.jpg?crc=387836021)
232x155.jpg?crc=4012366162)
What is Counselling?
Types of Counselling therapies:
At Calm Mind, Savva uses a wide range of theoretical frameworks and therapeutic methods, which will vary to meet the needs of each client. He may focus on one therapy or use a combination of therapies depending on the needs of the individual client.
A brief description outlining the main types of therapies has been provided below:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) assists individuals by providing strategies to change negative thinking patterns and behaviours.
Solution Focused Therapy is a therapeutic approach which focuses on what clients want to achieve through therapy, rather than on the past problems which have caused them to seek help.
Gestalt Therapy is a form of therapy that focuses on the here-and-now experience of what is being thought, felt and done during the counselling session, rather than what could be, or should be done. It promotes personal responsibility and self-awareness, and aims to identify past traumatic experiences that are affecting the client in the present.
Systemic Approach looks at people not at an individual level, but as people in a relationship in terms of interactions and how people act and react together. The approach is often used for the family counselling.
Person Centred Therapy believes that people have all the resources within them to move through their difficulties; Savva's role is to support you in that process. It involves a therapeutic relationship which is based on honesty, respect, acceptance and being supported. The client is given the time and space to fully direct the course of the sessions.
How long do I need to commit to counselling?
Savva will never pressure you in to long term counselling.
Savva will offer brief, medium or long term support depending on what your issues are and in your first session he will discuss with you the reasons for seeking counselling and the outcomes you are seeking.
What areas of Counselling does Peace of Mind cover?
Savva is able to work with individuals, couples, families, children or groups across the following disciplines:
Grief and Loss
From the time we are babies we experience change and loss. The more we attach ourselves to our environment, the greater the chance that we will grieve. The stronger our attachment with people, places and possessions the greater our sense of loss will be when we lose them. We can grieve for the loss of hopes, dreams and aspirations. Grief is a normal process of expressing our hurt. Loss, change and grief affect everyone differently. People may be affected physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
Savva can help you work through your grief. Your session will be personalised using a combination of disciplines to create something very powerful… or the focus can be on one method because it works well for you. It's all about being flexible and working through the grief that is weighing you down.
Savva aims to create an environment where the client feels safe, comfortable and supported. Counselling offers people the opportunity to express their grief and have it acknowledged by an objective person. Savva will help to normalize the grief so that the client doesn't feel so alone. It is an environment that allows the client to say and feel what ever they need to without fear of judgement.
Counselling is a partnership between the counsellor and the client. The ultimate aim is being able to integrate the grief in to your life so that you are able to live with it more comfortably.
Relationship / Marriage Counselling
The aim of relationship counselling is to promote open communication between partners. Relationships are an essential ingredient in anyone's life. They can provide support, love, connection, pleasure, comfort, and friendship. At times they can also be a source of distress, disappointment and frustration and may significantly impact on a person's well-being. Individuals in a relationship may be faced with issues they find overwhelming and unable to confront, 'fix' and cope with. If left unresolved, the result may lead to a relationship ending, impacting upon a person and their family life, heightening their risks of psychological, physical and emotional distress.
With willing participation and positive changes from both parties, harmful patterns can be changed, trust can be restored and resentments can be overcome.
Lack of communication is a common problem and the one that probably needs most attention when dealing with relationship problems. One partner or sometimes both simply don't know how to put into words what they feel. They may have grown up in a family where personal feelings were never shared openly, and so they lack the confidence to be open with their partner for fear of looking silly or being rejected.
Problems can arise at all stages of a relationship from dating through to a marriage or break-up. It is important to address these issues when they occur in order to have the best chance of resolution.
Some of the warning signs that a relationship may not be working effectively include:
Feelings of unhappiness from one or both partners
Reoccurring arguments that fail to be resolved
Less and less time spent together and pursuing separate lives
Loss of loving feelings from one or both partners
Extra martial affairs
Couples may seek relationship counselling to improve their already healthy relationship by enhancing their fulfilment in areas such as intimacy and communication. Couples may also seek counselling for relationship problems, which can be caused by a number of issues, including:
Poor communications skills – including emotional reactive behaviour; stone walling where one individual shuts out another by not communicating; emotional detachment
Issues relating to house tasks and responsibilities – including cultural expectations; lack of role clarity
Differences in child rearing styles – including different personal experiences and beliefs
Poor work/ life balance for either or both partners
Relationship intimacy issues – including impotence; differences in libido levels; health issues
Lack of quality time between partners
Pressures caused by major life transitions – such as immigration; loss of loved one; work or career change; having a baby
Undefined, shifting or split loyalties between extended family and/or in-laws
Financial Issues – including addictions, such as gambling, alcohol and drugs
Extra marital affairs – including trust issues
Relationship counselling involves both partners working together with Savva to resolve problems that are affecting the quality of their relationship. Couples counselling provides partners with tools to assist them in increasing positivity in their relationship, building resilience and assisting in resolving differences.
