Areas of speciality
INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING
Ongoing one-to-one therapy and counselling is a common means of growth and healing for many people. Individual one-to-one therapy, often referred to as psychotherapy, involves meeting with a therapist on a regular basis in order to reduce internal suffering, which often causes problematic behaviour.
Attending therapy can help to break down barriers that interfere with emotional and mental well-being.
ANXIETY
Anxiety is defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, often in regards to an imminent event or uncertainty. While anxiety tends to establish a sense that there is no hope for possible treatment, this is a false perception created by the disorder.
Having some anxiety and having an anxiety disorder are very different. Having some anxiety is normal, but it is important to understand that it is so, and to regulate behaviours associated with extreme anxiety.
I work strategically to guide clients in discovering a more fulfilling life, managing stress in a healthy way.
MOOD DISORDERS
We all have ups and downs in life. Good mental health means you’re able to experience a range of emotions, but sometimes they can be overwhelming or cycle between intense highs and extreme lows. When it starts to feel like you’re on a rollercoaster and your moods fluctuate wildly, it could signal that you’re suffering from a mood disorder.
Mood disorders are a mental health condition where emotional disturbances become common and begin to interfere with work, school and personal relationships. Coping with a mood disorder isn’t easy, but you can find balance with professional help that delivers the right combination of therapy or medication.
PARENTING
Being a parent can be the most challenging job for some. It can bring about feelings of helplessness that lead to stress and anxiety. How we were parented ourselves plays a large role in are own ability to parent with confidence. Exploring our values and beliefs around parenting, as well as understanding how we ourselves were parented can lead to a much more relaxed and successful parenting style. Attending therapy to help manage this is not a sign of failure of your parenting skills, it is a sign you love and care for your children and yourself. Your children will thank you!
DEPRESSION
Feeling sad (or what some may call "depressed") is common and seems to happen to everyone on occasion, and the feeling usually subsides after a short while. However, people with a depressive disorder (such as clinical depression) have come to experience and recognise that their state of mind and feelings of depression happen more regularly and interfere with daily living.
When individuals suffer with a depressive disorder, their normal ability to function is damaged to such an extent that both they and those around them are affected by it. Understanding the signs of depression and seeking help is a vital step to overcoming the problem.
STRESS and TRAUMA
Psychological trauma is damage to an individual’s psyche that occurs as a result of a severely distressing event. Trauma experiences assault one’s sense of security, making the individual feel helpless and vulnerable. Clients who suffer from trauma may feel disconnected and unable to trust other people. Therapy is required to confront the feelings and to get over the pain to feel safe and well again.
When a person experiences a traumatic situation, it more than likely involves a threat to life or safety. Feeling overwhelmed and alone can also be traumatic, even if the person does not experience physical harm. Trauma is not determined by objective facts, but rather by one’s subjective emotional experience of an occurrence. The more frightened and helpless one feels, the more likely that person is to be traumatised.
Sometimes trauma can remain in a person’s body and psyche for years. It is possible to heal and experience freedom from trauma. Special strategies and support are needed to speed recovery. Whether the traumatic event occurred years ago or yesterday, it is possible to heal and move on.
POSTNATAL DEPRESSION
Some mothers will experience some days after the birth of a baby where they feel teary, emotional and overwhelmed. Often called "the baby blues", if it persists for a prolonged period of time, it can lead to being diagnosed as postnatal depression.
Coping with a newborn can be challenging even when we feel 'on top' of everything, but if depression is affecting your every moment, it is a lot to deal with.
I am a qualified antenatal teacher with a lot of experience supporting families through this kind of experience. If you need support, I can help, and, if you wish, you can bring your baby along with you.
Home visits are also an option.