Mental Health Therapist, M.C., B.S.W., R.S.W.
What is Counselling?
Counselling takes place within a safe professional and ethical relationship that allows individuals or groups to explore and modify their relationships with themselves and the world around them. It is a shared process. Individuals bring their experiences, values, culture, and beliefs together with the therapist who brings not only roadmaps based upon research and best practice but their own personality. It is an intentional process supporting a person or group to move forward towards an identifiable goal. We will be a team.
My Approach to Counselling
I work through a humanistic and attachment-based theoretical framework whereby the basic needs of humans for safety, connection and dignity creates space for individuals to grow and heal. I believe that understanding our past experiences helps a person to understand themselves, their feelings and their reactions to their world. Once people have this understanding of themselves we can start to let go of blame and guilt; embrace our strengths and resiliency while growing into potential.
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Our past experiences growing (our caregivers and our environment) shape how we deal with matters in our current lives – including stress, our relationships and even our health! I draw upon a strong, evidence-based practice that is based on this fundamental understanding. Attachment theory recognises these early relationships and experiences affects the wiring of our brain and the development of the body. We are hardwired for connection and as children, our ability to have a successful connection is what creates safety. When we cried our caregivers responded, soothed us and took care of our needs for love, food, and safety.
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Our early childhood experiences form blueprints for how we see ourselves and the world around us – including our loved ones. When we are young, and our brain and body are developing. When stressed our brains and bodies are flooded with stress hormones. When we are soothed and made to feel safe, we learn to regulate our emotions and our nervous systems develop in a typical manner resulting insecure attachment. This is a person who has a good view of themselves and the world around us. If we are not able to be soothed, then we start to view the world as unsafe, ourselves as unlovable and our nervous systems begin to be wired differently.
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Remember, you are at a starting point - not the destination! Our past experiences do not have to define who we are! Individuals can be resilient and resiliency can be boosted through education, connection, and skill-building. I believe the starting point to build this resiliency is through our relationship where you can feel safe enough to explore and understand what happened and recognize your own skills.