Author Archives: Stephen
From the margins…
My current working life feels like an odd combination of immersion in practice, questions, challenges and reading in working with marginalisation, particularly racism – in my work as a trainer, and a relative absence of this in my work as … Continue reading
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Returning to working with Clients in the Flesh – some viral thoughts
There will be risk in working with clients in the same physical space – we cannot remove all risk, and it would drive us crazy to try to do so! It’s worth bearing in mind that therapeutic work necessarily involves risk, … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Covid 19, Uncategorized
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Arriving – Sequence of Connection
I woke early this morning – with some thoughts emerging about arriving in a new situation, how we get connected… Our connection tasks include: -Contact with ourselves – to what extent are we inhabiting our own body in this situation, … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Psychotherapy, Training, Uncategorized
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All Stages of Grief – I’m Having the Wrong Feeling
I’ve been unfairly dismissive at times of the idea of the ‘stages of grief’. I’ve been subject to the usual misunderstanding of seeing the idea as being offered as a rigid linear process, rather than as the as the supportive … Continue reading
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This morning I found my sit spot
This morning I found my sit spot, ( http://www.adrianharris.org/blog/2011/03/the-sit-spot/ ) Once I gave up on trying to think my way there, and simply followed feet, then sitting in the right spot happened simply. The sun slanting in, the fresh quiet, … Continue reading
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Active relaxation and relaxed activation – practitioner thoughts
Just Relax! Someone might say this to us when we are stressed or anxious… when we’re feeling uptight. The subtext might be: “just relax because it will be ok” or “because it is not that important” It’s unlikely to work … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Psychotherapy, Training, Wild Therapy
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Sailaday Eco taster day
It’s been two weeks since I spent the day with Sailaday: http://www.sailadayeco.com/ and I can still feel it in the bones of my feet – I think the changes might well be permanent. It’s difficult to write of it, as … Continue reading
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Picture a body – what do you see?
Think of a body….. What do you see? “It is now widely recognised that our cultural habit is to treat the bodies of women, gays, people of colour, people with disabilities, children, old people, and so on as, in Elizabeth … Continue reading
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Musing on a bridge…
I’ve been musing on how psychotherapy can be a process of bridging – initially bridging to my client’s views, world, experience… …and that there is a process of building bridges together – extending ourselves from either side of our different … Continue reading
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“I worked with a client who…”
I’ve been involved in a fair amount of training, often as a trainee, but increasingly as a trainer. …and it is useful and interesting to hear from other practitioners about their experience working with clients – it’s something which has … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Confidentiality, Psychotherapy, Training
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True or Helpful?
An argument is taking place in the street. I notice something that will settle the argument in one person’s favour. They can both then know the truth of the matter. Instead I complement them on their bicycle setups. They smile, … Continue reading
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Psychotherapy Group
Advance notice – when my new practice room is up and running, I will be starting up and running a new ongoing psychotherapy group. The group will meet regularly. The format will either be a weekly evening meeting, or a … Continue reading
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The Tyranny of Meaning Making
Something happens; a client cancels, or a workshop books up quickly; a friend thanks me for how I am with them, my car breaks down… …and I immediately jump to making meaning out of the event: this means that I … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Psychotherapy
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Psychotherapy – a healthy practice
A colleague has been saying for some years that working as a psychotherapist is, in itself, good for us. …and when I think about what I do… I set up a clean, well-ordered, warm and inviting space, or I arrange … Continue reading
Posted in Blog, Psychotherapy
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Making Mistakes in the Therapy Room
It makes sense to start with an assumption that, as practitioners, we are seeking to offer our clients a safe and solid relationship, an effective therapeutic alliance, and interventions which are skilled and helpful. We try to avoid making mistakes, … Continue reading
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Payment, exchange, gift and value – some thoughts
So I’ve been thinking about a phrase I’ve heard a few variations of when in conversation with other therapists or counsellors about money and charging our clients. The phrase is: “Our clients need to give us something in exchange for … Continue reading
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Listening to our Workshops
It was great to run the Listening to My Body Telling My Client’s Story workshop with Allison Priestman earlier this month. It was surprising to be recently reminded that this is only the second workshop we’ve run together, as it … Continue reading
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Reconnecting with the body
I’m delighted by the current growing interest in practitioners in learning more about their own body responses to their clients, and in their clients’ body processes. I experience it as a cultural opening out and softening to our felt experience … Continue reading
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Wild Times – new beginning
I’ve been feeling my way recently into loosening off the barriers between my life and work, and the natural world around. Various things have popped into my life to catalyse – Nick Totton’s new advanced course and book “Wild Therapy” … Continue reading
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