How I work.
We are just two people in a room who have come together in a therapeutic setting. I bear witness to your story and hold it with you.
My training has at its core a person centred philosophy, which means that I listen without judgement and believe that every person has the ability to grow. Together we will strive to find the answers that you hold within yourself.
I am informed by psychodynamic thinking which enables me to place your present experience and activities within the background of your early formative years and raise awareness of repeated relationship patterns. I am trained in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which gives me tools to help you link emotions, thoughts and actions with a view to effecting change.
Sessions:
I work both in the short term (6-12 sessions) with clients who have come to see me with specific issues, as well as longer term (13-30 sessions) for clients who are at a stage in their life when they want to explore both their past and their future.
Some of my clients find that they wish to come for a number of “follow up” sessions subsequently, perhaps even some years later, when there may have been a life event that has unsettled their equilibrium. This has the benefit that our bond has already been established and we can continue the work.
What clients are saying:
Due to the confidential nature of the work, no identifying information is included.
“I had never had counselling before and was a bit sceptical about its benefits. Brigitte totally demystified the whole aura around counselling and I was pleasantly surprised by just how practical it was.”
“I came to counselling at a major turning point in my life. I thought the counsellor would act like an advisor and provide me with answers. That didn’t happen, but what did was better: it was a growth experience for myself and through being able to understand myself better I was able to find the answers myself and feel that I was making informed choices.”
“After losing my life partner I was debilitated by grief. Being able to share my grief in an unashamed manner was cathartic. Counselling not only helped me find a way of living with my loss but also, very importantly, of embracing life.”
“I didn’t want to examine my childhood – not because I thought it was bad but because I thought it was uneventful. My sessions with Brigitte however made me realise what patterns and automatic thoughts programmed my present behaviour. This understanding has given me an awareness of choices in every day situations and the ability to effect change.
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If you have any questions at all about counselling or psychotherapy that you would like to ask please feel free to email me.