How I work
Initial Consultation
Before we can begin working together, we could have a free initial consultation on the telephone which lasts about 15 to 30 minutes. This will give me the opportunity to find out more about you, your experiences and the challenges you are facing. It is also an opportunity for you to find out more about counselling and working with me so we can decide if we are going to have an initial one off session.
Our first session together is about 90 minutes so we can begin building a relationship together and I can find out more about your experiences and challenges. This also gives you the opportunity to understand exactly what counselling can offer you. I then ask my clients to think about whether they would like to work together before making a decision. After that, our sessions are usually one hour long and weekly, unless I am away. I always aim to be flexible regarding days and times.
"It doesn't matter how slow you go, so long as you don't stop". Confucius.
Integrative Counselling
As an integrative counsellor, I may draw on a variety of approaches so I can tailor how I work with you to your unique circumstances and experiences as I believe that no one is a classic text book!
Psychodynamics
Psychodynamics can help you recognise recurring patterns in your life. To do this we could explore your past experiences, where appropriate and how they have shaped and influenced your life so far. Your unconscious thoughts, when brought to the fore, may help you make sense of how you are currently feeling so that you can move on in a more positive way. I employ Eric Berne’s Transactional Analysis - a more modern approach to Sigmund Freud. I remain curious about how the drama triangle of Victim, Persecutor and Rescuer play out within anybody’s life. Again, where appropriate.
Psychosynthesis
Psychosynthesis, also referred to as the psychology of the self, helps you explore matters of the soul and the spirit. It addresses the whole person, not just your emotions, helping you to explore yourself more deeply and striving towards reconnecting with your inner self and your core principles. It offers you practical solutions to break the pattern of negative thoughts, emotions and actions.
CBT
CBT is a solution based talking therapy that deals more in your current emotions and behaviours and focuses on helping you change the way you think and behave. It is commonly used to treat anxiety and depression and this approach could enable you to tackle a variety of emotional challenges.
Jung’s Magical Thinking
A theory developed by Carl Jung, magical thinking explores the link between your inner thoughts and emotions and the physical world. In the way that people believe in superstitions and astronomy, magical thinking explores the synchronicity between internal thoughts and their impact on external events. It is particularly effective in the treatment of OCD and anxiety but it can be used to explore a variety of issues. Dreams open the unconscious to the subconscious and are particularly useful of what’s going on for you right now - usually unresolved dilemmas from the past to the present. Together, we could interpret what they mean.
Gestalt
A model within itself, usually in the here and now of your life. It’s about cycles of behaviour and the feelings within, your past introjections, usually from parents, grandparents, teachers where you are probably projecting onto others and which probably keeps you stuck.
©2023 Sarah Dean
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