WHAT IS THERAPY?

AN INTRODUCTION TO THERAPY

There are many different types of therapy, each based on unique theories of personality and psychology. At its core, therapy is a powerful tool for self-exploration, designed to help you achieve positive changes in your outlook and behaviour. In my Brighton and Sussex counselling practice, I provide a safe and confidential space where you can speak openly about your thoughts and feelings.

As your therapist, I offer empathetic, non-judgemental listening, asking thoughtful questions and reflecting on your experiences to help you gain deeper insight. Throughout our sessions, you may notice recurring themes or patterns. By exploring these together, we can understand how your past experiences have shaped your present, and how they may be affecting you today.

Our work will focus on overcoming the self-limiting effects of these experiences, helping you find new meaning and significance in your life. Successful therapy can transform difficulties and suffering into sources of empowerment and personal growth. If you are seeking therapy or counselling in Brighton or Sussex, I am here to support you on your journey toward greater self-understanding and well-being.

HOW DO WE START?

When you begin therapy or counselling at my practice in Sussex, near Brighton, we’ll start by discussing what has brought you to seek support, what you hope to achieve, and how these changes could impact your daily life, work, or relationships. This conversation takes place during your free consultation and our first full session.

Together, we’ll agree on a goal or outcome to work towards in your therapy sessions. We’ll regularly revisit this goal to track your progress and ensure our work remains focused and structured. This approach, known as “contracting,” helps us maintain clarity and direction throughout your counselling journey.

Having a clear goal allows us to measure progress in ways that are concrete, observable, and meaningful to your life. It’s completely normal if you’re unsure about your goals at the start—many people feel this way. Therapy is a process of change, and your goals may evolve as we work together. We’ll adapt our approach as your needs and clarity develop, using our early discussions as a starting point for your personal growth.

If you’re looking for therapy or counselling in Brighton or Sussex, I’m here to help you begin this journey and support you every step of the way.

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WHAT GOES ON IN A THERAPY SESSION?

As a therapist, I take an active and engaged approach to psychotherapy and counselling. During our sessions, I will ask you thoughtful questions about your personal history, life experiences, and the important people in your life. We will also explore how you feel in the present moment—both within our sessions and as you consider trying new behaviours or responses.

My goal is to help you develop greater self-awareness and understanding of your internal world. Through this process, patterns and beliefs about yourself and others—shaped by your past—will naturally emerge in the therapy room. Together, we can explore these patterns, trace their origins, challenge unhelpful beliefs, and imagine new ways of relating to yourself and those around you.

Every counselling session is unique, and the direction of our work may shift over time. Some sessions may feel light and positive, while others might be more challenging or emotionally intense. It’s normal to experience a range of emotions and sometimes even uncertainty about what to say. This is all part of the therapeutic journey, which unfolds gradually and often in unexpected ways.

Therapy is a process of ongoing self-exploration and personal growth. Your sense of self is not fixed, but constantly evolving. My psychotherapy and counselling services in Brighton and Sussex are designed to support you through this dynamic process, helping you find greater clarity, resilience, and meaning in your life.

IS THERE ANY SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT THERAPY WORKS?

Yes. Neuroscientists have demonstrated that the structure of the brain is not fixed in place as previously thought. Instead, it is "plastic", meaning that it changes continually throughout life in response to its environment. In this way, our experiences actually produce structural changes in our brains, altering its activity. Remarkably, every single new experience that you have produces some change in the neural wiring in your brain! Experiences, relationships, especially early relationships, and our construction of meaning from them are extremely influential in this process.

On the basis of these observations, many scientists now believe that subjective experience and meaning making play a far greater role in shaping who we are than previously imagined. Clinical evidence from the study of PTSD strengthens this view. There is now strong evidence that placing past events into a personally meaningful story promotes psychological healing, which in turn produces observable structural changes in the brain.

In short, Meaning matters. Neuronal activity, brain structure, environment, relationships and subjective meaning making are all constantly influencing and shaping each other. You are this continual process of interaction. It is these principles, firmly grounded in current science, that we aim to utilise in psychotherapy.