Therapy

What is therapy? Therapy, psychotherapy and counselling are often used interchangeably to refer to a talking therapy, where two people meet in a structured encounter, one of whom is a trained professional. Psychotherapy allows for in-depth exploration with a practitioner. Counselling is usually shorter-term, with an emphasis on listening, and where a particular focus for the counselling may be agreed at the start.

There are usually two main factors that may lead you to seek therapy. First, you feel in distress, and second, that you need someone to help you, either because you feel isolated or because you do not wish to rely on friends or family for support. Importantly a psychotherapist will offer you a private time and space to explore whatever difficulties you may be having from an objective, non-judgemental and professional perspective.

Luisa is trained in integrative psychotherapy and counselling, where different models and approaches to psychotherapy are studied and practiced. The therapeutic relationship, between the therapist and client, is considered as an important means by which the process of therapy takes place, with some differences depending on the approach being taken. One example of an integrative therapy is Cognitive Analytic Therapy, which uses conscious awareness of thoughts, feelings and behaviours as an adult (cognitive ideas), and how these patterns may have developed from childhood experiences, based on psychoanalytic principles.

Please contact Luisa if you think you may benefit from therapy.