Emma Counselling
Limited availability for new clients
Counselling. Wherever you may be.
How can therapy help you?
Do you ever think…
... something just doesn't feel right?
... it's suddenly got too much?
... we feel unsure?
... we should be able to cope?
... I'm out of my depth?
... I'm scared and confused?
... we're both unhappy?
... there are too many should's, must's, have-to's?
... I was making progress but now I'm hitting a wall?
... this is all so new and I feel vulnerable and overwhelmed?
... I've been doing this for years but I'm starting to feel tired, worn out and doubts are creeping in?
Then we can work this out together.
My goal is to help you regain your sense of clarity, focus, strength and empowerment. Therapy helps guide you towards fully understanding yourself better. I do not give you solutions to your problems; instead, I act as a guide, gently leading you to uncover for yourself the causes of negative feelings, and to help you rediscover your own inner tools for self-healing. It is good to seek reassurance. At times of doubt and when our minds feel clouded, and our emotions dark and heavy, we need the guidance of others.
Throughout our lives we constantly face new challenges. The therapist's role is to help you to become your own constant source of comfort. We all possess our own infinite inner resources. As your therapist, my main goals are to guide you towards gaining mental clarity, to acknowledge and accept the root causes of negative emotions, and to become your own guide in overcoming negativity. Clarity leads us towards better understanding of ourselves, builds self-confidence, and allows ourselves inner peace and contentment.
Who can I help?
I help people from all walks of life, with a wide variety of needs, from a myriad of backgrounds. My clients vary greatly. I meet with clients who just feel something "isn't quite right", with expats who seek a sense of grounding in a new environment, with those wanting to overcome fears to face a new challenge or those needing the courage to fulfil their dreams, with clients facing gender or sexual orientation issues, and with couples needing relationship guidance.
Adapting to change
We are generally change-averse beings: we like to understand our environment in order to maximise our chances of success. A changing environment can upset this goal, but counselling and Ecotherapy can give us a new perspective on change as we understand that the entire world is dynamic and not as constant as we thought.
Life can suddenly change direction, often at unexpected moments. Counselling and/or Ecotherapy can allow us to tune into the world around us to keep ourselves rooted during emotional storms.
Relationship counselling
Relationship counselling - also known as couples counselling but is not limited to those where there are only two people involved - is one of the main reasons that people reach out for my help, support and guidance.
When two people's needs and lives are bound together, any diversion can sometimes put a strain on the togetherness that you wanted to create when you first got married. Counselling of this form often works best with both parties involved, but sometimes individual sessions can help a partner see the situation from an independent point of view.
Individuals going through separation and divorce
When a marriage breaks down, a person's grounding in a previously stable and definite future can be replaced by uncertainty. What happens next? What am I going to do? How am I going to start my life again? Counselling can help put these questions into perspective and allow you to see such a change for the better and to accept and move forward.
Expats, Third Culture Kids (TCKs) & Biculture Individuals
I was raised with all the beauties and challenges that the child of an immigrant encounters. For more than 20 years I have also been an expat in various countries around the world. I can offer first hand advice and guidance on the difficult process of settling into and managing life in a new culture. I am also raising two TCKs of my own and for many years I have been studying and guiding others with the psychological impact of life as a Third Culture Kid or Third Culture Individual.
Teenagers
Perhaps the most difficult time in one's life is the momentous transition from child to adult. Not only does the body go through tremendous physical changes, but adolescents are presented with a series of new perspectives on their lives as they begin to ask what their place in the world is. During childhood these questions don't arise because the child's place is firmly connected to their parents or guardians. As they begin to perceive that many of the duties that their parents take care of on their behalf - work, providing food, shelter - and as they begin to identify their place within their social peers, the previously unbreakable connection to their parents takes a new form. This change can be difficult to navigate without direction as children become independent decision makers in their own lives.
Which type of session is right for me?
Initially you may need to talk more. It is often said that a counsellor uses their two ears more than their one mouth. As a counsellor, I often listen more than I talk. I will help you express your emotions, navigating through issues to work out why you're not feeling at ease. I use a variety of techniques personalised for your unique requirements. I will gently guide you to open up and realise the obstacles in your way to reaching your goals, to feeling inner peace and clarity, to allowing you to feel happy.
With my guidance you'll probably start to recognise recurring patterns, reactions and feelings that have possibly been overwhelming you for a long time. Once you recognise patterns of negative emotions and external negative situations then life coaching naturally comes into play. With my assistance you will gather the tools you need to feel empowered. You will be better able to face and overcome your inner fears and obstacles. I can help you formulate realistic plans, assist you with any time management and organisational needs, guiding you with making your projects a reality. Ultimately you will have the inner clarity, focus and self-belief needed to overcome obstacles and realise your life's goals.
I believe many of us have the answers to the challenges we face already within us. These answers are covered in various layers; internalised familial, societal and cultural norms and expectations, wounds and traumas, attachment styles and challenges, childhood difficulties, past, current and repeating conditions and circumstances - all these and more can affect our daily lives and sense of wellbeing. We are all very different to each other, with different needs, all trying to navigate the world alongside each other, all the while trying to respect our own individual emotions, needs, personalities, backgrounds and environments.
I believe that we can harness the power of self-healing.
My goal is to have clients leave our sessions together feeling a real sense of self-empowerment. Every client has their own unique requirements, but after ten to fifteen meetings I hope my clients will feel ready to release themselves from our sessions together. However, my door is always open. Many clients wish to have continual, regular support. I will always be available should clients wish to have more regular and continual contact. My counselling and coaching sessions always start with a free, no-commitment, initial assessment session.
The ultimate aim of therapy sessions is to help you acknowledge your own needs, respect your limts, set clear goals and work towards reaching a solid grounding that will enable you to continue on your own path.