Ways I Work
As an integrative counsellor, I draw from different styles and traditions of therapy according to the client's needs and preferences. Whilst traditional talking therapy often forms the core of the work I do, these are some of the methods I enjoy working with.
Therapeutic Tarot
A Therapeutic Tarot session is not a traditional Tarot Reading: it is not about fortune-telling or predicting the future.
In a Therapeutic Tarot session, we use the cards to explore an area of your life or a current dilemma you have, working together to understand what you see and how you respond to the images on the cards.
Tarot cards are works of art, rich with symbolism and archetypes. It is believed that working with images can help to access what is just beneath the surface of your consciousness, so working in this way can result in inspiration and clarity about how you really feel or what you really want.
We will first explore your response to the cards, then if you would like we can look at some of the traditional and more modern interpretations of those cards. I will need to ask you questions about your life and circumstances as part of this process and you will need to be willing to answer – in traditional tarot sometimes people hold back information about themselves in order to “test” the reader’s abilities, but this will mean you do not make the most of your Therapeutic Tarot session.
Therapeutic Tarot can be a one-off session, a couple of sessions, or if you feel you need longer-term, ongoing support then Tarot can be incorporated into more traditional therapy sessions.
Working Creatively
There are lots of way of working creatively as part of traditional talking therapy. The most important thing to know is that you do not need to be “good” at art or consider yourself to be a “creative person” to benefit from working this way.
It is believed that using creative methods helps us to access information that is under the surface of what we are consciously aware of, as it gets us out of our more logical, analytic way of thinking.
I really enjoy working this way and I have personally experienced some real moments of insight and clarity through working creatively.
Creative methods I encourage include:
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Imagework/Guided Imagery/Meditation
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Sand Tray work with miniature figures (pictured)
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Drawing/painting/collage
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Modelling with clay or Play Doh
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Creative writing / working with story
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Working with Matryoshka dolls (“Russian” nesting dolls)
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Parts work
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Therapeutic use of tarot cards (not in a fortune telling way)
However I am always learning and training and am very open to any suggestions for creative ways of working that you might suggest.
I will always explain each methodology and allow you to make an informed choice as to whether you would like to work this way.
Email Counselling
Email counselling can be a great option if you prefer to express yourself in writing or like to have plenty of time to think about what you want to say. It is also a good option if you prefer not to be seen, or if you want to discuss something you think will be difficult to talk about face-to-face. It can be a good option if your sessions need to be online but privacy is an issue in a shared home.
It gives you maximum flexibility in terms of your "session" time, as you can write your email any time of the day or night as long as it is sent by the agreed deadline. This can be useful if you work varying shift patterns or struggle with childcare arrangements.
We agree on a day and time for you to send your email to me and, just like a face-to-face or online session, I book in an hour of my time to read your email and compose and send my reply. We both use a secure email provider to ensure confidentiality (there is a free version of the one I use). There is normally two days between me receiving your email and sending my reply. There is a word limit of 500 words each time (about a page of A4) and email sessions can be weekly or fortnightly.
