• I am stuck in my life.
• I repeat the same patterns of behaviour
• I am overwhelmed by feelings of confusion anxiety and depression
• I don't seem to be able to handle my problems like other people do.
• I am sick of being myself.
• I am self-destructive.
• I have a bad self-image and low self-esteem
• I have persistent problems with relationships.
• I would like to gain more confidence.
• I would like to get to know myself better.
• I would like to change the way I behave.
• I have fears and phobias about things that affect my life
• I struggle to make and maintain relationships
• I have problems at work

If the answer is yes to any of the above statements, some form of talking therapy may be right for you. But there is a down side to therapy, and it may be worth considering the following too.

• Do I tend to think I'm all right and other people need to change?
• Do I feel I need to hold on to my present symptoms?
• I think looking deeply into myself would be a waste of time.
• I need to be motivated to keep appointments.
• I don't really believe that people can change

If the last five questions/statements express your feelings about therapy, it is probably not for you.

Here are a sample of some of the different types of Counselling and Psychotherapy there are:

Psychodrama
Psychodynamic
Hypnotherapy

Group Therapy
Person Centred
Rational-Emotive

Behavioural Therapy

Transactional Analysis 
Cognitive Psychotherapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

As you can see they all sound very technical, even to the trained mind. There are in fact over 400 different types of 'Talking Therapy'.

To generalise; the methods can be split into three categories Psychoanalytic, Behavioural (including Cognitive and Emotional) and Humanist Therapies.

The therapy models I have been trained to use are called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Person-Centred Counselling. This approach to Therapy is called intergrative, as it combines two or more therapy models, and is a blend from the humanistic and behavioural models.

This broader integrative approach to Counselling and Psychotherapy allows me to use different techniques and tools as appropriate, thus blending a recipe that is best suited to the client, rather than making the client fit the therapy model. 

For example: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy will help you examine the way you think and your beliefs, and in doing so, change the way you feel.  Goal-orientated Solution Focused Brief Therapy will help you find solutions to specific problems, rather than looking back into the past and analysing it.

Person-Centered Therapy is less structured, and often preferred by those clients that want to look at personal development as part of their therapy and is the preferred choice for bereavement and loss therapy.

Alan Shinwell. Dip Couns, is Person-Centered Trained and works using a humanistic model,  incorporating Solution Focused Brief Therapy, and other interventions that are in-keeping with this theoretical foundation.

But whatever model used, a good Counsellor will follow the client with an attitude of acceptance, non-possessive warmth, genuineness, honesty and spontaneity, and trusts the expertise of the client that he or she, will know what is most important to them and what hurts.  It is not the place of the Counsellor or Psychotherapist to tell the client what to do, but to offer feedback, help fomulate goals and action plans, look at behaviour patterns and themes and offer information; the client then has the opportunity to look at these, discuss them, and proceed in the the best way forward for them. 

Counselling does not offer magic solutions, it can be hard work, and progress can be slow and sometimes painful whichever model is used. It's interesting to note though, that research shows that the success of Counselling owes more to the relationship between client and Counsellor, rather than the theoretical model used.

Counselling and Psychotherapy - what's the difference?

I am often asked, “what is the difference between Psychotherapy and Counselling?". To be honest, nowadays, very little, as the two approaches now overlap. In the past, it was thought that those therapists that used a model that looked back over a person's life, and analysed it, were working as psychotherapists. Often this type of therapy lasted many months, and was used predominantly in more medical settings. Counselling on the other hand, was about looking at the “here and now” - so far more immediate, and often lasted for weeks rather than months and years. But over the last 20 years or so, the training of therapists has expanded vastly, and there are now courses that combine different approaches and different models, resulting in a compete cross-over of skills.  We now have Psychotherapeutic Counselling, Counselling Psychotherapy, and Psychological Counselling to name but a few. 

The lastest research and NICE guidlines now promotes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as the most suitable therapy model for Anxiety, Panic, Depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorders and Eating disorders. Here To Listen offers CBT.
 

Here are examples of some of the many issues we are experienced at helping with:

Depression

Panic Attacks

Relationships
Career issues

Low Self-Esteem

Eating Disorders
Phobia and Fears

Lack of confidence

Anger Management

Stress Management

Separation and Divorce

Loss and Bereavement

Affects Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Affects of alcohol and substance abuse

Family issues such as coping with children

If you are interested in Face to Face Counselling in Manchester, or would just like more information about costs or appointment times, just send me an email or call for an informal chat. Counselling sessions are usually booked weekly, and can continue for as long or as short as you feel you need them, and they can be extended to fortnightly or monthly if preferred.

With the agreement of the client, Hypnotherapy and Regression work can also be used. This form of Psychotherapy can be very useful for helping clients deal with phobias, fears, habitual behaviour, anxiety and stress, to name but a few. 

Generic Self-Hypnosis CDs and downloads are also available as stand-alone therapy or in conjunction with face-to-face Hypnotherapy.  For more information on this type of therapy see: Hypnotherapy