Psychotherapy, therapy and counselling are interactive processes between people bringing their difficulties and a therapist . The purpose is to explore thoughts, feelings and behaviour for the purpose of problem solving or achieving higher levels of functioning. Psychotherapy aims to increase the individual’s sense of his/her own well-being. Psychotherapists employ a range of techniques based on their training in regard to human development and the need for secure attachments and their understanding of unconscious communications.
Therapy gives people a private and confidential place to talk about and explore thoughts and feelings.
Everyone faces difficulties in their lives at some time or another. Sometimes these are generated by recent life events such as bereavement or job loss and sometimes they arise from the accumulation of feelings and problems that have occurred throughout life and are experienced as anxiety, depression, lack of self esteem or problems with work and relationships.
How one negotiates difficulties in the present is influenced by past experience. Our consciously and unconsciously remembered thoughts and feelings about can be activated when stressed Understanding this and how past experiences have affected you is a necessary step towards achieving changes in perception, awareness and relationships.
Therapy also helps you become aware of habits in relationships so that you can understand and change them if you want to. Having a greater understanding of yourself enables you to make more of your relationships and to have a fuller and more satisfying emotional life.
Why Now?
In many circumstances issues of loss, dependency, identity, self esteem may emerge. These feelings may not be new but may feel to have added weight as there may be less available to offset these difficult emotions. Exploration of these thoughts and feelings can help to lessen their potentially destructive impact, both on ones self and those closes to you.
The impact of these difficult thoughts and feelings can have a corrosive affect on ones marriage. Issues of intimacy, sexual fulfillment, the ability to communicate with your partner can be helped through couples therapy and individual therapy. Sometimes one partner is reluctant to attend and work with the willing partner can help to facilitate a change in the relationship.
Therapy helps you achieve a more reflective and objective perspective on your life. The chief benefits are a better capacity to relate to yourself and to others with whom you have personal and work based relationships.
Sometimes patterns of relating are recreated with the therapist and we call this transference. In therapy this helps the therapist to understand you and to share this understanding. The depth of awareness gained gives you the freedom and confidence to change.