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TELEPHONE COUNSELLING

September 1, 2011 By

Technology has moved on, so has counselling!

Definitely not a chat between friends! When I mention telephone counselling to clients, they sometimes have a image of a hybrid between a Samaritans call and a chat with a friend while watching Eastenders. BUT telephone counselling is a professional and effective way of entering therapy.
I am fully trained in telephone counselling and have used this to great effect for a number of years.
It is now becoming more common place due to the cost effective nature of telephone counselling and the acceptance that IT WORKS!

You and Telephone Counselling?
For ease it’s better to separate telephone counselling into two different kinds.
A short term course and a one off problem.

Short Term Course – You’ve probably reached a point in life where something or someone has overwhelmed you. Maybe you are depressed, anxious, in the middle of a relationship breakup, lost confidence in your own ability, managing with a long term illness or caring for someone with one, grieving for a loved one or seeing little direction in life.
One day you reach that ‘tipping point’ where you have to do something about ‘it’. That ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ moment when you decide to change something. That is the point that most people reach just before calling to start telephone counselling.
Some people ask, why wouldn’t you call a friend for a chat instead? Well unfortunately, friends usually have very good intentions but they are not always the most impartial advisors. They will often tell you what you want to hear! Sometimes they will have been through a similar situation that you are now experiencing and will want to ‘relive’ their experience or transfer their feelings to your situation. The possibilities are endless!
And what about talking to family? Again, the same rules apply. They usually have your best intentions at heart but the advice can occasionally be misguided.
Of course, it may well be that the root of your problem is family and friends so it would be impossible to talk to them about it.
Telephone counselling is a great option for anyone, short of time and wanting quick and confidential help from home.
The calls are structured and organised to fit in with your day. I will call you at the prearranged time and for you to get the most out of the session, it helps to be in a quiet place with no distractions.
In advance of our first session, I will send you an information email in with how to get the most out of your sessions.

Or Perhaps a One-Off Problem?
There are times when a problem simply seems insurmountable and yet, just looking at it from a different perspective makes all the confusion fade away. This is ideal for telephone counselling. A dual purpose call – speaking about the problem will illuminate ways through and receiving impartial opinions can help you see the problem from a different view point.
Again, this call is structured and organised to fit in with YOUR day. I will call you at the prearranged time and we will get straight on with the problem.
These calls can usually be arranged at short notice and for international clients I have appointment schedules that fit in with most time zones.

Confidentiality?
As with all the counselling and services I offer, YOUR confidentiality is 100% secure.

Talking it Through

If you have difficulties with travel, mobility, time commitments or perhaps you are a carer unable to get out of the home easily or have a difficult work schedule, you will probably find telephone counselling is the ideal solution.
Click Below to Book Telephone Counselling


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PSYCHOTHERAPY

September 1, 2011 By

Psychotherapy Have you noticed how you have some character traits which are so ingrained that they stop you getting on with life? They become the hurdle that becomes increasingly difficult to jump in the race of life.
~Are you curious as to why you behave the way you do in everyday situations?
~Do you have a string of failed relationships which seem to have a common thread running through them?
~Are your relationships with family strained through non-communication or mis-communication?
~Do you make the same mistakes at work when dealing with colleagues or customers?

In simplest terms, it is the analysis of these instincts and unconscious behaviours that come from memories or thoughts that we may have buried away; that is at the basis of psychotherapy.
In true classic Freudian style of yesteryear, you may have images of laying on a chaise lounge while saying whatever came into your mind in the process of ‘discovering’ these buried memories. A process that could perhaps, take months or years.
Psychotherapy today has a more modern feel and its edges can be blurred into the other talking therapies available, such as counselling.
To know why you behave the way you do and make effective changes to enable you to live the life you want to, it is important to know what makes you the way you are.
Simply by becoming aware of what makes you tick is the start of making you change. Psychotherapy is not about chronicling your past or blaming others or seeking revenge it is most simply put as ‘UNDERSTANDING.’

Neither it is necessary to be a long and painful process. It is to understand and untangle the past and then move on to the present and future where we must all reside.

