What is psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy's focus is geared towards a fundamental change in how you operate in the world. Psychotherapy's more likely to be centred upon longer term difficulties, even if it's only now that those difficulties have led you to consider professional help.

In psychotherapy, you may or may not know the full nature of your problem, and you may or may not have complete awareness of how it's impacting your life.

Many people start therapy and just know that something isn't right, that their life isn't what they think it could be. Many people are aware of an underlying uneasiness, depression, dissatisfaction - but are unable to put a finger on why this is.

In contrast, some people know what it is that they need to change but need more understanding and insight to be able to change it.

Psychotherapy does not necessarily mean that you have to delve into the past. The past is important in how it shapes your current existence, but what's more important is that everyday concerns and difficulties can be left to one side so that work can be done at a deeper level within yourself.

Whether you are embarking on 'counselling' or 'psychotherapy', in reality there are many overlaps. It's likely that current problems and longer-time difficulties will be inextricably linked.

Psychotherapy is not a quick-fix approach to resolving issues that are not right in your life. We often want to 'get things sorted' as quickly as possible, but in reality this can take some time. In psychotherapy we are often seeking to uncover and explore your core beliefs and values, and this is not an overnight process. However, this does not mean you need to commit to years of work before you see any difference.

As I combine different approaches in my work, clients see the impact of their therapy very quickly. To read more about my approach, please click here.