Rate Oskars Grins

Only with knowing yourself as you are and the root of your distress can you make positive changes.

Person-centred therapy is a talking therapy based on the view that everyone has the capacity for personal growth, given the right conditions. As a therapist, I embody and offer such conditions of unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruence in order to help you come to terms with any negative or overwhelming feelings and to change, develop, and grow in accordance with the best interests of yourself. Being valued as a full person without the fear of judgement, in a therapeutic environment, can help you acknowledge who you are fully and honestly, and reconnect with the core of your personal identity, out of which positive growth can occur. Through therapy, your self-actualising tendency can be kindled and nurtured into a fully realised personality which is accurate to, and honours, your ideal-self.

I am someone who listens to your story, your history, and everything you have done or gone through. I facilitate the experience of ‘therapeutic presence’. This is deep empathic listening, non-judgmental acceptance, and genuineness. Together, we explore whatever seems most important in answering this question: How will I know that therapy will have made a difference for me?

An integral part of our work together will be the development of a therapeutic alliance wherein we explore your thoughts, feelings, and everything in between so that you can have a full and honest understanding of yourself. You might feel you have no one to talk to even with people all around you. Supportive family and friends are great, yet it is difficult to talk to loved ones about feeling anxious or being depressed as it is these people that often try and ‘fix’ you or don’t acknowledge that you are struggling. You may find it easier to talk about familial, personal, or relationship issues with me as an independent party.

This is a talking therapy, not necessarily one in which I teach you specific techniques. I do not subscribe to the medical model of treating symptoms of distress or over-diagnosing. A medical model of mental health can be inappropriate and is often limited and lacking in addressing core issues. Person-centred psychology and psychotherapy are based on understanding and experiencing you as a whole person, not a collection of symptoms in need of reduction.

There are many approaches to therapy and many more practitioners to endeavour this process with. There is no right way to start therapy if you’ve never gone through it before. It can also be difficult jumping back into therapy if you’ve taken a break or have had a negative experience before. If, however, you think that we might work well together, get in touch and we’ll go from there.

My clients and I have explored the difficulties of adjusting to everyday life following cancer treatment; health anxiety; LGBTQ+ related issues; negative or damaging results from previous therapy; relationship difficulties including open-relationships and infidelity, as well as coping with life changes, such as entering a new career or developing professionally as a public figure.

I have a specialist interest in grief and bereavement and worked closely with end-of-life and palliative clients as well as their families. Grief and bereavement are a natural reaction to loss but can become stuck – sometimes referred to as Prologued Grief Disorder. Proactively, we can explore how this natural process became ‘stuck’ and where professional grief counselling can help the process forward.

How we approach therapy will be up to us and the long-term goals you bring to the sessions. Perhaps setting such goals and finding a semblance of purpose or direction is why you come to therapy in the first place. Whatever the case, I aim to facilitate as much of this process as possible. As a person-centred practitioner, my approach has always been that of providing an open yet confidential space for you to talk with an experienced professional in order to explore your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours for the purpose of understanding yourself and others. From such understanding comes the process of change.