Is Psychotherapy Right For Me?
For anyone who wishes to understand themself more or who are at a turning point in their life and don’t want to keep making the same mistakes over and over, psychotherapy can help them face the future with confidence. Some people have likened it to finding the instruction manual to their life. The things that never worked before now seem to fall into place easily.
What is important and forms the basis of the sessions of psychotherapy is what to so with this new found knowledge you have. As much time within each session will be devoted into putting new behaviour patterns into place as to finding out what put them there in the first place.

It’s important to view counselling as part of the journey and not the final destination. We evolve through our experiences and situations and counselling helps get over the bumps on the road.
Neither does it have to be a painful journey.
Within all psychotherapy sessions, I endeavour to make the discussions as enjoyable as possible.

Q: Do Your Counselling and Psychotherapy Services Overlap?
A:Most certainly yes, it’s almost impossible to draw a dividing line down the middle of two. You are a totally unique person and there is no ‘one size fits all’ therapy. I prefer to draw from a selection of techniques and create a solution that is an individual as you are.

Q:What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
A:Aaah! The subject of much debate between the great and good of both professions. There is no strict answer. Many would say that the two cross over. Many would draw a total division between the two. Theoretical differences abound and it is probably a debate that will continue for many years.
The talking therapies have advanced so far from the days of Messrs Jung and Freud that although many of the components stay the same, there is a far greater understanding of the human mind and with that a bigger range of treatments available. Hypnotherapy, NLP, EFT, Timeline Therapy to name a few.

All that matters is:
YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR LIFE!

To find out how psychotherapy can help you, please give me a call and we can have an initial, no commitment chat to see what would be best for you. Please call me on 0778 608 24 63 (if the answering machine is on, please leave a message and I will get back to you very shortly).

Filed Under: Featured, Psychotherapy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

COUNSELLING

September 1, 2011 By

COUNSELLINGThere can’t be many people now who haven’t either experienced counselling first hand or know someone who has ‘been through’ counselling. However, even with it being so common, the misconceptions about why we need counselling and what it can do are still widespread.

I'm All Ears

So, how are you feeling today?
A good ‘counselling question’! You might be feeling any or all of these:
~depressed
~stressed
~anxious
~worried
~frightened
~lacking in confidence
~unsure of future direction both professionally or personally
or you may have
~been recently bereaved
~lost your job
~been recently divorced or separated
~your children may have left home
~been diagnosed with illness
~be caring for someone
~been in an accident
~lost a loved pet
or one of many other of life’s challenges.

If you are feeling this way, what are your options?
Allow life to take it’s course? Yes, in time, everything will pass. It always does and we know the saying ‘time is a great healer’. Although this can sometimes extend the period of distress and sometimes with age or experiences our resilience to the events above can decrease leaving us more vulnerable the next time a ‘life event’ comes our way.

Speak to family and friends? Yes, that can be a great idea. Unfortunately for many people this is not practical anymore. Families tend to be more dispersed nowadays and most of us would rather not worry family members over the phone with our troubles. Friends can be a great sounding board but they often have their own worries and maybe you’ve reached a point where they have ‘heard it all before’. More and more people admit to loneliness nowadays compared to even 20 years ago and so it is not surprising that we suffer from lack of support. Our average number of true friends has dropped (probably in contrast to the rise in our Facebook friends!)

Buy a self-help book? Exploring and educating yourself on the subject that is bothering you is a great idea. The self–help shelves at Waterstones are bulging with fantastic books. The only thing missing is the determination to read them and follow the advice contained within. It’s a little like our obsession with celebrity chefs; I own a good selection of books by Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsey and the rest and love watching the cooking shows but will often stop on the way home at Marks and Spencer to buy dinner! It’s just easier.

Find help through counselling? Great idea. Counselling is the discussion and exploration of problems, worries, unhelpful thoughts, undesired situations and anxieties in a non-judgmental and helpful setting. The end goal is to get you feeling better about life and better about yourself.

Q: How long would it all take?
A: Somewhere from around six to twelve sessions. We will discuss this the first time we speak.
It’s important to view counselling as part of the journey and not the final destination. We evolve through our experiences and situations and counselling helps get over the bumps on the road.
Neither does it have to be a painful journey. Within all counselling sessions, I endeavour to make the situation as enjoyable as possible.

