of my own personal psychotherapy. I know how scary embarking on Counselling can feel. I will be fully present for you as I sit alongside you through your own Counselling process. I will not recoil from your pain, sadness or anger, but be fully available to you as you visit places that may be too painful to visit alone, if this is the case for you.
I will be commited to our time together in a non judgemental open and honest way. Some of us grew up in an environment where we may have become accustomed to adapting our behaviours to suit those around us, 'pleasing others' to protect the people we cared about, denying ourselves of the space or opportunity to fully develop a sense of who we actually are. The counselling relationship is intended to be a healing relationship, a safe place and opportunity to just be you.
Counselling Ditton, Aylesford Kent