The time has come to finally launch my rebranded practice and new website. It’s been a long time in the thinking, planning and creating, but what better time to begin than at the start of a New Year.
Anyone who knows me knows that I have always been passionate about working in private practice, and much of that comes from the value I place on individuality and creativity. I genuinely believe that people can move towards what feels right for them, and that sometimes one of the biggest gifts we can offer another person is our undivided attention: to listen and genuinely try to understand what they are experiencing.
Having someone alongside us doesn’t make difficult things disappear, but there can be something incredibly valuable about not having to carry everything alone. To have someone you can talk openly and honestly with, who wants things to feel better for you but doesn’t presume to know what that should look like or make those choices for you.
One of the things I value about private practice is having the space to work at a pace and in a way that feels right for the individual I am working with. It can take time to develop a relationship that feels safe enough for someone to speak aloud something that may have been hidden for a long time. Being heard and understood may not change what has happened, but it can create space for something different to begin.
Although counselling is often described as a “talking therapy”, what I have learned over the years is that communication can happen in many different ways. Writing, art, music, images and videos can all play a part. Sometimes words can’t be found but an image might explain something; an emotion might be difficult to name but a song somehow captures it. These things are already part of our lives, so it makes sense that sometimes they can help us understand and communicate our experiences too.
Why Centred Counselling?
In a nutshell, I have ideas about how I would like the practice to grow and develop, and having a name that can grow with it feels important.
More importantly, though, I want the person seeking counselling to remain at the centre of what I do. A big emphasis of this new website is therefore to provide clear and accessible information, so that anyone considering counselling can understand a little more about what I offer and decide for themselves whether it feels right for them.
I’m not entirely sure yet where all of this will lead, but I’m excited to find out.
Welcome to Centred Counselling.
Cover image courtesy of Richard Balog.