When I finally started to see my own pain, fears and turmoil, I was surprisingly able to make more room for hopefulness, change and acceptance to exist alongside it. Therapy was a part of that journey for me, and that emotional work felt extremely meaningful and transformative.

I wanted to learn to create and hold a similar space for others, so they can explore their mental health journeys and find their own balance of all the difficulties of human existence alongside all the hopefulness.

Once I actually began work in the mental health field, with The Plane Jar, a non-profit organisation, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that this is what I want to do with my life, it left a huge impact on me.

Seeing the impact of human connection, witnessing each person’s strengths, resources and lived experiences is something I am so grateful for.

Every session is different, the work of the therapist is to stay with the client in whatever they’re bringing into the space, and to do so while bringing your whole Self too.

You have to keep broadening your perspective, keep learning, and delve deeper into your own identity as a therapist and a person. You have to be in touch with your own humanity, humility and be authentic.

The work is so rewarding, challenging, it almost forces you to constantly grow and change.

I would acknowledge the effort it takes to even consider therapy. I see that for so many it is an important and difficult step towards caring for ourselves. The consideration itself is an act of hope!

I would want to validate their concerns, fears and doubts about the space. Therapy is just one of many ways we can provide support to ourselves, it’s fair to question whether it might actually work for you, but I would ask them to try to approach it with a curiosity of ‘what if it does?’

I would also like to tell them that therapy is not this dark, gloomy, always heavy space. We take things at a certain pace which works for you, and moments of lightness, laughter, silliness is equally a part of the process.

I wish to build a relationship based on safety and openness, where the client is able to bring their full authentic self to therapy. I hope that every client reaches a point where they can freely correct me, disagree with me, tell me I am going wrong somewhere.

A space where honesty and kindness exist side by side, and there is a sense of equality between us.

Every relationship consists of ‘ruptures’ such as tensions, conflicts, irritations, feelings of being let down and so on, the job of therapy is to emphasise the ‘repairs,’ the efforts to try to restore connection and trust in a bond. I wish to build a relationship where honesty can exist with mutual respect and trust, and a sense that the bond is not so fragile.

A helpful therapeutic relationship can open the door to so much work towards healing, it really is a very important part of the process.

Everything is in a process, there is no ‘one and done,’ for anything. While that sometimes sounds tedious, difficult, painful even, it also opens up room to not be so afraid, to try things out, to be hopeful.

Each and every person has so much unique wisdom and resources that they innately hold, to learn to respect and value that is moving towards authentic healing.

I think my sense of curiosity opens up room for exploration in a way that doesn’t feel as scary or “final.” The process is less threatening or labelling in that way, it allows me to stay with my client, and it helps us unmask emotions, behaviours, thoughts to see deeper layers that exist within it.

I also stress on broadening our ‘containers’ instead of just eliminating certain ways of thinking, feeling, behaving. A sense of, what can exist alongside this? Is there room for something new? I think that opens up space for more greys, and helps to break down certain personal or societal structures and boxes which might be hurtful, unhelpful or limiting to the client now.

As a therapist, I aim to create a space for my clients which is safe, non-judgmental, and explorative. My approach relies on collaborative effort which is client-led. This essentially means that we stay with what you bring to therapy in each session. I don’t have a standardised map of what therapy looks like for everyone. Instead, we come together to understand the goals of therapy which are personal to you and my role is to help us move towards that direction.

My approach includes insight development. We work on increasing one’s capacity for self-reflection in order to become more aware of our feelings, thoughts, and behaviours and how they interact with each other. Since it is explorative and insight driven, it is a long term process.

The therapist-and-client relationship is extremely important to my approach. I believe the client is a source of all the knowledge and information needed to ultimately guide our therapeutic work. My approach is eclectic, but mainly focuses on what is called Person-Centred and Humanistic Therapy.

The personal and political cannot be separated, I believe the therapy space is meant for the exploration of the impact of their sociocultural and political identities on our personal lives, and I welcome it within the space!

Being mindful of the language I use, and recognising the power that it holds. To make sure it is felt and understood that this is a safe space for exploration of any kind with regards to their identity.

I think it’s important to let the client decide what it is they want to explore about their gender and sexuality within this space. Do they want to delve deeper into their identity, its impact on other parts of their life, other identities they hold, do they need to figure out how to build support, or a sense of community outside of therapy, do they want to address the impact of any oppressive systems in their lives? and so on.

It is also incredibly important to make sure to address our identity differences and how there might be moments where I fall short in my understanding. I would want to create a space where the client knows I am open to learn, on my own and if they wish, from them as well.