Perception Check Counselling
My Background
I am a qualified counsellor with a background in Law, which might sound like an unusual change of career! I have over a decade experience volunteering with various organisations in Blackpool, Lancaster and Manchester including; Richmond Fellowship, Victim Support, Citizens Advice and an LGBT+ youth group.
My Approach
I am an integrative counsellor which means I can draw upon various counselling models to tailor my approach to you as an individual. My main model is Person-Centred but I can also offer interventions based around Transactional Analysis and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
(More info on those below)
I am passionate about making sure that my counselling practice reflects the different ways we all communicate and process information. This means that I am open to using creative approaches in my sessions whether that is around art, writing, music or playing games.
Models of Counselling
Person Centred
Person or client-centred therapy is based on the view that everyone has the capacity and desire for personal growth and change, given the right conditions. Rather than being seen as the expert and directing the therapy, the counsellor offers unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence to help you come to terms with any negative feelings and to change and develop in your own way.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
CBT aims to help you change the way you think (cognitive) and what you do (behaviour). Rather than looking at past causes, it focuses on current problems and practical solutions to help you feel better now.
The way we think about situations affects the way we feel and behave. If we view a situation negatively, we may experience negative emotions and feelings which lead us to behave in an unhelpful way. I will help you identify and challenge any negative thinking so you can deal with situations better and behave in a more positive way
Transactional Analysis
Transactional analysis is a comprehensive approach which incorporates aspects of humanistic, cognitive-behavioural and psychodynamic therapy. It categorises the human personality into three states – Parent, Adult and Child – which can help you understand how you interact with others.
Therapists also look at how your beliefs and the way you interpret the world around you can create recurrent and problematic patterns of behaviour, and will work with you to help you to change.