Family Counselling

• Parenting support and education
• Conflict between siblings, parents
• Alienation from children, parents
• Working through family “secrets”
• Family trauma and grief

We tend to think our family is normal until we discover it really isn’t. All families are a bit weird, and that weirdness can cause conflict that seems unresolvable.

I specialise in the complex issues that families present. Families are an intricate system of relationships that are designed to maintain their own sense of equilibrium, a bit like a mobile over a baby’s cot. Change the dynamic of one unit and the rest of the system will demand that unit submit to the way the system works. This creates enormous tension in anyone trying to liberate themselves from a dysfunctional family system.

I work using Murray Bowen’s differentiation theory that lets family members discover a freedom of expression and an appropriate inter-dependence that is not controlling or isolating.

My services include:

• Parenting support and education
• Conflict between siblings, parents
• Alienation from children, parents
• Working through family “secrets”
• Family trauma and grief

My approach

For those familiar with therapy lingo (which I don’t usually talk about!), I apply a person-centred approach that is blended with neuropsychotherapy, Jungian and psychodynamic theory. My entire framework is contemplative and mindful. In short, I believe every person is worthy of unconditional regard, empathy and honesty, that our pasts have a lot to teach us when we untangle their meaning, that every person is an expert on their own lives and already have the resources to thrive (once they discover them). Thriving is found within that delicate balance between too much energy (which leads to stress and anxiety) and too little (which leads to depression and loss of motivation). Also, I have found that helping clients understand what is going on in the brain and the body is very helpful in overcoming unrewarding behaviour patterns.