Through the counselling process, a variety of techniques may be used including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), person centred and/or solution-focused therapy, which all aim to change patterns of behaviour.
Psycho-Education is an important component where Savva can assist couples in enhancing the quality of their relationships through educating them about proven tools and strategies. Skill building and coaching also assists couples to improve their understanding and communication of individual differences as well as gain a greater level of commitment and fulfilment from the relationship.
If relationship problems cannot be overcome, counselling can help individual partners cope with a relationship that has broken down.
Family Counselling
Families can be complex, and a number of challenges can arise which can affect relationships between family members. A common challenge faced by many families comes from responding to changing family structures which can be hard on all family members, especially children. These changing structures can come about during events such as separation, divorce and re-marriage. During these times, a range of issues can develop such as relationship problems between partners, new living arrangements, financial adjustments and issues relating to the care of children.
Family Counselling can also be helpful in aiding families in adjusting to different life stages within the family. This may include children starting school, issues with teenagers, aging parents and many others.
Savva works with families to increase effective communication and maintain relationships, fostering stronger, more honest relationships. Savva is highly skilled in remaining neutral, ensuring that each family member feels safe to express their feelings…without being judged.
Family counselling aims at supporting families, couples, individuals, adolescents and children through a range of issues including:
Family break-ups resulting from separation or divorce, including custody issues
Blended family issues arising from re-marriage
Behavioural problems
Conflict between siblings
Conflict arising from different values
Adolescence
Anxiety
Everyone can feel anxious from time to time. But when anxiety starts to interfere with your everyday life, it is probably time to get some help. Recovery is possible through a range of effective anxiety treatments.
Anxiety is a natural reaction that everyone experiences in certain life situations. It is the physiological response that people feel when faced with a threat, a potentially dangerous situation, or intense or prolonged periods of stress. Because feelings of anxiety are very common, it can be hard to determine when anxiety has become a problem.
When is anxiety a problem?
Anxiety is a problem when someone's feelings of anxiety become so regular and extreme that it interferes significantly with their day to day lives.
Symptoms of anxiety
In addition to anxiety affecting the way you think, it can also trigger physical responses. Symptoms may include:
Feelings of helplessness
Confusion
Faintness/ dizziness
Pounding heartbeat
Breathing difficulties
Nausea/ stomach ache
Restlessness
Increased blood pressure
Muscle tension
Hot and cold sweats
Irritability
How Counselling can help
There are a number of effective treatments for anxiety. Savva may use a combination of the following for anxiety treatment:
Psychological treatments. For the majority of anxiety disorders, psychological treatments are the most successful forms of treatment. These treatments aim to change patterns of behaviour, thoughts and beliefs which may trigger anxiety. Common treatments include cognitive behavioural therapy, solution-focussed therapy and behaviour therapy. Savva may also use desensitisation, which is a slow and gradual process of exposing a person to the trigger which causes anxiety in order to desensitise the person to the point where the fear no longer poses a threat.
Anxiety management techniques are used to help treat anxiety and include challenging unhelpful thoughts, learning new coping strategies, controlled breathing exercises and relaxation training.
Anger Management
From the time we are babies we experience change and loss. The more we attach ourselves to our environment, the greater the chance that we will grieve. The stronger our attachment with people, places and possessions the greater our sense of loss will be when we lose them. We can grieve for the loss of hopes, dreams and aspirations. Grief is a normal process of expressing our hurt. Loss, change and grief affect everyone differently. People may be affected physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
Savva can help you work through your grief. Your session will be personalised using a combination of disciplines to create something very powerful… or the focus can be on one method because it works well for you. It's all about being flexible and working through the grief that is weighing you down.
Savva aims to create an environment where the client feels safe, comfortable and supported. Counselling offers people the opportunity to express their grief and have it acknowledged by an objective person. Savva will help to normalize the grief so that the client doesn't feel so alone. It is an environment that allows the client to say and feel what ever they need to without fear of judgement.
Counselling is a partnership between the counsellor and the client. The ultimate aim is being able to integrate the grief in to your life so that you are able to live with it more comfortably.
Self-Esteem & Confidence
Self-esteem can be seen as an integral component of one's psychological well-being. Many people at different points in their life feel low self-esteem and confidence. This may be the result of the way they look, or the way they feel about who they are. Low self-esteem and confidence can stem from many areas of one's life and can be extremely hindering for a person who experiences it.
Counselling helps you work at an emotional level in terms of your self-esteem and confidence and allows you the opportunity to explore the origins of self negating feelings. By doing so, it allows you to understand where the problem has originated from and to be able to take the relevant steps to overcome low self-esteem and confidence allowing you to charge forward in life, being the person you want to be.
Weight Loss
The issue of body image and the desire to be healthy and comfortable with one's body is common for many people. Savva uses his skills to help you understand the connection between what is going on in your head and your relationship with food. He has had considerable success with clients who have been able to get a better understanding of their triggers and their ability to make changes in their lifestyle to achieve the weight loss they desire.
Savva will develop a plan that is right for you as well as provide the support you need a long the way.