integrative counselling

As the name suggests, integrative counselling combines and integrates several different approaches to therapy and is developed from the view that there are many ways that we as human beings can be looked at and understood and that no one approach holds the whole truth or suits all people.

There are several systems or perspectives of human psychology, each with their own understanding and insights into human behaviour and their own views about which tools and practices are best employed inside the therapy room to bring about positive change in the way a client feels and behaves. These include humanistic, psychoanalytical, psychodynamic, cognitive and behavioural therapies. Having an integrative approach means that the counsellor can draw on many strands of theory and expertise in the therapy room and have the skills to select the most appropriate elements of these theories and thereby adapt their sessions to the specific needs of each individual client.

My way of working is largely an attachment based, integrative approach encompassing CBT, the arts, play, dance and mindfulness practice. I draw on some of the main theories of child and adolescent development which have given me a framework to understand and work with the presenting issues of the individuals I encounter.