Counselling & Psychotherapy

Counselling Central London Psychotherapy – Benefits of Counselling - Counsellor Camden Psychotherapist
Counselling & Psychotherapy – Aims & Benefits

Introduction Counselling & psychotherapy benefits people, who in an open & honest way, want a deeper understanding of themselves, who are seeking a better place to be in.

Your Wellbeing Counselling can help improve your wellbeing - how you look after yourself and others.

Impartial Support We are full of contradictions - our body, emotions, moods, thoughts or beliefs frequently change. In a complex and ever-changing world none of us have all the answers to all our struggles. We are complex beings, yet have simple needs. The world can be confusing, full of dilemmas, ambiguity, double-binds, paradox & risks (see also Changes & Transitions). It can be a challenge to tolerate frustration, difference, accept uncertainty and allow for the unknown & mystery in the world. We can't do everything on our own and at times can benefit from the impartial support of a counsellor or psychotherapist. The experience of therapy can enable us to be more accepting of who we are, others, and the constraints & limitations of the world.

Managing Life's Transitions At some periods in our life we are in a transitional stage or reach turning points. Psychotherapy & counselling can assist people in managing their transitions. Therapy can also offer a space to allow for Iife's intangibles & existential concerns.

Being Heard & Understood For some people, knowing that they will be seeing a counsellor or psychotherapist on a regular basis can help relieve the sense of being on their own with their dilemmas. Sometimes simply talking to someone and being heard, understood or noticed can lift a weight off our shoulders and we may be more open, so we can manage things more easily.

A Place To Talk About Difficult Things Psychotherapy & counselling can help a person talk about thoughts that they may not have been able to acknowledge or express before, or address important matters they have put off.

FeeIing & Thinking Differently Some people benefit from counselling, simply because it can be a space to feeI their feeIings, be in touch with their emotions or think differently about themselves in the world. The counselling & psychotherapy can help us filter & manage our feeIings & thoughts, so we are more able to take charge of them.

Expressing or Containing FeeIings The counselling can help enable people to manage unwanted feelings, without numbing them (e.g. through alcohol, overworking, overusing internet), avoiding them or acting them out. We may look at how freely you express or contain your feeIings and how any obstacles get in the way. This can bring a sense of relief.

Freeing OurseIf The counselling & psychotherapy is also about freeing ourself, moving away from what we don't want, towards what we do want. We will look at how you also create your own situations by exploring with you the wisdom of your core beliefs, thinking patterns, assumptions & conclusions you draw, as well as the "domino effect" of such beliefs. It may be difficult to let go of what we hold on to, precious beliefs which no longer work. The therapy process may involve gaining a deeper understanding of who you are, so your impulses, responses and reactions are more in your control, without repressing or being overwhelmed by them. The therapy may consider any obstacles along the way, e.g.:

• We have our own "sore spots" - our hurt, pain or wounds. We also have "blind spots" - a tendency for not seeing things we don't want to see or things we are not able to fully understand.
• Tradition & social norms protect us from acting on impulse, yet may affect our own conscious thinking about "why we do the things we do".
• How we interpret our conscious & unconscious beliefs, where we may mistake our personal view as the reality. In psychotherapy we may look at or gently challenge any restricting beliefs, which may limit your choices. (See also Releasing Ourselves & Letting Go)
• How we take responsibility for our own feelings

Releasing Old Patterns Counselling & psychotherapy considers what blocks you, the obstacles in your Iife, those you are conscious of and others you are not. We may look at what keeps you stuck or suffering, what you keep doing to yourself - your maintaining cycles. We may explore the dynamics of your own personality - your old patterns, habits or traits, how you re-create familiar situations. We may examine what's in your control, what's reactive, what's choice, e.g. "I felt this, and therefore I had to do that". With new insight you may understand who you are differently, and new meanings may emerge. (See also Impact Of Our Past & Releasing Ourselves & Letting Go)

Impact Of Our History Some problems may have started off small and have begun to snowball, having their origins in our history. Therefore counselling & psychotherapy provides the opportunity to revisit and address things, which we weren't emotionally mature enough to do as a child. We can't turn the clock back, but we can unpick the meanings & assumptions we have made so far, and discover whether they are still valid. A further aim of counselling & psychotherapy is to reflect upon the effect of "water that has flowed under your bridge" so far, and look at what this might mean for you now. Acknowledging that each of us is more than the influence of our history, we'll look at what works in your Iife, what doesn't and why some problems may continue. (For details see Impact Of Our Past)

Identifying & Increasing Inner Strengths & Resources Counselling & psychotherapy is not only about pain, misery and the upsetting things. Therapy can also help us to grow & develop. My aim is to help identify your strengths - your own resources & predispositions, flexibility and examine how they can be increased, used creatively & effectively. These along with our personal boundaries can support us in difficult times.

