Attachment theory is something I draw on a lot in my practice. However, unlike psycho-analytic theory, the concepts are relatively simple. Simply put, attachment theory describes how we respond to relationships. There are broadly four different styles (or, as I prefer to think of them – adaptations) of attachment: secure; avoidant, ambivalent; and disorganised. Briefly,…
Anger management is a common term used in working with clients with anger issues. Even Hollywood has capitalised on the term as a title for a movie, which unsurprisingly was directed at a largely male audience. At Brighton and Hove Psychotherapy we offer work on ‘anger management’, however, what this actually comprises may well be…
There is a lot of wisdom in sayings that have been part of our language and culture for as long as we can remember. For example, being ‘on the back foot’, meaning to be at a disadvantage or on the defensive, is a perfect expression of how our relationship to our body influences how we…
Judith Herman (1992), writes: “Psychological trauma is an affliction of the powerless. At the moment of trauma, the victim is rendered helpless by overwhelming force. Traumatic events overwhelm the ordinary systems of care that give people a sense of control, connection, and meaning” Although Herman’s book was written more than twenty years ago, and findings…
Like many of us, at the end of each year I like to take some time to reflect on the past year and also look to the year ahead for changes and improvements I’d like to make in the personal and professional areas of my life. The beginning of a new calendar year can be…
This time of year can evoque a range of feelings in most of us. Whilst some of us may have a festive and positive outlook on Christmas and look forward to spending time with friends and family, for many it is a time filled with conflicting emotions. Some of us have difficult memories associated with…
Brighton and Hove Psychotherapy started after Mark and I decided it was time to get our own premises. Finding the right work environment wasn’t easy. We spent years practicing from other clinics, never quite satisfied with the therapy rooms we used. Although, arguably, good therapy work can take place almost anywhere. A warm and welcoming…
In our last blog, entitled ‘The Pyramid of Change’, we introduced the concept (and paradox) that in order to achieve results (change) the locus of attention needs to begin not with change but with the felt sense in the body. How can we facilitate this? Counsellors and psychotherapists are taught to ask one particular question,…
Counselling and psychotherapy is about change. Whether that is a fundamental change in how we experience ourselves in the world, or in working through a difficult emotion and changing how we are feeling. Everybody who enters into a process of therapy is seeking change of some kind. There are a myriad of books written about…
Counsellors and psychotherapists can be very good at suggesting to clients to start to develop compassion for themselves, stop destructive behaviours and to learn to self-care. This is, after all, part of their job. However, how high a priority is their own self-care? How can clients assess whether their therapist is able to appropriately self-care…
After some well earned time off over August, it had been my intention to write a blog on self care for psychotherapists. However, as with all best laid plans, a more pressing topic has come to the forefront our of minds with the recent Shoreham (near Brighton) air crash which resulted in the tragic deaths…
My heart is racing and I feel constantly under threat, even though there is nothing to fear. Emotionally it is like I’m in a war zone, ready to defend or attack, even though it’s peaceful here. I look over my shoulder, tense up with certain sounds. I’m scared for my life and for the life…
Were you to ask a group of clinicians (counsellors or psychotherapists) to define the purpose of therapy , you will likely get a set of quite different answers based in a large part on the lens (modality) through which each clinician views mental health and their approach. One would hope to find some degree of…
Starting a process of counselling or psychotherapy can be daunting. It is also a significant commitment. And just as we are paradoxical in other areas of our lives, we are paradoxical when it comes to therapy; part of us wants to embrace change and another part doesn’t. So how can you get the most…
When clients first present for counselling or psychotherapy at my practice in either Brighton and Hove or Lewes, I generally always ask them what they would like to get from our work; how will they know that what we have done has been worthwhile for them? The answer to this can give the work important…
“The person is comprehensible only within this tapestry of relationships, past and present” (Mitchell, 1988). Despite the great therapeutic benefits of psychotherapy groups, unfortunately they are sparsely offered within the therapeutic community. This may have something to do with the current focus on individual therapy, lack of will (or skill) of therapists in leading groups,…
We live in an age where increasingly our value of anything comes down to money. Even environmentalists are needing to show the value of ecosystems and specific species of animals, in order to put forward a robust case for conservation. Little wonder then that the question of the value of counselling and psychotherapy in monetary…
In February of this year, The Guardian newspaper published two articles on the dramatic rise in male suicide figures in the UK over the past 30 years. I should imagine that this makes sad and disturbing reading for many, but it particularly spoke to me as I am a man. And a psychotherapist. The statistics…
This morning I awoke after an awesome night’s sleep to read an article in The Guardian entitled ‘How Much Sleep Do I Need?‘ This article draws on data from The National Sleep Foundation in the USA who conducted a literature review of 320 research papers into how much sleep (quantity) we should all be getting. The…
As part of our ever increasing focus on a holistic approach to psychotherapy and mental health (functional psychotherapy) at Brighton and Hove Psychotherapy, I am drawn to writing a little about the importance of sleep and what happens when we don’t get enough. As I have already written, psychotherapy is a fantastic agent of change…