My Approaches

I am an integrative counsellor meaning I draw upon several modalities in order to tailor my sessions to the unique needs of my clients. No client is the same therefore I like to collaborate and get feedback as much as possible to ensure we are working in a way that suits you.

If you are new to counselling, some of these modalities I have mentioned so far might mean very little to you, and it can be hard to know whether a certain modality will suit you are not.

A modality is a fancy word for “approach.” In other words it’s a style of counselling that involves concepts, skills and even its own vocabulary. Modalities include: DBT, CBT, etc.

For some information to help you understand what to expect from working with me, scroll down to read summaries of the main modalities and I use, what they involve and how they can be helpful.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

Created by Marsha Linehan, DBT has four main pillars: mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness. It can be helpful for those who:

  • struggle to keep up with their overwhelming emotions

  • experience relationships as being chaotic, painful and confusing

  • feel themselves drawn to extreme or black and white thinking

  • find themselves acting impulsively

  • are struggling with shame and feeling out of control

  • feel they push others away but can’t help it

  • find talk therapy is not helpful or enough

DBT is heavy on skills rather than processing, however it is never dismissive, teaching us to self-validate AND take effective action.

While stemming from behaviourism it is underpinned by a holistic philosophy drawn from eastern traditions that can bring balance and acceptance into an individuals relationship with themselves and the world.

Internal Family Systems

Was created by Dr. Richard Schwartz to address self-harming behaviours. IFS proposes the idea that we all contain “parts” within us that take on particular roles (perfectionist, dieter, good girl, macho boy) in order to protect us from painful experiences at all costs.

While these parts can be helpful for durations of time, they can become harmful and hard to manage, distancing us from our Core Self, the part of us that is deeply compassionate and able to respond most helpfully when we are triggered.

By developing awareness of these parts we can cultivate increased compassion and mindfulness to free ourselves of compulsive and self-defeating behaviours.

It can work very well for those who are:

  • creatives or visual learners who don’t mind thinking outside the box

  • struggling with internal conflict

  • struggling with identity confusion and external pressures

  • ashamed and frustrated by unwanted behaviours they cannot control

  • wanting to get to know their inner child

Narrative Therapy

Narrative therapy was created by Michael White and David Epston, two social workers who wanted to empower individuals to define themselves according to their own terms.

Narrative therapy aims to help individuals identify how society, culture, values and life experiences have shaped the way they see themselves.

Narrative approaches invite us to critique and separate from damaging internalized “stories” about ourselves that create shame, unworthiness, trauma and hopelessness.

Narrative therapy can work well for those:

  • for whom cognitive or more traditional forms of therapy have not worked or felt comfortable

  • who want to explore their life and experiences in a non-pathologising way

  • who like to question and challenge labels

  • who long to tell their story and reclaim their identity from others

Sensorimotor Therapy

Created by Dr. Pat Ogden, sensorimotor therapy recognises that trauma remains in the body long after danger has passed in the form of broken memories, automatic bodily reactions, and chronic dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system.

Using gentle movements and activities, clients are supported to reengage with and feel safe in their bodies.

This therapy can work well for those who:

  • feel their bodies are beyond their control and prone to sudden and overwhelming reactions (panic attacks, trembling, dissociation etc).

  • have done plenty of cognitive work but still find themselves often unable to relax or feel safe.

  • don’t understand why their body reacts the way it does and this causes stress and shame

  • have experienced trauma and have detached from their bodies

Family of Origin

This therapy aims to help individuals see and understand that the way we are raised can significantly shape who we are, for better and for worse.

By looking into intergenerational patterns, values and expectations we can support the individual to realise many of their concerns are very understandable considering the context they developed in.

This work also involves understanding the different systems, roles and patterns that can exists in a family and how the individual can create change by simply developing awareness and skills to do things differently.

This therapy can be helpful for those who:

  • find themselves often caught up in family concerns leading to stress and anxiety

  • don’t understand why their childhood was so traumatic when nothing “bad” happened

  • struggle to manage familial interpersonal relationships, resulting in conflict, resentment and guilt

  • feel shame about their family and themselves