Having trained at Iron Mill College on an Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling for adults, I learnt various counselling theories which led me to take the ones that worked for me as a person and my personality.

This then gave me the foundation of my approach which I built on whilst gaining the Level 5 Certificate in Counselling Young People. I am more relationship driven than theory and the approach that models this is person centred.

PERSON CENTRED COUNSELLING

In the 1950's Carl Rogers proposed a form of therapy that focused on the client’s experience of themselves, as opposed to the counsellor being an expert and telling them what to do or what was wrong with them.

This therapy is based on a belief that every one of us strives for and has the capacity to fulfil their own potential. It identifies that each person has the desire for personal growth and change. 

As a counsellor I recognise and trust people’s potential, providing clients with empathy and unconditional positive regard to help facilitate change. I avoid directing the course of therapy by following you the clients lead whenever possible. I offer support, guidance and structure so you can discover personalised solutions by yourself.

The therapy relies on the quality of the relationship between the counsellor and the client with the counsellor demonstrating what is known as the Core Conditions, which form the basis of the relationship.

THE CORE CONDITIONS ARE:

• Empathy – the counsellor trying to understand the client’s point of view
• Congruence – the counsellor being a genuine person 
• Unconditional positive regard – the counsellor being non- judgemental

Person centred therapy harnesses the clients natural self-healing process and is a belief that all individuals have the power to live to their own organismic valuing process. You learn to trust your own judgement and to learn to live your life in line with your own values, rather than the value of others. 

EXPERIENCE

I have worked with adults and young people for many years. For my counselling placements I worked with cancer sufferers and their families, people with substance and drug misuse and  young people with mental health issues and abuse in various organisations.These organisations included EDAS, Wessex Cancer Trust, The Society of St James, Sussed and 507.

Young people are vulnerable at any age. Young people are experiencing many changes in both their body and brain. The increasing pressure from school, family, friends and society adds layers of expectation and stress. In addition to normal  mood changes, many teens and adolescents will experience a more intense version of these changes. Depression and Anxiety are two of the primary mental illnesses that teenagers will face.
 

​Talking therapy is often the first and best choice to give teenagers  a safe space to express their thoughts and feelings. We all experience pain and struggle. As a counsellor, my job is to help them build the skills to manage their feelings and express themselves. Adolescence is a time of enormous possibility, creativity, and learning. It's also a time to establish healthy coping strategies, build a positive identity and gain awareness that will empower future direction and success.
 

Here are a few areas that Young People Counselling can help with:
 

• Processing and preparation for next phase of life
• Reduce symptoms and feelings of depression and anxiety
• Relationship and Friendship Issues
• Family interactions and boundaries
• Improved communication and interpersonal skills
• Greater self-acceptance and self-esteem
• Improved  expression and management of emotions
• Increased  confidence and decision-making skills