What is integrative psychotherapy and counselling?

People often ask, what is the difference between a psychotherapist and a counsellor? As I see it, psychotherapy is

more in depth, often long-term work and requires the therapist to be more knowledgeable with working

with complex issues. You don't need to decide which would be best for you as I can adapt accordingly

and I charge the same rate for both.  

As an integrative psychotherapist and counsellor, I draw upon and integrate many different psychotherapeutic models, so I can tailor my work to you and your individual needs. These models include:

• Person-centred therapy, which uses a person led approach, focusing on the person themself (rather than any label or condition) and helps them grow and achieve fulfilment

• Humanistic therapy, which focuses on the here and now, exploring ways to grow a stronger sense of self, and recognising our strengths, resourcefulness and creativity.

• Psychodynamic therapy, which explores how the past influences the present, and how and why patterns of behaviour become set, how memories of painful or challenging early experiences are often kept out of our conscious awareness, and how we can learn to get in touch with these and our feelings around them.

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) therapy, which allows painful or difficult memories which come from trauma to be processed more successfully in the brain, which leads to the elimination of emotional distress and the development of cognitive insights. 

I use psychoeducation, including some simple neuroscience, to help us understand how and why our brains respond in the ways they do to different situations, and how to create new and more comfortable ways of responding.

I also integrate the use of creativity and the arts into my practice.