COUNSELLING

Counselling is a tool to use when feeling lost and confused about solving a problem.  Problems are confronted in many life situations such as managing relationships, parenting, decision making, managing life-style and stress.  Problems range from relatively simple though confusing issues, to complex, many faceted emotional difficulties. Counselling/therapy is designed to be useful in assisting you to find your own solutions to your problems.  Depending on the problem, counselling can be undertaken in a variety of ways.  Individual:  When a person experiences difficulties with problems such as loss of relationship, work stress, or parenting difficulties he or she may wants some help problem solving.  Where the individual is confronting issues of depression, anxiety or other deep seated emotional problems, theraputic orientations are appropriate. Couple:  Couple counselling is a process during which help is given firstly to define the focus of the difficulty and then to assist in developing more effective ways of relating.  All long term relationships, whether involving marriage or not, are vulnerable to highs and lows and sometimes the lows become too frequent for one or both people in the relatioinship.  Couple work acknowledges three components of the relationship; the two individuals and the interaction between them.  In these situations, people are usually seen together as well as individually. Family:  It is often useful for the whole family, or significant members of the family, to be part of a process during which all members can contribute to the definition of the difficulty and the exploration of better interactions.  It is usual in the counselling process to work with the parents and children together.  Sometimes the parents will be seen separately to the children to reinforce the parenting authority.

THERAPY

Therapy is a tool to use when the same difficulties in life are repeatedly experienced and there is a wish to change to find a happier situation. Often there are attitudes and behaviours which are experienced as getting in the way of happiness. Counselling and therapy take place in a professional context, where confidentiality and respect are guaranteed.

MEDIATION

Mediation provides an economically attractive option to legal battling. Agreements may be formalised with your own legally qualified representatives.

LIFE SKILLS COURSE

Life Skills are those understandings, attitudes and behaviours which allow us to develop good self esteem, effective relationship processes, and competent parenting strategies. Courses are available in group contexts and privately.   "One must try to learn something from every experience"  Sigmund Freud Manly Boat Harbour from the Hill   "It takes so much to be a full human being that there are very few who have the enlightenment, or courage, to pay the price.... One has to abandon altogether the search for security, and reach out to the risks of living with both arms. One has to embrace the world as a lover. One has to accept pain as a condition of existence. One has to court doubt and darkness as the cost of knowing. One needs a will, stubborn in conflict,but apt always to total acceptance of every consequence of living and dying." Morris West in "The Shoes of a Fisherman"