Holistic Counselling

Holistic Counselling incorporates an expanded range of modalities I draw on including talk therapy, mindfulness techniques, expressive therapies, and meditation to help clients connect with their inner wisdom and resources, and to gain insight into their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. Holistic counselling recognizes the importance of physical health and lifestyle choices, and I work with clients to identify areas where changes could be made to support their emotional and mental health. I may offer suggestions on self-care practices that can help clients feel more balanced and energized. One of the main benefits of holistic counselling is that it supports clients in developing a deeper understanding of themselves and their experiences. It encourages a sense of personal responsibility and empowerment, and helps clients to identify and utilize their strengths to overcome challenges. Overall, holistic counselling offers a unique and personalised approach to therapy that recognises the interconnectedness of all aspects of life. It empowers clients to take an active role in their own well-being and provides a safe and supportive space for exploration and growth.

The focus of transpersonal counselling centres around helping the client integrate their spiritual experiences into their daily life and to find meaning and purpose amidst their challenges and struggles. Transpersonal counselling offers clients a spiritually-informed approach to therapy that draws its strength from the spiritual and transcendent aspects of the human experience. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of the body, mind, and spirit, and seeks to promote balance, contentment and awe in the client’s life. It is introspective and contemplative in its approach yet exceedingly practical. The transpersonal counselling process utilises meditation practice, integral life practices, visualisations, mask work, spiritual mapping, artistic expression, journaling, nature, active imagination and many more interventions to help contemplate life’s challenges as well as the great existential questions and mysteries we catch glimpses of during our journey on this earth. Transpersonal counselling seeks to help clients explore their connection to that “something more” as they seek meaning and purpose for their lives.

Our personal mythology are made up of the stories that we tell ourselves about who we really are & how we fit into the world. Through the holistic counselling process, clients may explore and revise their personal mythology to create a more empowering narrative for their lives. By exploring and understanding our personal myths we can gain insight into our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. In my counselling practice, I use the modality of Personal Mythology to help clients explore and understand the stories and beliefs that shape their lives through visualisations, journaling, creative writing and artistic expression. Our personal myths are the stories we tell ourselves about who we really are and what our lives mean. Cultural myths and archetypes shape our personal myths as well. Through our work together, we examine the power of narrative, the role of culture, symbols & imagery, the power of ritual, and the importance of the unconscious. By exploring these elements, clients can gain insight into their personal myths and create new narratives that better serve their lives. Once we uncover the defining stories of our past, we are then free to rewrite & change them, creating something new and life-giving.

Expressive therapies are a form of holistic counselling that draw upon the creative arts utilising a variety of modalities such as; painting, drawing, creating/colouring mandalas, music, movement, working with clay, art journaling, collage, writing, sand tray work, drama therapy, role play, theatre techniques. Clients are not required to have any previous artistic experience. This process is referred to as “low skill, high sensitivity” in its approach. The goal of expressive therapy is to help clients explore and express their emotions and experiences in a safe and non-judgmental environment, using art as a medium to connect with their inner world and create a physical representation of their dilemma or their learnings for the outer world. Expressive therapy can be used in individual, group, or family settings. Through creative exploration and expression, clients can gain new insights into their emotional experiences and gain a greater sense of agency and empowerment in their lives. All of these processes and more can help clients to explore and express their emotions in a nonverbal way, and gain new insights into their inner life when words are not enough.

We all face the reality of grief and loss throughout our lives. It may come from the death of a loved one, divorce or separation, a loss of familiar surroundings, losing one’s job, a loss of social connections, or having to relocate and start anew. We may face the loss of our health and mobility, the loss of a beloved pet, the loss of traditions and rituals, a letting go of an established daily routine, a surrendering of future plans or dreams, facing unrequited love, a loss of a sense of identity, or grieving a lack of meaning in life. It's crucial to work through these losses in a way that is both constructive and at our own pace. As a holistic counsellor, I assist clients in exploring the deeper existential questions that arise in the face of grief and loss. These questions may include the nature of suffering, the grieving process itself, the impermanence of life, the exploration of life after death. By exploring these questions, clients can find meaning and purpose in the midst of their pain and are given space to work through their grieving process at their own pace through acknowledging & validating their emotions, helping them to develop coping strategies, build resilience, and find a way to navigate ‘the dark night of the soul’ and begin to take up life once again.

Mindfulness is a powerful tool for managing difficult emotions, developing greater self-awareness, reducing stress, and promoting overall well-being. One of the key benefits of mindfulness is its ability to help clients manage difficult emotions. By bringing attention to the present moment and acknowledging their emotions in a non-judgmental way, clients can develop greater emotional regulation skills. They can learn to observe and acknowledge their emotions without getting caught up in them, and become more skilled at recognizing their triggers and responding in a way that aligns with their values and goals. Mindfulness also helps clients develop greater self-compassion and reduce self-criticism, leading to a more positive sense of self. In addition, mindfulness techniques can be effective in reducing stress and promoting overall well-being. By practicing mindfulness regularly, clients can learn to reduce reactivity to stressors and develop greater resilience in the face of adversity. They can also become more aware of the present moment and cultivate a greater sense of gratitude and appreciation for the good things in their lives.