Honour your story

Hello, I’m Sue and I have a question for you...

Have you ever really honoured your story – its ups and downs, joys and pains, victories and challenges, or successes and, what you may even find yourself calling, mistakes or regrets?  

And if not, why not? Often, I hear it’s due to a sense of shame, avoiding discomfort, not wanting to be a burden, or in terms of sharing the good stuff, not wanting to seem arrogant or hog the limelight. 

Or maybe it’s hard admitting these things even to yourself, including your strengths and positive qualities. Don’t you think this is an absolute waste of resources and also potential lessons for yourself and others? 

For almost 15 years as an integrative counsellor, I have worked with people just like you who, so far, have not realised their worth, or perhaps feel like they have lost it somewhere along the way. They are often yearning for a quality of life where they feel secure and confident in themselves and are longing for that universally sought-after sense of inner peace and contentment. 

So, if you’re absolutely fed up with how things are and are ready to learn how to fully accept and/or forgive yourself, to feel comfortable in your own skin and with who you are, to build resilience for those inevitable challenges and changes in life, and gain the confidence to reach your potential, perhaps the time is ripe for working with a professional.

As an integrative counsellor, I aim to offer you a fortifying, human, connection where I facilitate your connection to yourself – to really know yourself and what you value. I help you connect to that inner healing and those personal solutions that are already within you so that you can maximise your well-being and live a life that you find fulfilling. 

For you, this could entail acquiring an improved self-image, better relationships, honing new habits like weight management, negotiating a career change, making a general life decision, or it may even be allowing yourself to grieve a loss that you’ve not yet begun to process. 

I like to call this state of being, this state of self-connection that enables you to live in this way and to maintain it - a sense of ‘earthed empowerment’*. 

All counsellors will be influenced more by certain modalities than others. As a spiritually aligned therapist, my work is informed by a number of approaches and heavily influenced by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) I often use the energy psychology tool, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and am a clinical hypnotherapist. I aim to help through the spirit of compassion and incorporate the attitudes of mindfulness, which include curiosity and non-judgement.

Whatever counsellor you choose to work with would aim to afford you a unique space where you can feel heard, held and unconditionally accepted. This can allow you to see yourself, others and your situation from a new and perhaps more helpful perspective so that you can be the best version of you.

Aside from years of practical experience, training and qualifications, most counsellors have often also gone through the university of life. I certainly have and am still a student there actually, (when would one say they graduate?!). Personally, I can probably tick off experiencing the majority of major life stressors, including some traumas.  

However, I am a great believer in the Zen Buddhist philosophy of Wabi-Sabi, which values accepting imperfection as shown in the art of Kintsugi. Damaged vases are repaired with gold, highlighting their unique cracks so that they might shine brighter than ever before. 

In the words of Leonard Cohen,

“Forget your perfect offering. There’s a crack… in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” 

So if you’re eager to discover, connect to and celebrate your authentic self, and to learn to really live your life fully, there is a helper out there, ready and waiting to listen to your unique story, and who is just the right fit for you.

*phrase courtesy of Eryl Hulatt.