about therapy
At certain times in life it can feel more of a struggle than usual to cope on your own with the stresses and pressures that you are facing. Feeling unhappy and dissatisfied with a job or relationship or coping with a crisis such as a bereavement, redundancy, relationship break-up or divorce can feel overwhelming. You may find yourself experiencing more stress, insomnia, tension, exhaustion, anxiety or depression than usual or may just be struggling to cope with the demands of every day life.
Sometimes people feel uncomfortable about asking for psychological help and support because they feel their problems are not serious enough to warrant this. People often feel that they they should be able to pull themselves together, adopt a stiff upper lip. Struggling on alone is not always the most helpful option and seeking therapy can be seen as a positive investment in the rest of your life.
It is a relief to be able to talk about and share the weight of these issues with a qualified psychotherapist – someone who is trained to listen, support and reflect on what is being said, helping you to better understand and manage the challenges and difficulties you are currently facing in your life.
Importantly, the experience of talking through the difficulties and challenges that can occur in life enables a person to make important and long lasting changes. It aims to help the client to bring about changes in life that he or she feels would be of benefit and create more freedom of choice and greater ability to move forward in their lives.
This involves a clearer understanding of what actually contributes to and formulates a problem. Sometimes the roots of the problem lie in the past but the client may be unaware of a connection. Therapy helps to uncover these hidden links and assists the individual in seeing, thinking and acting with greater freedom.
There is a tendency in people to repeat patterns of behaviour; we may wish to change them but habit prevents us. It is in therapy that these patterns often come to light and the client can explore them in order to create a deeper sense of self awareness and the possibility for change.
In creating greater self awareness and insight we find that we have more choices and a greater sense of freedom in the way we live our lives.
For some people, who struggle with anxiety and negative thought patterns, C.B.T. (Cognitive behavioural therapy) can provide effective strategies and tools to alleviate issues that can impact enormously on your daily life and I am able to offer this form of therapy when appropriate.
Richmond