Connected To Our Core SeIf A further challenge may to be more authentic, being in our Core SeIf - calm & centred, less from our selfimage or being distracted by external influences. The therapy may assist you in developing & building this deeper sense of yourself - your own centre, aware & able to reflect, with the ability to make choices and act with intention. (See also Living To Our Full Potential)

Our Intention Sometimes we may act unintentionally or unconsciously. As we connect to our own inner choice, the one that really matters, we can access our will, which can be released, and we can directly experience this volition. Some of us may struggle in distinguishing the difference between our intention & desire - and the act of willing, doing it & making it happen. The counselling & psychotherapy can also explore with you how free your choice is to choose your intent, what lays behind and drives your intentions. We may also explore how your feelings, moods, needs, values, beliefs, etc. inform your intentions, differentiating between how you are and how things should be. (See also Our Expectations)

Accessing Motivation, Acting From Our Personal Will Some of us can spend our time observing things, rather than acting, participating in the world. Both our inactions & actions have an impact on us & others. However motivated we are, we can also become unmotivated at times, or procrastinate. Our motivation may flow in cycles, peaks & troughs. Some people may want to move away from their passivity or vacant frame of mind, no longer wanting to feeI unmotivated, unfocused or simply going along with things for the sake of it. We may feel confident and able to act in certain aspects, yet not in other areas. FeeIing inertia & lacking momentum, sometimes it is as if our personal will seems stuck (as if we have no will), and the counselling can offer support in freeing the will (when we have a direct experience of our will existing), so we mobilise & dedicate our resources and are able to act from our core seIf, without being in reaction. Motivation – our inner drive, can be seen as our fuel, which puts a glow or fire in our belly, powers our actions, and it is the result of our actions, which create our Iife experience. Connecting to the source of "our want" - having a personal will, our life force, can be a desire for some, so you put your intention, passions, aspirations & focus into action, doing what it takes to make things tangibly happen. Being in touch with what's important in what we want in our heart of hearts, may matter to us. You may also want to choose or discover the nature of your intentions, whether they are good without doing damage to yourself or others. The counselling & psychotherapy will explore what matters to you (including your entitlement & what you will & won't settle for), your life focus, alongside your feeIings, the way you perceive reality as well as your aims, hopes, dreams, imagination, creativity, aspirations & values. For some their source of personal power & motivation (their personal will) may seem locked away (unconscious), and for others - be present, yet not fully utilised or engaged as they struggle to pursue things important to them, set their mind to a task, or be in touch with their strong, burning desires – not just a wish or a hope.

Willpower Directing our attention towards something important may be an issue for some. Some of us may have difficulty deciding, sustaining or completing things. Others can start off enthusiastically, yet it doesn't last. Making a commitment & sticking to it maybe a concern for others. Our willpower can get tested, when we have to decide between what we want to do and what is best for us - what we really ought to do. The therapy may explore your persistence & determination - what happens to it when stretched or in uncomfortable situations. Calling upon the inner strength of our willpower to take the right action can be a challenge. Our resilience & personal boundaries can give us inner strength, support our willpower, so we can take the right action, control our impulses & reactions. Training our willpower over time supports our self-control, enabling us to resist temptations, avoid roads we would not rather go down, so we can protect & nourish the things worthwhile in our life. We may also look at the role of faith, trust, courage & perseverance. You may want to become more aware of the source of your motivation, what determines your decisions (including your passions, thoughts, beliefs, actions & reactions, how you deliberate & make up your mind to act, remain focused & carry out your intention). And when we are motivated, we are usually more confident. The therapy may therefore review how you access & enhance your motivation, take charge of your own destiny & how you put your volition - will (what drives you) into action (see also Our Will - Mobilising Our Resources To Act). We may be wilful, but without love, be lonely inside. Being in touch & relating with others in the world - not only your individual goals - may be a further challenge. You may also want to get in touch with the will & existence beyond the personal - what some people describe as expanding to the collective, universal or spiritual will, linked to life's purpose - as if you are being will. (For details see Connecting To Our Own Inner Direction)

New Perspectives Some problems may never be overcome - you can't get rid of all difficulties, yet our attitude & relationship to them can change. As our feeIings or outlooks change, we make different meanings, our problems seem to diminish, or may be approached & managed differently. We can also transform the way we see ourself & the world, as new perspectives emerge.

Integrating All Aspects Of OurseIf The therapy can help you integrate all aspects of your personality, including those which are intrinsic to you.