Last week, I used Portia Nelson’s poem “Autobiography in 5 chapters” to illustrate the therapeutic journey. What I didn’t share was my personal interaction with that piece. I went to a coaching conference in London (I think it was in 2008) and one of the speakers read out the poem – it touched me, it …
January is a month when people are often attempting to re-write (at least part of) their life story: resolutions to change habits, a chance to re-boot and try new attitudes and approaches to life. In the past week, I have sat with many of my clients expressing their wish that 2018 is different, that their …
As I begin writing this morning, I have no idea as to what will appear – well, I guess that isn’t entirely true…but it would be fair to say that this is not a post that I have planned to my normal levels. A well planned blog post this morning falls secondary to just sitting …
What does 2017 have in store for you? New Year is a common time to be looking at our lives, taking stock, and considering making change. We set intentions, make resolutions and plan goals. When I get client enquries in January I notice that this is the time when people seem most resolute about what …
Read more “Goals: do the they have a place in counselling and psychotherapy?”
In my last blog post, I talked about some of the theory that underpin CBT, Gestalt, and Buddhist ideas in relation to therapeutic work. As a practitioner who works mainly in relational psychotherapy (under which we would include Gestalt and Buddhist ideas), I have been intrigued by the ascendence of CBT in our national health …
Read more “CBT: sticking plaster or power tool? A case study”
“If only I had a pound for every time a propspective new client asks me if I could ‘do CBT on them’…” said one of my therapist friends recently. I didn’t ask what they could do with the money they would amount, but from my own experiences, it is a question posed enough (in one …
I’ve recently returned from a week-long retreat with Buddhist psychologist John Welwood. I didn’t really know what to expect when I signed up for the week at Omega Institute in upstate New York. I call it a retreat, but it was equally a workshop and at times, a group therapy session with 50 + participants! …
One of the challenges that we all face in life is balancing the needs we have as individuals with the needs of others we are in relationship with: balancing self and other. This is a challenge recognised by many systems of thought: from the ancient wisdom traditions through to contemporary Western psychology. For example, the …
With mindfulness and meditation being popular topics these days, everyone seems to be writing about it – and whilst this raises awareness of what, I believe, to be a great practice, it can also lead to some warped perspectives (especially regarding what it can / can’t do AND what it was intended to do / …
“Living mindfully” is high up in the public consciousness – it is seemingly in the press each week: benefits attributed to the practice include the lowering of stress, helping schools engage their children, and even helping businesses thrive. It is no wonder then that it appears in many people’s New Year’s resolutions list. As many …