Somatic Psychotherapy
Explore what matters to you
Are you feeling stuck, confused, overwhelmed or that you just can’t cope? Do you feel disconnected from who you really are? Do you need a space to work out how to move forward? Are you looking for someone to listen, understand, help you make sense of your experience? Do you need to find ways to feel more regulated and in control? Perhaps there is some other reason why you are looking to start therapy?
I provide somatic psychotherapy which is based on my training and extensive experience in person centred therapy and somatic experiencing.
It was a huge relief to discover the person centred approach - it made sense to me and helped me understand my own experience and what was healing. I then trained in talking therapy as a person-centred counsellor and this approach underpins how I work. I am also a qualified yoga teacher and massage therapist and have always been interested in including the body in therapy.
I am a qualified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner™. Somatic Experiencing is a unique approach of working with trauma and emotion where it is located or stuck in the body. In this approach we might talk about where you feel the physical sensation connected with a particular emotion or memory. We'd work with the physical sensations in a way that feels manageable to you in order to discharge energy that has become stuck in your nervous system and contributes to behaviours or habits you want to let go of . By working with the body in this way, underlying physical patterns of reactions can release freeing us up to have more choice in how we respond to challenging situations in life. This approach can have two facets: processing trauma can be an important task in the therapy. The other facet involves connecting with aliveness, okayness and where there are resources in your experience. This can be a surprisingly transformational , as well as enjoyable, aspect of the work.
People open to the possibilities of working with their bodies are drawn to this collaborative approach that supports greater body-mind awareness, connection and integration. This way of working often includes a spiritual element and can be a journey of exploration and self discovery to who you really are and what matters to you in how you live your life. Spirituality may be connected with a particular religious tradition or it might be unique and personal or a mixture of approaches. I see it is an individual journey.
My approach is flexible and I am interested in learning about your unique situation and experience, working together at a pace and in a way that is right for you. We would agree together what is the right way for us to work in therapy and I am open to your feedback.
I only offer weekly sessions to start,. After we have established our working relationship we may be able to move to a reduced frequency such as fortnightly. Our work together may be short term eg 6 sessions or it may be longer term such as working together over a number of months or years.
If you are considering working with me, I offer a twenty five minute zoom consultation at no cost to talk over what you are looking for from therapy, explore any questions you have for me and decide whether working together seems like a good way forward. As it can be daunting to commence therapy, this can be a helpful first step and can be a good way to find out if we might be a good match.
I offer face to face appointments in Finnieston, Glasgow near Kelvingrove Park and am available for online sessions by zoom.
Please email me for availability or if you have any questions, it can be helpful if you let me know if you are looking for online, face to face or walk and talk
* Please note, as of August 2024 my waiting list is closed for new therapy referrals, I will update here when it re-opens*
'There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy' Nietzsche