COUPLE / FAMILY COUNSELLING
WITH CHRIS
Time to think and talk together with an experienced counsellor
The ideal opportunity to put aside quality time to focus on you and your life. You really can talk about anything, be taken seriously, and be supported through you current concerns.
The counselling and psychotherapy used at Kendal Therapy offers a gently robust approach to life's most difficult and perplexing issues, as well as your everyday concerns.
Kendal Therapy support couples, married or partners and other combinations of family pairs. Mother and adult child, Father and adult child. (over 18), Siblings (over 18). I can also support family groups (over 18).
If you would like to read more about counselling and psychotherapy before you get in touch, you will find a good overview of the topic here and you can follow the links for further information.
If you are in crisis right now and just need to get started, you may prefer to simply get in touch straight away and revisit these pages at a later date.
£65.00 (per one hour session)
Reduced fees may be negotiated for short-term work.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN COUPLES / FAMILY COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY
WHY COUPLE / FAMILY COUNSELLING?
The aim of couples / family counselling and therapy is to provide you all with a confidential opportunity to explore your issues, thoughts and feelings together in a different space, in order to assist your learning, healing, understanding and growth. My role is to help you through the counselling process without judgement, or telling you what to do.
Couples / Family counselling, often referred to as 'marriage guidance' or 'family therapy', can support couples and familys work towards better communication, empathy and problem solving. Supporting couples to seperate amicably, stay together or move through difficult circumstances. Supporting Families to explore and work through issues that are getting in the way of quality family life.
THE FIRST SESSION
In the first session I will explore with you your current issues, inquire about background history and establish the focus of counselling. It's your opportunity to ask anything about counselling or about me to help you to make sure of a good match for your needs. It is rare for me to see couples / family members individually. A counsellor will not take sides or negotiate solutions. The difficulty is in the relationship/s and so the solution is in each person 'hearing' and understanding each other. This is unlikely to be achieved by seeing clients individually.
We all would discuss our Counselling Working Agreement, which includes: boundaries, confidentiality, fees and an agreed way of working. Then we decide the best way to start.
THE COUNSELLING PROCESS AND HOW IT CAN HELP
The counselling process from beginning to end is firmly rooted in the counsellor offering the relational conditions that are best suited to nurturing psychological growth to each person present. Once these conditions are experienced, each person is more likely to be able to explore their issues and take forward their personal development at a pace that suits them with one another.
Counselling helps by offering a chance to tackle the here-and-now issues. It often (but not always) includes developing a better understanding of issues from the past, working through current patterns and concerns to improve the likelihood of a better future together or apart, each individual will be supported in attaining their individual growth and fulfilment.
ISSUES PEOPLE BRING TO COUPLE / FAMILY COUNSELLING
This list is not comprehensive, so please get in touch with your specific requirements to see if Kendal Therapy is able to help. Examples of psychological and emotional distress in couples and families are:
-
lack of trust
-
betrayal or affair
-
jealousy
-
lack of communication
-
financial issues
-
different goals and values
-
different parenting styles
-
life changes
-
different personalities
-
divorce and separation
-
changes through the life course
-
and many more themes
ABOUT PERSON CENTRED COUNSELLING
A way of helping people in troubling times
As a Person Centred Counsellor I listen very carefully to what each of you say. I aim to step into your shoes and see the world from each of your point of view, how you experience your life and any issues you bring, as you each see them. I wholeheartedly believe in the positive nature of all human beings and that we are always striving to do the best we can. I believe in the uniqueness and worth of every individual and that everyone deserves respect to choose their own way through life. I recognise that you are the only expert in your own internal world, and the only person who really knows how you feel. The most important thing in couple / family counselling is the communication between you, and hopefully empathy is developed and is demonstrated between you, in which I hope that you will feel heard and understood, in a non-judgemental way, and that you will experience me and each other as real and genuine.
I will listen objectively and fairly to each client. Obviously the counsellor must not take sides but they need to genuinely understand the position and feelings of each client and frequently will need to clearly communicate that position to the other partner in a way the other can non-defensively hear it. The counsellor must genuinely value and understand both clients equally. In most cases the clients will have different positions, and often different things they hope to get from counselling. It is not at all unusual for one client to suspect that the couple / family relationship is finished, whilst the other/s desperately wants it to continue. The couples / family counsellor must genuinely honour and value these positions, without trying to tilt in either direction.
ENHANCING COUPLE COUNSELLING
Sometimes, and when appropriate, counselling can be enriched further in fascinating ways...
OUTDOOR COUNSELLING
I have connected my work to the outdoor environment throughout my life. There is something special about having counselling outdoors. If you think this sounds appropriate for you and what you are bringing to counselling, find out more on here and discuss with Chris in session, its fairly straightforward to plan working outdoors.
CREATIVE ARTS IN COUNSELLING
Working with a range of creative arts techniques can really help people deepen the therapeutic process and help enhance the outcomes of standard counselling.If you think this sounds appropriate for you and what you are bringing to counselling, find out more on here and discuss with Chris.
PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY IN COUNSELLING
You are welcome to explore your personality, who you are, and who you would like to become. The person centred approach has its own theory of personality, but I also really like using Jungian personality theory and the Myers Briggs personality test (MBTI) and the more modern 'The Big Five'. Whatever speaks to you, we can use in counselling, even a fun online test such as 'Which Harry Potter character are you' can be surprisingly useful (or your film of choice).
SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT IN COUNSELLING
You are welcome to explore religion, spirituality and existentialism in counselling. I have had life long interest and specialist additional training in facilitating spiritual and existential development for those interested in exploring these areas in counselling, within the person centred framework. If you think this sounds appropriate for you and what you are bringing to counselling, find out more on here and discuss with Chris.