My intention is to offer you support, nurture and containment through our relationship so you may grow to become empowered.

During my training at Leeds Beckett University in West Yorkshire, I have learnt a number of theories and approaches in counselling to choose from to deliver effectively as a therapist. My approach would be accurately described as “Pluralistic Counselling”. I work with clients on short, medium and long-term therapeutic work.

Pluralism holds the belief that there is no one ultimate truth and that there are multiple right answers to the same question. There is an openness to uncertainty and multiple outlooks. In plain English it means there is more than one way to get to the same destination. This predominantly depends on the clients preferences.

Pluralistic counselling is a philosophy of therapy rather than a technique. It is a “Person-Centred, Humanistic, Integrative approach” (Cooper & McLeod 2007).

Research shows that clients do better in therapy when there is shared decision making and are less likely to drop out of therapy early. After all there’s no point me asking you to write a reflective journal if you hate writing.

My approach would be to ask you how you would like to store/create  reflections of feelings and thoughts for example but not limited to using photography, storyboard, video, voice memos, poetry etc.

Pluralism is associated with a strong moral and ethical commitment to the intrinsic value of connection and dialogue between people – active curiosity and interest rather than disengaged tolerance. 

The Pluralistic approach is described as “collaborative, integrative practise“.  Pluralism involves client-focused integration rather than therapist-focused integration. It holds the view that a plurality of perspectives, the client’s as well as the therapists – should inform the direction of the therapeutic work.

A growing body of research evidence shows that adjusting therapeutic interventions to a “client’s individual wants” does lead to improved outcomes. Pluralistic counselling and psychotherapy are based on further assumptions about the characteristics of clients and therapists.

I hold the firm belief it is my client who is the “master of their own life” and my role is with my learnt knowledge to offer support for growth and self-actualisation in a nurturing and safe environment.

Clients are viewed as active agents, the masters of their own lives. With important personal strengths, who are engaged in using whatever tools and resources are available to them in order to construct a more satisfying life (Bohart and Tallmann, 1999).

As a pluralistic therapist I am open-minded and curious about all therapy ideas and methods, and committed to the process of ongoing lifelong learning in which I continue to incorporate ideas and methods from different therapy approaches into my practice.

My particular interests lean towards Creativity in the therapeutic process, neuroscience and spirituality.