Solution Focused Approach
The Solution Focused approach is about what you want going forward - I will ask you what your Best Hopes are from our conversation. From there I will ask questions that amplify your strengths and resources - things that have worked before, even a bit or for a moment - and discover ways to move forward.
What are your best hopes?
If your problems and issues went away how would life be different?
If things were improving what would you notice?
I have an office in Timaru, New Zealand and have experience with online counselling (Zoom, Messenger, Doxy.me) or we can talk over the phone.
Please contact me.
Small Group Work
I have been working with small groups around grief and loss since 2012 and I am convinced that small group peer support is a very effective method of healing and growth. In a small group - less than six people - participants quickly learn that they are not alone in the feelings or issues they are going through. A small group provides support, empathy and a place to talk about your stuff in a structured way that amplifies strengths and resources to find a way for things to get better.
If you are interested in working together in a small group then let me know? If we can get a group of 4 or more people we could notify you and start a small group soon. Hopefully, within four months of your expression of interest.
Small Group Sessions: $20/session
Counselling Services
“When I came I didn’t think I really needed counselling I just wanted someone to talk to but now I feel like it’s really helped and I’m a better person” - Aimee
Relationship Counselling
Pre-marriage and marriage support is available. Having another perspective can be helpful and developing a story of you being at your best in all situations. I work to draw upon your resources to find solutions that fit your experience and context that will help your situation in the best way going forward. When we work to find your solutions this will have the most lasting results.
Family Counselling
I am pleased to work with groups or individuals. At times it can be helpful to have a support person with you, or a space where you feel listened to in front of the whole family unit. I love watching hope fill a room when people are directed to become more solution focused rather than problem focused - having positive conversations about the future. I work on a turn taking method that sets clear goals and expectations.
Grief and Loss Counselling
“Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” - Vicki Harrison
My experience of working with grief is that we never “get over” our losses but we can learn to live with them in ways that are helpful and healing. Change can be hard but we can become better and more confident learning to live with the changes that we experience. Talking about it is helpful. Two poems below show what I have learned from working with grief, "It's Okay..." and "Grief is different for everyone". A helpful video that is worth viewing is the book, "Never Be The Same".
Anger Management Counselling
I have heard it said that ‘Anger is the result of a blocked goal, Anxiety is the result of an uncertain goal and Depression results from our unreachable goals.’
There are many worthy causes to be angry about and great things have been accomplished by angry people defending injustice. Another perspective or a tweak in your thinking could be what is needed to change the direction of your anger so it can be used for good and not harm.
Anxiety
I have heard it said that, ‘Anger is the result of a blocked goal, Anxiety is the result of an uncertain goal and Depression results from our unreachable goals.’ We have many uncertainties and this can cause us unbearable anxiety. I believe the opposite of anxiety is gratitude and having a conversation about more certain goals and things we are grateful for creates hope and joy – mending connections in our brain that seem to stop us from enjoying life.
Depression
I have heard it said that, ‘Anger is the result of a blocked goal, Anxiety is the result of an uncertain goal and Depression results from our unreachable goals.’ Imagine for a moment that your problems go away and when you wake up you have a fresh start… what is the first thing you would notice that tells you this is really true? What difference would that make? What would other people who are close to you notice when this new version of you shows up? I believe a conversation that can look beyond your current darkness can amplify hope and expectancy for something better. What do you want that is better?
Stress
There are times in our lives when things can seem unbearable or our ‘loads’ are too heavy. Talking about a future when things are better, or reflecting on how you are currently coping or maybe how you have successfully coped in the past will help re-programme our brains to become more solution orientated and confident people. What are your best hopes from such a conversation?
Workplace Issues
I have experience working with workplace conflict. This could be a dispute with the boss or a colleague that needs to get back on track - working toward the same goals. If you would like an outside person to mediate a conversation that focuses on solutions rather than problems then contact me.
