What is therapy?

The complex process of therapy makes it challenging  to explain what happens in sessions and how it can play such a powerful role in your life, but when you experience change happen, it makes sense. I have had the privilege of being part of this many times with clients. Something shifts and  you begin to see your life, your choices and your possibilities differently. With the right tools and commitment, things can improve as you begin to feel unstuck.

There are lots of writers and therapists that capture the experience of therapy. Irvin Yalom from one of his many great books ‘A Gift of Therapy’, describes a great deal about a good therapeutic relationship and should help you understand a part of what therapy is about and the way I practice.

 “There are many ways to describe the therapeutic relationship: patient/therapist, client/ counsellor…I prefer to think of my clients as fellow travellers, a term that abolishes all distinction between ‘them’ as the afflicted and ‘us’ as the healers”

“We are all in this together and there is no therapist or person immune to the inherent tragedies of existence”

 “Psychotherapy is not a substitute for life, but a dress rehearsal for life”

“The closeness of the therapeutic relationship serves many purposes. It is a safe place to reveal who you are as fully as possible. More than that, it gives you the experience of being accepted and understood after deep disclosures.