Q: Do Your Counselling and Psychotherapy Services Overlap?
A:Most certainly yes, it’s almost impossible to draw a dividing line down the middle of two. You are a totally unique person and there is no ‘one size fits all’ therapy. I prefer to draw from a selection of techniques and create a solution that is an individual as you are.

Q:What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
A:Aaah! The subject of much debate between the great and good of both professions. There is no strict answer. Many would say that the two cross over. Many would draw a total division between the two. Theoretical differences abound and it is probably a debate that will continue for many years.
The talking therapies have advanced so far from the days of Messrs Jung and Freud that although many of the components stay the same, there is a far greater understanding of the human mind and with that a bigger range of treatments available. Hypnotherapy, NLP, EFT, Timeline Therapy to name a few.

What matters is:
YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR LIFE!

To find out how counselling can help you, please give me a call and we can have an initial, no commitment chat to see what would be best for you. Please call me on 0778 608 24 63 (if the answering machine is on, please leave a message and I will get back to you very shortly).

If you do not live locally, you may wish to use either the TELEPHONE or EMAIL counselling options. Click the tabs above to find out more.

Filed Under: Counselling, Featured Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

EMAIL COUNSELLING

September 1, 2011 By

Email Counselling
Counselling via email is a relatively new concept in the therapy world. Counselling belongs in the ‘talking therapy’ field and so emailing a counsellor might seem to be quite a poor solution as conversation takes place BUT it is proven to be very effective.
Counselling at it’s root, is the exchange of words, thoughts and emotions between individuals so there really is no reason that this cannot happen via email.

Is email counselling suitable for everyone? In my opinion, definitely not! But for a large proportion of people who seek counselling in this way, it can be very effective.

Why email counselling?
By seeking counselling you are probably undergoing a period of emotional change, distress or turmoil and are looking for a clear way through your problems. Email counselling provides this in a way that is enjoyed by many. Many people find that by simply writing their problems to the counsellor, it enables them to see the issues more clearly. When we are writing, it opens up different parts of the brain, it makes us use different vocabulary, sometimes we might analyse the situation more clearly when it is written down in front of us.
Many therapies over the years are built on the foundations of writing your problems down on paper. The therapeutic undertaking of writing either letters or journals is taken one step further. In the past you may have written letters to someone who has caused you pain or who you have unspoken thoughts or feelings about.
Because email counselling can take place at any time and from the comfort of your own home, it is a very convenient choice for many.

When counselling by email, it also allows the counsellor to have a very ‘considered overview’ of the situation which might not be possible instantly possible in a face to face setting.

Some people are concerned about…..
Spelling, grammer and vocabulary! You are not back at school…promise. It is the essance of what you are writing that matter’s to me, not the typos and correct use of a tenses. Likewise, I will run a spellcheck before sending to you but if my grammer is a little ‘off-key’, I won’t loose any sleep over it, so neither should you worry about your’s. (Yes, those typos were intentional!)
Security! I know it can be quite daunting to pour your heart out and not be sure what will happen to it at the other end. For your peace of mind, I have a dedicated email address for email counselling. I created it and host it myself so only I have the password. Our email exchanges are totally private and they will be kept confidential with all identifying factors removed from them while our exchanges take place.

How Does it Work?
It is not just an exchange of brief messages that you might have with a friend. There is a structure to email counselling, just as there is with face to face counselling. Once you have contacted me regarding email counselling, I will send you an introductory email with some outlines on how you can get the best out of our counselling.
You will then send me an email (of up to 5000 words) giving me as much detail as possible and I will respond in an email, again of up to 5000 words with my reply. I may seek your clarification on anything I cannot understand from your initial email before I reply.
I will take up to an hour replying to you (the usual length of a counselling session).

How Much Does it Cost?
Email counselling is very cost effective with each email exchange costing £30.
How Long Does it Last?
There are no set times. I would hope that you enter into a series of exchanges to effect real change in your life. Often people use email counselling over a period of say, every two weeks for three months, others will use it as a one off session.

To begin email counselling immediately, please click on the button below and you will be taken to the secure payment site. You will have the option to pay by credit card, debit card or Paypal and we can start immediately.



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If you have any questions before beginning email counselling, please send me an email and I will be happy to answer them for you. Email me today adele@adeleotoole.com

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