I offer a range of different therapeutic Approaches
Talking Therapy Counselling is an umbrella term for talking therapies in which you are provided with a safe and supportive environment to explore problems you maybe experiencing.
E.M.D.R 'Eye Movement Desensatisation & Reprocessing' used for Traumatic memories that are impacting negatively on the quality of your life, (PTSD) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, phobias etc..
When a person is involved in a distressing event, they may feel overwhelmed and their brain may be unable to process the information like a normal memory. The distressing memory seems to become frozen on a neurological level. When a person recalls the distressing memory, the person can re-experience what they saw, heard, smelt, tasted or felt, and this can be quite intense. Sometimes the memories are so distressing; the person tries
to avoid thinking about the distressing event to avoid experiencing the distressing feelings.
Some find that the distressing memories come to mind when something reminds them of the distressing event, or sometimes the memories just seem to just pop into mind. The alternating left-right stimulation of the brain with eye movements, sounds or taps during EMDR, seems to stimulate the
frozen or blocked information processing system.
In the process the distressing memories seem to lose their intensity, so that the memories are less distressing and seem more like 'ordinary' memories. The effect is believed to be similar to that which occurs naturally during REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement) when your eyes rapidly move from side to side. EMDR helps reduce the distress of all the different kinds of memories, whether it was what you saw, heard, smelt, tasted, felt or thought.
Hypnotherapy used for smoking cessation, weight loss, confidence building, relaxation, Stress management, life coaching, Sleep disturbances etc.
Hypnotherapy is not stage hypnosis. Stage hypnotists are performers who are excellent at reading people. They seek extroverts who will put on a great show for the crowd. Whether or not their subjects are truly hypnotized is debatable, but they are willing to go along with the sometimes outrageous suggestions of the stage hypnotist.
Hypnotherapy, by contrast, utilizes the heightened awareness of the hypnotic state to help you explore you more deeply. You will be guided by the hypnotherapist to visualize yourself in a state of peacefulness and relaxation, even if you are confronting your fears.
During hypnotherapy, you remain in control. It is not possible for anyone to force you to do anything against your will, even under hypnosis. You will be tuned in to the work at hand, and so may not pay attention to your surroundings, but you will always be in charge of your own actions, behaviors and statements.
The subconscious mind is the source of many of our problems and self images. Our beliefs, habits and behaviours are stored as information. The subconscious is a tremendous reservoir of our unrecognised strengths and knowledge.
Hypnosis is a natural and effective technique for accessing the subconscious mind - the key to unleashing our potential, changing our unwanted habits and behaviours and finding solutions to our problems and concerns.
Any therapeutic intervention implies change, so entering a trance state alone does not signify a therapeutic endpoint. Once the individual has achieved a trance state the hypnotherapist uses many different therapeutic methods ranging from simple suggestions to psychoanalysis. For
example, the therapist may ask about past, present or future concerns to establish the reasons for the problem. Alternatively the therapist may give suggestions to the subconscious mind aimed at overcoming specific problems such as lack of self confidence.
Some uses such as calming a person require minimal change on the part of the individual, more complex behaviour patterns such as overeating or treatment of panic disorders or reactive (non-clinical) depression require a more complex therapeutic talking therapy.
EFT 'Emotional freedom technique' is a series of astonishing fast and easy processes that can help just about anyone to achieve genuine freedom from emotions that have created problems in their life. It can dramatically relieve emotional disturbances along with many physical
symptoms. It often works in minutes, its results are usually long lasting, and side effects are all most always positive. Clients have described this as a
gift they cantake home and use by themselves or share with others. Very affective with panic attacks, stress, anxiety, weight loss, smoking
cessation, sleep disturbances, pain, pain management, trauma and P.T.S.D. This is an affective technique that can be used to stop your cravings.
I really liked this definition of EFT by psychologist James R. Lane, writing in Energy Psychology magazine and thought some of you might, too.
“Recent research indicates that manual stimulation of acupressure points produces opoids, serotonin, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and regulates cortisol. These neurochemical changes reduce pain, slow the heart rate, decrease anxiety, shut off the fight/flight/freeze response, regulate the autonomic nervous system, and create a sense of calm. This relaxation response reciprocally inhibits anxiety and creates a rapid desensitization
to traumatic stimuli.”
EFT is a simple technique which can be easily learnt by anyone with great results. Yet when applied with skill and
compassion by an experienced therapist it can literally re-wire our brains for success and happiness.
Inner Child Work
This is a method of therapy where the Inner Child (We all have one) can be accessed, and negative conditioning's, traumas, etc can be positively addressed. The Child within is a wonderful part of us; spontaneous; fun; mischievous; the sparkling part of our personality. The contra aspect is that the child within can throw tantrums, behave unreasonably or inappropriately.
