Everyone comes to therapy for different reasons. You may have a clear idea of what you'd like help with, or you may simply know that something doesn't feel right. I don't believe in trying to fit everyone into one particular way of working. Instead, we'll look together at what's happening for you, what may be contributing to how you're feeling and what might help things begin to change. My work draws mainly on Transactional Analysis, solution-focused therapy and EMDR.
Transactional Analysis can help us understand how experiences earlier in life may influence the way we think, feel and relate to other people today. Sometimes we find ourselves responding in familiar ways or repeating patterns, even when we know they aren't helping us. Understanding where these patterns may have come from can make it easier to recognise them and begin to respond differently. This isn't about blaming the past. It's about understanding how it may still be affecting the present and giving you more choice in how you move forward.
Sometimes understanding a problem is important, but we don't always need to spend a long time analysing everything that has happened. Solution-focused therapy pays attention to your strengths, what is already working and what you'd like to be different. We might look at small, realistic changes that could help you move towards the life you want, rather than feeling that everything has to change at once.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) can be particularly helpful when difficult or traumatic experiences continue to affect you in the present. An experience may have happened many years ago, yet certain situations, thoughts or memories can still bring back strong emotions or leave you feeling as though part of you is still caught up in what happened. EMDR can help you process these experiences so they become less distressing and have less influence over how you feel and respond now.
These approaches don't have to be separate parts of therapy. At times it may be helpful to understand why you respond or feel in a particular way. At other times we might concentrate more on what you'd like to change or use EMDR to work with an experience that continues to cause distress. We can decide together what feels most useful and work at a pace that feels manageable for you. The aim isn't simply to understand what's happened in your life, but to help you feel less stuck and have more freedom in how you move forward.