Alison Joplin

I am trained in Person-Centred Counselling, which is an approach that I really believe in, from my own personal experience of it. It helped me to see things so much more clearly and each week that I went, even after the painful sessions, I was able to make more sense of things. After gaining this insight I was able to move forward with my life in a more confident and positive way. I feel that my own experiences and subsequently training as a Counsellor has definitely helped me to understand other people and to empathise with their problems.

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Person-Centred counselling is an approach developed by Carl Rogers in the late 1940’s.  It is a non-directive therapy, which means that I won’t be telling you where to look for the answers to your problems. It is all about being there for you each week, as you decide what you want to bring to each session.  Many people do start talking about the past, as this is where they believe they will find the answers, but some people stay with present events until they feel the time is right to go a little deeper into their past experiences.

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People come to counselling for all sorts of reasons. It might be a relationship breakdown or problems at work, or it may be because they have been suffering from panic attacks and social anxiety.

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The Aim

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Whatever the reason for counselling, I believe that everybody has within them, their own resources for change. My aim is to help clients explore their way of being and to clarify the areas that cause distress, anger and dissatisfaction. Such feelings often lead to a sense of being unfulfilled and ‘stuck’. Often after exploration of these thoughts and feelings, a person is able to move towards a better understanding and is then able to make the changes necessary to lead a more rewarding life.

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Other therapies offered:

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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

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I have a diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and now use this approach alongside Counselling.  This is proved to be very successful when working with anxiety, depression and low self esteem.  It gives the client the opportunity to look at their negative thought processes and  are then able to make changes to their behavioural patterns.  Many people are not aware of their thought processes and the effect they can have on a person.  For example if you constantly tell yourself "I am not good enough" or "I will never be able to do this" then generally a person would struggle in life and  believe these thoughts.  Once we are able to identify the thoughts and then challenge them they are more likely to gain in confidence and start to believe there are alternative ways of thinking.  When we start to think more positively the outcome would include less anxiety, more upbeat mood and more confidence.

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Telephone/Online Counselling

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I offer counselling sessions over the phone or online. Many people require remote counselling when face to face counselling isn't possible i.e busy workload, agoraphobia, severe anxiety or depression or people with disabilities. Although it is different to face to face counselling, if a person commits to regular sessions then the benefits from this kind of therapy are very positive. I generally require payment in advance of session for this service.

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Couples Counselling:

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I work with couples who are experiencing difficulties within their relationship, not just partners, but any relationship. For example, mother and daughter, father and son. Counselling can help by allowing both people to voice their thoughts and feelings with the help of the Counsellor to ensure that both people are heard in a non judgemental environment. Tasks may be set for the couple to work through away from the Counselling room, which will enable them to work towards positive changes in their relationship. Some couples however, have already decided that their relationship is over but they need help coming to terms with this.