Counselling & Psychotherapy

Counselling Central London Psychotherapy – London Counselling Services - Counsellor Camden Psychotherapist
Why People Seek Counselling & Psychotherapy

Getting To Know Yourself The therapy provides the opportunity for you to know yourself better.

Making Time For You If only we could solve our problems with an easy & quick formula. Often in society there is little time dedicated to understanding all of who we are - our own individuality, beyond labels or shallow identities. We can give priority to what we do, yet overlook our internal world - who we are. Balancing the demands of career, family & relationships can be a challenge. We can be so busy that we find it hard to be still & reflect about our situation, who we are & what matters for us, or find a safe enough place to off-load.

Being Heard In normal social situations it is unacceptable to express all our feeIings and tell everyone everything. Even with people we trust, our closest friends or family, limits are usually set in what we say, and they may find it hard to give objective advice. What people are prepared to hear may also limit our expression. We may restrain what we disclose or fear the response. We may value the anonymity, professional feedback & help of a counsellor or psychotherapist as someone independent to turn to, not directly connected, who isn't too close and can hear you without a vested interest, preconceptions, who doesn't say things to simply please you. Therapy offers us the opportunity to get things off our chest so we can be heard & listened to & know we are not alone. It can be a place to speak the unspoken & express our thoughts, however they may sound.

Supportive Resource Some of us can be too proud or ashamed to ask for professional help, fearing that if we do, something is "wrong" with us. Yet receiving a different response to what is our usual experience can also be significant. Many people view counselling & psychotherapy as a regular supportive resource, with someone they can turn to, just as acceptable as maintaining our diet and physical health.

Change Some may find it too painful to talk to anyone else about their fears, pain or suffering, which can sometimes be almost unbearable. We may feeI unable to solve our struggles & need help overcoming them. We can't do everything on our own and it can dawn on us that waiting for change can go on forever. (For details see Changes & Transitions)

Confusion You may simply be seeking counselling or psychotherapy to unravel things or to be less confused, wanting to make certain connections or be more in touch with yourself.

Making Sense You may experience your Iife being like a jigsaw, and I see my role as helping make sense of what the whole picture might look like, including any redundant, new or missing pieces.

New Chapter Tired of fighting you may now want to reconcile something. Some people come to therapy wanting to begin a new chapter in their Iife. Some may have put things that eat away at them at the back of their mind - "on the back burner", recognising that now is the time to do something about this.

Specific Issues Some people may want to address very specific issues, yet often there may be underlying considerations.

Underlying Or Non-Specific Issues Some people may want to handle general problems, maybe managing a current phase in life, wanting to balance things out, wanting to overcome or manage uncomfortable feeIings, examine why they are driven by certain things, or to change their self-beliefs. Other people may have vague, non-specific or indefinable issues, which may emerge over time. We all have fragile bits of the psyche. You may have a sense of something inside floating around, and want to look at this. You may for example struggle in taking risks or simply need to evaluate or change something important (see also Changes & Transitions). We may have fallen into a job, relationship or lifestyle, which we are now questioning. We can be confident, fulfilled, creative or in control in some areas (e.g. work) yet not in others (e.g. relationships). Aspects of our Iife may no longer fit, or sit well with us. We can discover that we are at a place in our Iife, that we don't want to be. We may want to be freer, less trapped, and avoid storing up deeper problems in the future. We may be embarrassed or ashamed about aspects of our character. We may have been existing as if in cocoon. We may experience emptiness inside or have a sense of longing or need to belong, which we can't quite define (see Inner Loneliness, Alienation). We may turn to unhelpful habits or addictive behaviour. Some may also want to reconcile their Iives, accepting who they are & where they are at. Non-specific issues may also include:

• Changes, crises, emotional problems, confusions or dilemmas or maybe a sense of alienation.
• Feeling restless, being so busy juggling with all the different balls, yet unsure which ones to let go, or where would they land.
• Being balanced, competent, in control, satisfied, creative or successful out in the world, yet feeIing differently inside
• Echoes from our childhood
• Taking care of our own needs
• Existential & life meaning concerns
• Life direction

Changing Our Patterns You may be seeking different ways of managing or changing your patterns or cycles:

• You experience an event - the stimulus (e.g.: an unavoidable conflict, making a difficult decision, work pressure, loss of independence or control, etc...)
• You will have thoughts & beliefs about this
• This may trigger confusion or feeIings like stress, fear, anxiety, frustration, anger, depression, etc.
• Your response may be to block out some uncomfortable, unwanted feelings by selfdamaging or sabotaging, running away from problems, doing things in excess (e.g.: drinking, working, overusing the computer), withdrawing, punishing others, moodiness, etc... or simply getting stuck. The counselling & psychotherapy may address other possible responses, what supports you, and what might be counterproductive.

Coming To Terms With A Part Of OurseIf We've all had the experience of catching ourseIf by surprise "That's not me, or supposed to be me" we might say, when we aren't aware of what we are doing. Our actions, words, thoughts & emotions - ones "we weren't supposed to have" - can seem to arise from nowhere, yet they are in us. An example could be when we are driving in our car, we take on a totally different persona, than the one not behind the wheel, our character changes. Sometimes it can be hard to reconcile aspects of us which don't fit our image. Some of us can have a tendency to "split off" a part of our Iives, repressing or denying aspects of our character we find hard to accept (see also Our Identity & Personality). As we integrate these parts of us, we may have more of a sense of equilibrium. (See also Connecting To Our Own Inner Direction)

Our Home Truths We have all at times tried to convince ourseIf of something in order to avoid some uncomfortable home truths. We can be so used to playing roles in the world, we neglect our sense of who we really are. Counselling and psychotherapy offers an opportunity to connect more to our real & authentic self, as we discover & accept all of who we are. Connecting To Our Own Inner Direction may be important for some. Some of us may have very genuine existential concerns, which can be explored in the therapy. (See also Living To Our Full Potential)

Suffering & Love Underneath our concerns can be a need to find ways to manage the world's inevitable sufferings, to love & be loved, and to explore what it means to be human. (For details see Suffering & Love)

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