The Counselling Journey

About psychodynamic counselling

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Counselling

The way we are able to manage emotions, feel about ourselves, react to situations or conduct ourselves in relationships depends to a great extent on our own past experience.  We can build up automatic emotional reactions or patterns of behaviour which belong to important early relationships or experiences as long ago as early childhood.  We can get stuck in these automatic responses and that can impact negatively on how we feel and behave.  Sometimes we bring a child’s response to an adult situation without realising it.

The impact of early experience may leave powerful memories – we may not recall those experienced as most painful or incomprehensible at the time, but they can remain powerful negative influences on how we feel about ourselves and others.

Psychodynamic counselling is a journey of self-knowledge where forgotten experience can be slowly and safely accessed, made sense of and managed with professional help towards realising potential change.

When we have a greater understanding of ourselves and how we became the person we are,  it opens up opportunities to reflect on whether we are happy with that, or whether we can think differently about making some subtle changes.  It is safe to explore what positive changes could be considered in the working relationship with a skilled counsellor. 

Personal knowledge can lead to taking back control of our situations and relationships, making positive change as far as is practical.  Acknowledging and mourning those relationships and missed opportunities which can never be retrieved is an equally valuable aspect of counselling and becomes possible within the dependable care of a well qualified and experienced counsellor.

Sometimes the opportunity for our needs to be spoken, heard and understood in a trusting relationship where you feel a connectedness with someone who places themselves in your shoes without judgement or personal agenda is healing in itself. 

Each therapeutic relationship is unique and may reflect both negative and positive feelings associated with previous relationships.  This is most helpful to the process and it is important to be honest and open about your feelings in the therapy room.

At the end of your counselling, I suggest plenty of time to work through a planned ending so as not to impose another unmourned loss.

Find out more about...

- the issues Counselling can help with

- the difference between Counselling and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

If you still have some questions or would like to talk through your needs before making any commitment, please do call me on 0778 955 4675 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.