COUNSELLING

COUNSELLING

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Compassionate Inquiry® is a psychotherapeutic approach developed by Dr. Gabor Maté that reveals what lies beneath the appearance we present to the world.

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Using Compassionate Inquiry, both the individual and therapist unveil the level of consciousness, mental climate, hidden assumptions, implicit memories and body states that form the real message that words both express and conceal.

Through Compassionate Inquiry, the client can recognise the unconscious dynamics that run their lives and how to liberate themselves from them.

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“The purpose of Compassionate Inquiry is to drill down to the core stories people tell themselves – to get them to see what story they are telling themselves unconsciously; what those beliefs are, where they came from; and guide them to the possibility of letting go of those stories, or letting go of the hold those stories have on them …

That’s what Compassionate Inquiry is.” ~ Dr. Gabor Maté

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My aim is to support people to find greater understanding, acceptance and kindness towards themselves as they navigate the inevitable ups and downs of life. 

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My work is strongly influenced by principles of Mindfulness, Self Compassion, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Gabor Mate, Neuroscience, Positive Psychology and Emotion Focused Therapy. 

Through these approaches, I collaboratively work with individuals to shift old patterns or thinking, feeling and doing which are no longer serving them and create new pathways of being which promote health, wellbeing, resilience, self acceptance, self compassion and inner peace. 

I have a passion for supporting people to enhance their relationship with themselves and, in doing so, enhance their relationship with the people and the world around them.

I am also passionate about supporting people to reconnect with what is truly important to them, thus facilitating a greater sense of satisfaction, fulfilment, meaning and purpose in life.  

These approaches allow me to work holistically with individuals and address the interconnection between all aspects of our wellbeing – mind, body and heart.

Common presenting issues: Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Trauma Self worth and self confidence, Relationship difficulties, Adjustment difficulties, PTSD, Body image and eating difficulties

Counselling or Yoga Therapy - What's the difference?

As a Counsellor  and Yoga Therapist, I find that it’s important to make a clear distinction between those I see for counselling and those I work with as a yoga therapist. People come to me most often for counselling  to treat a specific problem or condition (anxiety, depression, stress related to life changes). My goal is usually to help them reduce the intensity of symptoms that are problematic for them, increase their insight and understanding into the roots of their difficulties, and enhance their sense of self-worth and self-efficacy.

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Although this isn’t always the path, when people come to me for yoga therapy they have often tried a variety of traditional talk therapies and felt that something was missing or incomplete, perhaps a lack of spiritual practice or ways to connect with the body. When working as a yoga therapist, I am using specific yogic tools to empower the client. We might work with meditation—including techniques like body scans and yoga nidra—yoga postures, and specific types of inquiry intended to facilitate body awareness and integration of the somatic (physical) experience into life.

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I believe that  counselling and yoga therapy can complement each other and will often suggest to people to consider trying both modalities as part of their healing path—each discipline brings its own unique focus, and both can create a sense of well-being.
 

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