Emeline Hanson Ad. Dip. PC . (Psychotherapeutic Counsellor)

About me

My aim when working with you as a client is to empower and facilitate you to make the necessary changes and improvements to your life and your way of being, that will bring you peace and happiness. Because ultimately that's what we all want, isn't it? To be happy.

We can all be the creators of our own life experiences if we want to be, and as such, in the therapy room how much or little progress takes place is within your control. The pace and content of each therapy session will be to suit you, so you need never feel pressured.

As an integratively trained psychotherapist, I use a range of techniques and tools, which I tailor to meet your individual needs, that help you to explore your troubling issues, and discover exactly what you need to do to begin to overcome them.

My basic counselling approach is person-centred, to give you space and time to talk. I also use a range of therapeutic art exercises, if that is your preference, that allow you to relax and access your subconscious thoughts and feelings. In this way current and old hurts can come up to be processed and healed. Additionally I incorporate breathing and relaxation exercises, and guided visualisation where appropriate, to help improve your state of mind and aid therapeutic progress.

For children aged 8 years and under, a range of toys and art materials, including a sand tray are available to use in session, to explore their issues and express themselves through creative play, story-telling and art, eliminating the need to rely on words. Therapy sessions also serve as a space for the child to fully be themselves, away from the restrictions or expectations of their usual environment, allowing them greater freedom of expression. In turn this helps to build their self-awareness and emotional resilience, and helps the child to see things from a new perspective.

Who needs Counselling?

Anyone and everyone can benefit from counselling; young and old, male and female, individuals, couples and families.

When things go wrong in our lives, or we have a major dilemma to face, when we are dealing with an ongoing situation or feeling isolated and alone, we can experience strong negative emotions that colour the way we view ourselves, our lives and the world in general. These emotions include: Anxiety, Worry, Anger, Depression, Guilt, Numbness, Sadness, Fear, Powerlessness, Frustration and Hopelessness.

As human beings we are designed to feel emotions so that we know when something is good or bad for us. When we are feeling good we know we are on the right track, and when we are feeling bad we know that something needs to change. So our emotions are meant to be used as a guidance tool or gauge to tell us when it is necessary to make small or large adjustments in our lives.

But how often do we take the time to really reflect on how we are feeling? In am attempt to carry on as normal, we tend to push the feelings down or aside instead of airing and processing them, and that is when the negative feelings build up and affect us and those around us.

Young people face a range of anger, stress and anxiety-provoking issues in the course of their daily lives. This can be caused by anything from exam stress, peer pressure and identity issues, to family or relationship problems, low self-esteem and bullying.

Children often find it difficult to clearly identify how they are feeling and why, or to articulately express themselves in words, and therefore negative emotions can build up and manifest in disruptive or reclusive behaviours that follow them throughout their school days and act as a barrier to learning.

The right counselling provides us with a listening ear, empathy and freedom to speak in a safe and non-judgemental environment, to help process the negative feelings, see things in a new light, and to also learn resilience and ways to deal with challenging emotions and situations in the future.

Remember, if you're feeling bad you can choose to do something about it.