FAQ about therapy

What is therapy?

Therapy is a treatment held within a therapeutic relationship. You, as the client and I, as the therapist, meet for weekly sessions and work with what you bring to the sessions. Meeting regularly and working together form the basis of being in therapy. Hence therapy also represents a commitment, a commitment to your wellbeing by both of us.

It is a holistic wellbeing, one that can be experienced physically, emotionally, mentally and energetically in the moment. As such it is also a process, or a journey, one that requires space and time in order to develop and bear fruit.

Then, as your trust in the safety and holding offered by the therapeutic relationship grows and deepens we both become better able to access and explore the issues that prompted you to try therapy as a treatment.

Why therapy?

In western culture a commonly held attitude to the experience of feeling unwell is to get it fixed. In the short-term, and in the context of busy, stressful lives, this attitude can serve a useful purpose, and can bring effective results.

What is denied, ignored and not held by this attitude is the reality that the symptoms of our suffering are often pointers to experiences, needs and longings that seek to be welcomed, acknowledged, met and fulfilled. Hence, fixing symptoms does not touch or mobilize our true capacity for wellbeing and growth, or help us engage with the deeper meaning and purpose of our lives.

Core Process Psychotherapy offers a wider view and route to wellbeing. In claming the time and space to slow down and turn inwards, and with the therapist’s ongoing support, you listen in and learn to be guided by your own wisdom.

What can I bring to therapy?

Difficulty arises in many forms, and usually we seek help when we no longer know how to move forward ourselves. In our culture we speak of stress, depression, phobias, anxiety, chronic tension, isolation, low self-esteem and relationship breakdown. In our actual lives these may be pointers to living with economic hardship, long term illness, divorce, cultural and social exclusion, bereavement, sexual difference, abuse, or simply feeling unhappy. It is not so much about what is on the list, or about the names that we give to our pain and difficulties. It is more about where it leaves us, and how we respond to it.

Core Process Psychotherapy brings our lack of wellbeing into view, and into relationship, so that it is felt and witnessed, and becomes workable. As the word core suggests it is a journey into ourselves, to that space within where we contact the essence of our being and draw on that potency to transform our lives.

How long does therapy take?

The time therapy takes depends on what you bring, on the nature of your commitment, and on the quality of the evolving therapeutic relationship. For some a period of 6 months may be sufficient to work through a particular issue. For others it may be beneficial to stay in therapy for a longer period of time.

What is your orientation as a therapist?

I have held a variety of roles in the helping professions for over 20 years. These have included managing a women’s refuge, co-ordinating the National Women’s Aid Helpline, bereavement counselling, Indian Head massage, clutter clearing, and the development of holistic house care at the Relaxation Centre. Woven into those roles has been my personal quest for growth, healing, and a conscious, meaningful life, with a particular focus on spiritual growth within like-minded communities. Hence I have also set up and participated in a wide range of group processes using inquiry, movement, dance, ritual, creative writing, and meditation to open up, share and animate my exploration in this terrain. This aspect of my life is grounded in Buddhist meditation practice, and inspired by the teachings of Osho, and the Diamond Approach which I trained in for 2 years.

My own spiritual journey has been catalysed by personal losses on many levels. It has been a challenging, experiential and enriching journey, and remains a creative and spirited work in progress. I chose to train in Core Process Psychotherapy because it is a way of working with people that brings kindness, embodiment, and profound nourishment to the process of personal transformation.

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