iNTEGRATive Counselling
&
ANTHROPOLOGy
‘We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.’Anais NinMy work as an Integrative Counsellor (MBACP) and my MA in Anthropology confirms a central human need to interpret and find patterns in why we see the world the way we do. Why we believe and behave the way we do.
A common thread that connects my work is an existential inquiry into ideas about the self, identity, freedom and responsibility.
How do the stories we tell ourselves inform a sense of self? What happens if our inner narrative is inaccurate or destructive? How can personal change create collective change?
I am interested in the inherited power of the personal, generational and cultural stories and their imprint on identity and belonging.
My work as a counsellor seeks to reconfigure your story from one of passivity to intentionality and alignment.
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‘We tell ourselves stories in order to live.’
Joan Didion
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‘The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.’
Carl Jung
MY THERAPEUTIC APPROACH
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Psychodynamic
An emphasis is placed on unconscious processes and childhood conditioning that is being reconstructed in present interpersonal dynamics. By making what is unconscious, conscious - we begin the process of change.
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HUMANISTIC
Focusing on the necessity of an authentic and empathic relationship. I am motivated by Kierkegaard’s belief, that within each of us is a ‘search for that self which one truly is.’ We seek to reduce the incongruity between the conceptual self and the experiential self.
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Cognitive Behavioural
Specialising in cognitive processes that make us feel, think and behave in certain ways. It is a directive way that considers personality types and environmental factors as we strive to reconfigure thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
As well as working from an integrative framework, my style as a therapist is heavily underpinned by my studies in Anthropology. I aim to work from the intersection of psychology, sociology, art, and culture.
Deeply frustrated by a westernised clinical template for mental health, my approach seeks to affirm that emotions are not pathological. The therapeutic space helps us understand that ranging feelings are healthy signals that require deep listening and respect. We aim to work collaboratively, integrating the fragility and strength that is required in equal measure, to be fully human. And because there is nothing wrong with you - the space I offer seeks to help you remember the truth of who you are.
I make use of Feminist, Queer and Postcolonial theory. It is crucial that we unpick and scrutinise the systemic and structural influences that have contributed to physical, emotional, and psychological blocks and disharmony.
My active role in listening, attending to and responding; use of reflection, potent questioning and creativity strives to offer a sense of restoration and vitality.
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TRAININGS
2024 Greenwood Events Glasgow : The Power of Validation by Avagail Abarbanel
2023 Centre of Excellence Online: Couples and Family Therapy Diploma
2022 Queens University Belfast : MA Anthropology (P/T TBC)
2020 WAVE Trauma Centre Belfast: Living the legacy of Trauma
2018 Advanced Level, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
2018 PUK Personality Disorder Awareness Training
2017 Ulster University Belfast: Integrative Approaches to Counselling
2013 & 2014 Belfast Metropolitan College : Certificate Level 2 & 3 Introduction to Counselling skills
2009 BA HONS (2.1) Writing, Fashion and Culture : Southampton Solent University
