Life is not easy, it has its ups and downs. Times of crisis come to all, in every shape and form. We are not always equipped to deal with what life throws at us. Therapy can offer a safe place to support you in times of crisis and difficulty.
Therapy is not just a time for crisis but also a time to reconnect and gain perspective.
Therapy provides a safe and confidential space for those who seek mental health support to work on managing psychological pain or distress.
The number of sessions in a therapeutic process can range from three months to a year and beyond, depending on what is sought and needed. Sessions are generally weekly, moving to fortnightly when transitioning towards the end of therapy. Brief and solution focused work can be as little as four sessions should this time frame be sufficient to meet your needs.
In a fast moving and intense world we can become over stimulated, feeling stressed and burnt out, or stagnated, losing our sense of direction and purpose. Therapy offers space to reflect, untangle and reconnect. We constantly develop and change, sometimes getting lost on the way. Therapy is a time to look back on how we got to where we are now and to discover where we want to be in the future.
Therapy offers a safe and supportive environment to decompress and realign.
We can help those dealing with:
Stress/Burn out
Divorce
Bereavement
Relationship difficulties
Mental health issues
Family relationships; events
Trauma
Anger management
Depression
Anxiety
Self-esteem and Confidence
Identity
Low self confidence and self esteem
Grief and loss
What does therapy entail?
Sharing
Expression of one’s thoughts and feelings to encourage processing of stagnant and conflicting ruminating thoughts and emotions.
Self-awareness
We think about how you experience life, past and present, consciously and unconsciously, uncovering possible links between the two.
Recognising Patterns
Patterns of thinking, behaving and relating. We look to understand how these impact on one’s judgement and decision making.
Exploration
Understanding of, and response to, our experiences. We seek to understand the complexities of our emotions, their associations, representations and misunderstandings.
Relationship Dynamics
Examining how you relate in relationships, and how you relate to your self. Understanding your thoughts, emotions and behaviours associated with each relationship.
Understanding
Examining unresolved conflicts and patterns that continually arise in relationships, career choices, and general decision making.
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Recognising Triggers
Recognising emotional and psychological triggers through exploration of difficult experiences or events enabling us to manage reoccurring stresses.
Relationship dynamics
The Therapeutic Relationship provides insight into how one relates to oneself, one’s expectations and understandings and how these differ from how one behaves and presents themselves externally.
Exploring how you behave, think and feel in relationships, the patterns of similarities and differences, brings understanding on past relationships and allows us to manage those of the future. How we relate to others provides insight into how we relate to our self.
Benefits of Therapy
How the therapy process develops is unique to every individual. How and what change occurs is influenced by the length and frequency of sessions, the presenting issue and the readiness of the individual.
Therapy benefits many, those who seek personal support in times of struggle, those who need help in processing their past and present experiences, and those who wish to understand their thoughts, behaviours, and relationships.
Therapy is a powerful process of which the benefits transcends into everyday life. It is a resource which remains fruitful long after the therapy process has ended.
Therapy is about gaining understanding in how we function and in how we relate to ourselves and others both internally, within our minds, and externally within our environment. This understanding encourages internal processing of past and present experiences and naturally influences how we think, the decisions we make, the actions we take, and our general outlook on life.
Self-awareness in understanding of one’s thinking and behaviours offers us the chance to take control of our life choices, promoting self-autonomy and self-confidence.
Self-worth is addressed through untangling misconceptions of ourselves and what we perceive others as thinking, separating our expectations and beliefs from our emotions, reinforcing one’s identity and encouraging assertiveness.
Meet Sophie Barrett MSc, BA (Hons), Dip, CertHE
As a Child and Adult Counselling Psychotherapist I have extensive experience working with a variety of issues and presentations in short and long term therapy.
I work integratively as a therapist, combining elements of different types of therapies depending on the client’s needs and to ensure the most effective approach is chosen. I am analytical in my thinking and integrative in my approach. I adapt to the person as they are presented to me in the room and adjust the therapeutic approach depending on the needs of the client to ensure the time offered continues to be safe and effective.
The therapy works at the pace of the client not the therapist, enabling you to be of optimum mind set and open to new understandings and perspectives.
For more information on how I work and the benefits of therapy please email me at Sophie.barrett@lifestudiobysb.com.