If there has been trauma or damage in childhood, the spontaneous inner child is damaged, and cannot find an outlet; depriving many of the enjoyment and fun that brings. If there has been negative conditioning in childhood, ie the child continually told he/she is "Stupid", "worthless", or "you will never amount to much " ... the adult will always have low self esteem/worth, and never believe they can achieve.
If they do achieve, they will class it as an accident, or a lucky mistake .... It is important to replace negative childhood conditioning with something more positive, and to allow the adult personality/will to be in control, not the damaged and defensive child's.
Childhood traumas are often ignored, or swept under the carpet, by adults around them. Family bereavements etc were seldom explained to children a few years ago, therefore the child's feelings were never validated, or dealt with. The self worth again is diminished and shadow areas within the psyche established at that stage.
Unless these ARE brought out into the light, looked at and dealt with, they can be crippling and can mean that the bearer will never achieve their full potential. Childhood abuse of any kind can also be dealt with and much of the fear, low self esteem, inhibition and sadness lifted.
Inner child work is a powerful tool and frees and releases hidden emotions within that can lead to all kinds of problems if not dealt with.
Inner Child Work is designed to sensitively and positively deal with these events by healing; not re-traumatising; enabling the client to take back control of their thinking, their behaviours and as a result... their lives.
Person-centred Art therapy Skills (No drawing skills required)
•The process of doing art can sometimes help people become more aware of feelings previously hidden from them, or of which they were only partly aware. It can help people become clearer about confused feelings.
•Using art can sometimes help people release feelings, e.g. anger and aggression, and can provide a safe and acceptable way of dealing with unacceptable feelings.
•It can help people to look at their current situations and at ways of making changes. The ‘framed experience’ (an experience within a boundary, like a picture within a frame) can provide a context to try out or fantasise about possible futures without the commitment of reality.
•It can be used to help adults play and ‘let go’ recapturing the ability to play can lead to creativity and health.
•The concreteness of the products makes it easier to develop discussion from them. The picture as a separate entity means that therapist and client can relate to each other through looking at the picture together. This is sometimes a less threatening way of confronting issues or relating.
Sand Tray
Clients are encouraged to use miniature toys, figurines and objects in the sand in any way they choose. The design of the sand tray is guided by their imagination and their subconscious. The result is a microcosm of their inner world. The world within the sand tray is expressed through symbolism and metaphor; it may not make immediate sense to the client. But aided by the therapist, a client, even a child, can begin to recognise the relationship between the creation in the sand and their inner world. There are those who have described sandtray as comparable to a “waking
dream”. Meaningful images, dilemmas, fears, hopes and dreams can be accessed through the sandtray, allowing conscious and unconscious aspects of the psyche to interact. The therapist neither analyzes nor interprets the sand-world. The meaning of the play emerges as the client experiences it and shares it with the therapist. The outcome is often a feeling of rightness and truth for the client. “This is how it is. This is just what it is like for me.”
Why Use Sandtray Therapy?
Sandtray translates personal experience into a concrete, three-dimensional form. As a picture can say more than a thousand words, a figure or scene can express feelings, emotions and conflicts that previously had no verbal language. Hence, the sand-worlds that are created offer a rich and
highly personalized vocabulary for pre-verbal or non-verbal experience. Without having to depend on words, clients can increase their capacity for expression through the tray. Self-awareness and communication are enhanced by this process.
Mindfullness and Meditation
The theoretical framework for mindfulness meditation suggests that it may be a promising approach to treating addictive disorders. Mindfulness has been defined as the intentional, accepting and non-judgemental focus of one’s attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present. This purposeful control of attention can be learnt through training in techniques such as meditation.
Auricular Acupuncture: Acupuncture is based on traditional chinese medicine. The ear protocol designed to assist in the treatment of addiction. It can help to calm the mind, ease withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings as well as promoting well being. Auricular acupuncture uses
fine needles to stimulate specific parts of the body to heal itself. Results may be felt rapidly, more often the reactions are sustained over a period of time, benefits are cumulative with succesive treatments. I am Yuan trained.
Clinical supervision: I offer creative clinical supervision and Counselling supervision to individuals and groups within the counselling and
social care fields. I work with therapists, teachers, nurses, practitioners, team leaders and management.
As a creative clinical supervisor I work towards providing a regular space for supervises to reflect upon the content and the process of their work to
ensure that as a person and as a worker you are not left to carry unnecessary difficulties, problems or projections on your own. I provide a safe confidential space for you to explore and express personal distress, transference or counter-transference that maybe brought up by the work. My
aim is to help you to plan and utilise personal and professional resources better. I will assist you to be able to be pro-active rather than reactive.
Tutor/ Trainer: I teach 'creative ways of working' ' group facilitation,' 'Boundaries' ' alcohol and sustance misuse' 'Integrative Counselling' and 'ethical and social issues.'
I am a tutor at the Existential 'New school.'
I am an hourly paid lecturer at City & Islington College
I train professionals in Hackney for the Drug & Alcohol Action Team (DAAT).
Islington