ABOUT ME, WHO AM I?
I was born in the North East of England (Newcastle) where I stayed until my late teens. My passion and interest always lay with the complexity of human nature, that is, what makes us tick, what makes us perceive the way we do, make choices in the way we do, feel, think and behave in the way we do. And so it began my journey into the psychotherapeutic world. Having finished my ‘A’ levels in Psychology, Sociology, Statistics and Art I left England and went to live in Greece in order to explore another culture. Whilst there I did a 4 year BSc in Psychology before returning to do a 5 year MA in Psychotherapy and Counselling at the Centre of Counselling and Psychotherapy Education CCPE. I am accredited by UKCP (United Kingdom Counselling and Psychotherapy) and registered with the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy). As well as being a Transpersonal and Integrative Psychotherapist I am also an NLP and EMDR practitioner, Time-Line therapist with a Diploma in Reiki, Hypnotherapy and Personal Advising. I am Psychometric Trained at levels A & B and I am a Supervisor and supervise other therapists individually and in groups. I am a Trauma Specialist (registered with the Trauma Specialists). I am also a Consultant and Trainer, nationally for prisons, private organisations and for EAP’s (Employment Assistance Programs) both private and public. I also run workshops in Europe and Africa for groups in a diverse range of topics related to personal development and behavioural change such as Assertiveness, Substance misuse, Positive psychology, Relationships and how to get more from your life.
EXPERIENCE
Initially, I began in the model/fashion world where I was thrown into many different scenarios. In this field I came across numerous aspects of human nature including Competition: the drive and need to be the best and always reach the top, Jealousy: fear, suspicion and/or resentfulness of a person’s advantages, Manipulation: unscrupulous exploitation of others, as well as Anorexia: a psychological disorder characterized by an obsessive desire to loose weight, Bulimia: an emotional disorder in which bouts of extreme overeating are followed by depression and self-induced vomiting, purging or fasting, Alcoholism: an addiction to the consumption of alcohol, Drug Addictions: including cocaine, heroine, amphetamines, LSD, mushrooms, and more, Abuse: sexual, physical and emotional to name but a few.
I was intrigued by the many varied difficulties we are faced with as humans and how different people deal with life’s difficulties. There are times in our lives when we may feel as though our world is falling apart, collapsing around us and perhaps taking us with it. We feel we have no where to turn, nobody to talk to and thus often very alone. We can all go through periods of instability, confusion, stress and maybe trauma. These periods of transition can bring with them troubling thoughts, intense emotions and experiences that concern us. The way we perceive, think, feel about life often depends on our earlier conditions, that is, what we were taught, told, shown as children plays a great part in how we orchestrate our lives today. No matter what we may believe on a conscious, logical level our inner beliefs, emotions, conditions often play a greater role and at times we are not sure why we feel the way we do, nor why we are doing the things that we do.
LIFE DIFFICULTIES
We may find ourselves feeling depressed, lacking motivation, direction and perhaps confidence and not really understand why? We may feel stuck not knowing which life choices we should make? We may be frozen in dead-end relationships, working situations and not have the tools or the energy to make changes? We may fear stepping out of our comfort zone/familiar place as uncertainty seems too scary? We may be reliving traumatic experiences and flashbacks daily? Life at times like these can seem pointless, directionless and desperate. Psychotherapy and counselling allows for the release and freedom from such difficulties as it allows you to open and explore the many different aspects, parts, beliefs, values, emotions, conditions: past and present that make you up as a unique human being.
HOW I WORK
I work from a Transpersonal and Integrative perspective which is holistic, recognizing mind, body and soul connections. I bring together many schools of thought such as Psychodynamic, Gestalt, Humanistic, Existential, Cognitive Behavioural, Schema Therapy, NLP, EMDR , Positive Psychology and coaching.
I have always been intrigued with the potential of human beings and so my work as a therapist is three pronged in that it aims to explore a person’s past, present and future states where necessary. This can mean focusing only on one particular area i.e. past, present or future and so on specific problems and/or changes in life circumstances in order to gain clarity, release, resolution and direction and so the therapy/counselling/coaching can be more directive, solution focused and goal oriented.
It can also mean encouraging you to explore all aspects of yourself, life and relationships while guiding and supporting you through your past conditioning, possible disturbances and deeper issues, helping you to gain insights into and understanding of yourself and your current situation. It is a means of challenging certain deeply rooted harmful patterns of thought and/or behaviour while empowering you to make changes where appropriate and desired. The therapeutic work will be based on the fundamental principle of building and expanding on your strengths and qualities encouraging growth and development and thus a more satisfying and fulfilling life.
All therapeutic work is carried out in a safe non-judgemental and completely confidential setting. My primary task is to create a trusting relationship in which you can feel wholly accepted and understood and where you can grow and develop into the person you deserve to be. I believe that we all have a purpose and the journey in finding this purpose can be exciting, frightening and at times painful but incredibly worthwhile.
SOME REASONS WHY YOU MAY SEEK COUNSELLING/PSYCHOTHERAPY
• Anxiety/Stress
• Trauma
• Phobias
• Relationship difficulties
• Family and childhood difficulties
• Addictions
• Work related problems
• Sexual abuse/Rape
• Depression/ Low self-esteem
• Bereavement/Loss
• Eating disorders
• Divorce or Separation
• Confusion and Life choices
• Uncertainties related to sexuality
• Crisis at times of change
These are some typical reasons for seeking therapy however there are many more.
Sessions are 50 minutes usually on a weekly basis and can be short term or
long term depending on your situation.
I practice from Harley Street and Warwick Avenue, Maida Vale/Paddington.
If you would like further information or you would like to book an initial
session or an appointment: contact Abigail Tel: 07961 963 610
e-mail: abigail@usa.com, website: www.potentialcharisma.com