Supporting people to transition successfully through life’s challenges
At Clearview Counselling you will be encouraged to recognise and build upon your own strengths and insights so that, what has been difficult, discouraging and at times overwhelming, becomes manageable, and even enjoyable.
I believe that everyone has the capacity to manage their own lives and to find joy and fulfilment therein. Sometimes though, life presents so many, or such difficult challenges, that you can become “bogged down” and lose sight of your own resources. For example you may have been confronted by a life changing event, such as serious illness, accident or separation which impacts so strongly that the known and secure in your life becomes chaotic and/or uncertain. In these circumstances you could benefit from help to re-establish a settled sense of self. It is my role to help you gain insight into what has happened, or the issues that are weighing you down, and to develop new skills and techniques which will enable you to move out of the place you currently inhabit.
COUNSELLING
The counselling relationship provides a safe and confidential space where you can share your story and issues with a skilled professional who is not otherwise involved in your everyday life.
In this space you are able to talk freely so that you can more deeply understand the “drivers” of your behaviour, and, through new insights, become empowered to change the things that have not been working for you.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
A session normally lasts for one hour. The first session is often a “getting to know you” time, before the “real” work starts, though sometimes people find that the one session is enough. It is, however, often advisable when you first commence to do three consecutive weekly sessions so that there is a chance for the counselling relationship to develop and issues to be clearly addressed. After this time it is negotiable how often you would like to come and how many sessions will be sufficient to provide the shifts that you require. Usually current situations are easily and quickly dealt with. If, however, there are underlying or historical issues the counselling may need to continue for a longer period of time. It is up to you where you would like the focus to be and how far you want to take the counselling. You are always in “the driver’s seat”.
While counselling is primarily achieved through talking we can sometimes use other means of resolution like drawing, visual aids, Strength cards etc. It all depends on what is most helpful at the time.
WHAT SORT OF COUNSELLING?
I am trained as a Narrative therapist and mainly practice from this paradigm. Central to the Narrative approach is the belief that people themselves are not problems but that people can have problems – “the problem is the problem”. We say that someone may be experiencing anxiety rather than someone is an anxious person. By externalising the problem in this way it is easier to have a dialogue with it and to make changes. It places people in a much stronger, more effective position.
Throughout our lives we meet traumatic or upsetting situations over which we have little or no control, particularly in our early years. In dealing with these situations we can develop ideas, beliefs or coping styles which worked at the time, but which may now be holding us back from living life to the full. Through re-examining these events, using externalising and other Narrative techniques you can come to a new understanding of what happened and re-define who you are, including what your capabilities are.
WHO IS THE COUNSELLOR?
Heather McKay MNZAC, Grad Dip Counselling, Dip Eurythmy
After studying at Massey University and gaining a Post Graduate Diploma in Education (Guidance Studies), I completed my counselling training, specialising in Narrative therapy, at Unitec – where I graduated in 2008. I then worked in a general counselling agency for six years before setting up in private practice.
Previously I worked and was involved for many years in Steiner education. Within this field I trained as a Eurythmist and taught Eurythmy in schools for seven years.
Having experienced a number of life changing events myself I have developed a particular interest in working with people undergoing significant life changes. I think that the resulting transitional times, if traversed healthily, can be transformative and give us the opportunity to blossom in ways that we may not have previously thought possible. It is fascinating work and I have a passion for helping people move through change.
One experience has been particularly transformative for me - I have survived two experiences with breast cancer. I have found the “Cancer journey” to be a very confronting one which has led me to redefining who I am and to what I pay attention.
If something like this has happened to you I would like to help you to traverse the Cancer or other life disturbance terrain and to encourage you to use these experiences positively.
WHO BENEFITS FROM COUNSELLING?
Counselling is useful in many situations. For example, you may have a serious or life threatening illness such as cancer, which has disturbed your life and those of your family in a myriad of ways. In this instance having someone to talk to who is out of the situation, but is skilled in listening and understanding, can be a relief and can allow any deeper issues to be addressed that otherwise may be “tender” and hard to approach.
Alternatively you may be experiencing life itself as difficult and be having trouble sleeping, be anxious, afraid of the future, uncertain about your life, be feeling down or many other conditions that impact on your quality of life.
There are so many times when that opportunity to talk freely can be of use that it is hard to list them all.
Try talking and see what counselling can offer you.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
$80 per session
(Concessions may be available if financial hardship is present)
Service Categories
Counselling
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