I
believe that we ourselves hold the key to understanding our own
lives, although at times we may not feel that way. One of my tasks is to assist
you to explore and to make best use of this knowledge and experience. How I do
this will depend on who you are, for example, some of us find it useful to
express our emotions, such as sadness, anger or fear. Others may prefer a more
rational approach that involves working things out and thinking things through.
I think of
my role in terms of joining you on a journey where you can experience who you
really are. How long this journey will be could range from just a few
sessions to many months, it all depends on your situation. I
will do my best to improvise and adapt my approach to suit each individual.
It may be
useful to think back to what was helpful or unhelpful when dealing with past
problems. You might also like to think about what you would like to gain from
your sessions, by setting yourself a personal goal, although for some this may
not be readily apparent which is okay and something we can explore together if
you want to.
I will help you to explore
and discover a deeper understanding and awareness of your inner world in
an environment that is confidential, safe and non-judgemental. My
approach is known as 'person-centred' which is grounded in Humanistic counselling
theory and the teachings of Carl Rogers.
There are
always possibilities of finding something different. There are alternatives to
just working with the spoken word. We can explore different aspects of ouselves
through the creative process, such as free expression on paper, or perhaps
discovering different imagery, landscapes and metaphors without inerpretation.
Confronting
ourselves creatively is a means of exploring a problem, perhaps blocked energy,
revealing meanings, working things out through a direct experience with
ourselves. This concept of working therapeutically through the creative arts
dates back to the establishemnt of the British Association of Art and Therapy
in the 1940s.
What does the word 'Praxis' stand for?
Praxis
is a word appplied by various thinkers throughout history, going back to
Aristotle and Ancient Greece, meaning the activity of the free person. In terms
of my counselling practice, I apply the word Praxis to mean putting things into
practice, enlightenment, being open to reflection and change, self-direction
and self-awareness, developing ideas and refining them. Our language can be
complicated and confusing, for example, when we are trying to find words to
express what we really mean and feel about something. You might like to explore
what words you might use to describe your own meaning and understanding of
words such as 'love' or 'hate'?
some useful links:
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)
Samaritans
Prevention of Young Suicide
Association for Humanistic Psychology
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
British Association for the Person-Centred Approach
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