Your therapy journey: a compassionate, client centred approach in Birmingham, in nature and online

Thanks for reading. Today I want to share a little bit about my approach and the way I work as a counsellor and therapist. My main counselling and therapy work takes place in Stirchley, South Birmingham or online. You can find my counselling page here if you haven’t already checked it out. I also offer therapy in nature which is similar in approach to my other therapy work but takes place out in the natural world. You can find out more about that here.

Like many counsellors, I initally came to counselling and psychotherapy as client with struggles of my own. Exploring my challenges within a safe, supported and validating environment helped me to be more compassionate towards myself and live a more fulfilling and connected life. My own experience of therapy and counselling means I know that it’s not an easy journey. It takes bravery and courage to face our struggles. It can be an immensely rewarding journey though and one I feel grateful to have taken myself.

I’ve also had experiences in therapy that weren’t safe or affirming, so it’s incredibly important to me that the space I offer is LGBTQIA+ affirming, disability affirming, neurodiversity affirming, anti-racist and fat-positive. I’m always happy to share more about what this means in practice if you have an aspect (or intersectional aspects) of your identity that means you’re wondering whether I am the right fit for you. My approach as a counsellor, whether I’m working in the therapy room or the natural world, is all about creating a safe and supportive space for you.

The Counselling Relationship; trust and connection

Our relationship is a partnership and it’s important to me to create a safe, supported space where your thoughts and feelings are heard. Working with a new counsellor is a process of discovery and building trust takes time. We work at your pace, to make sure you’re always in the diving seat.

Thats not to say therapy is easy. It’s clichéd but true that growth happens outside of our comfort zones but it’s really important to explore discomfort at a pace that feels challenging but not too challenging. My focus on safety and trauma-informed care will support you to navigate what ever comes up. This often means working with what’s happening in the present moment, rather than examining past traumas and reliving them. Working through unresolved issues from the past can absolutely be beneficial and lots of my clients choose to take this path, but what’s also often helpful is understanding your experience in the here and now. I believe the mind, body and nervous system all play an equal and incredibly important roll in the healing journey and learning to work with these aspects, which we can do together, can really support you to move forward.

Practical tools for safety: trauma informed, neuroscience and somatic based approaches

Something I’m hugely passionate about is helping my clients to understand the role of their body and nervous system and how they store our past experiences. There are so many practical tools that we can use to create more safety and connection in our bodies and sharing these tools with my clients, so that they can use them in their every day lives, is a key part of my approach. I’m a licensed meditation teacher and I’ve trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Somatic Trauma Therapy and these aspects of my training mean I can work with you on the mind and body level. Some people come to therapy wanting to explore past traumas, some want to explore their experience in the here and now and some want a combination of both of those approaches. Integrating neuroscience and somatic therapy with psychodynamic theory and humanistic approaches means we can work in a safe and supportive way that gives you practical tools to integrate into your every day life.

A space to process and explore your struggles

Sometimes we just need a neutral, supportive space to explore and make sense of our experience. Many people have never experienced having a dedicated space that’s solely for them to explore their experiences. The simple act of being heard and accepted can be a beautiful first step along the path to healing. My approach to holding this space for you is always informed by what you might need. This is something we’ll explore together so we can make adjustments as needed. You are always welcome to come as you are and bring anything you might need to feel safe and supported.

Awareness, compassion and acceptance in counselling

Becoming more aware of ourselves and the way we process our experiences is a bit like peeling back layers of an onion. I’ll support you to explore your experience with self-compassion and curiosity. This can lead to greater self-acceptance and positive change. Part of this process is you feeling accepted, held and seen in our relationship. I'm committed to working affirmingly with all of my clients including being anti-racist and race affirming, disability affirming, LGBTQIA+ affirming and fat-positive. Even so, I appreciate that potential clients may feel cautious about working with a counsellor who doesn’t share aspects of their identity that lead to marginalization. I offer an initial 15 minute chat so you can get a sense of how we might work together and ask any questions you might have about how I can safely support you. You can contact me here.

How healing happens in Counselling

My integrative approach includes a blend of person-centred therapy, gestalt therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy and psychodynamic therapy. I am also a licensed mindfulness and meditation teacher and I often used meditation and neuroscience based techniques to support you through the process of therapy. Each of these approaches offers a unique lens that can help us to explore your experience.

Psychodynamic counselling helps us to understand the way the past affects our experience in the present, Gestalt, mindfulness and somatic approaches help us to connect with our here and now experience and to attend to the experience of the body as well as the mind, and acceptance and commitment therapy helps us to be more accepting of ourselves and our experiences. Some clients also choose to explore their spirituality in the therapy room and I work with them to facilitate this.

Healing, I believe, is a collaborative journey. It unfolds as we build trust, explore your experiences and embrace the process of self-discovery. Just as a physical wound can heal with the right care and attention, our work together in therapy allows for the mending of emotional and psychological wounds. It involves understanding, acceptance, and the gradual integration of new awareness into your life.

Healing is not a linear path; it's a series of steps, small victories, and transformative moments that can shape your journey towards a more fulfilling and balanced life. If all of this sounds like it might be a good fit for you and what you’re looking for, you can arrange to have a chat with me by contacting me here. I’ll look forward to chatting and seeing how I might support you to take the next step on your journey.

All of that sounds great but what does the actual process look like?

That’s a great question but it doesn’t really have one answer because every client is different. Some things that the process could involve include:

Exploring the past to identify patterns that impact on your experience in the present
Exploring what’s happening between us in the therapy room, with the perspective that the therapy relationship is often a mirror for our other relationships
Exploring what’s happening in your body and nervous system and exploring strategies for regulation
Exploring a specific issue, struggle or problem and your feelings around it
Exploring more existential topics like spirituality or other ways of finding meaning in the world
Exploring nature and your connection to the natural world

I also specalise in working with neurodivergent clients, so you may wish to explore aspects of ADHD or Autism.

Issues I work with as a Counsellor in Birmingham and online

Issues I work with include depression, anxiety, stress, self esteem issues, trauma, life transitions, identity, grief and relationships. I also work with ADHD, Autism and other neurodiversity. I am also available to work with other psychological struggles that aren’t listed. You can arrange a no obligation 15 minute chat with me by contacting me here.