Psychotherapy & Counselling at WTR!

Hello!

My name is Lucy Corbally, I am a professional counsellor and psychotherapist and I have a practice here at the wonderful Waterloo Therapy Rooms.  I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce myself and what I do, and hopefully answer any questions you might have about therapy.

I’ll be blogging on various subjects that I know touch my life – and perhaps yours too.  I hope you find it a useful starting point; if you have any questions, you can always visit and contact me via my website, I’d love to hear from you!

I MUST BE CRAZY!

For a long time, therapy has held a stigma.  Thankfully those times are changing and more and more of us are open to the idea of exploring our own minds and what leads us to being the ‘us’ we are today.  We can all identify with times in our lives when we’ve felt stuck – not knowing what to do next for the best, not knowing which way to turn.  We feel lost in the dark and no one is coming to our rescue.  Sometimes, things become clear and sort themselves out.  But sometimes, as is the way when certain patterns present themselves time and time again, or when the issues at hand feels just too big or foggy to see clearly, speaking with someone who is professionally dedicated to listening to your story, your worries and issues, can help you to find your direction again.

People come to therapy because they want to find new, positive, more effective ways to live their lives in a fulfilling way, because they don’t want to feel lost and stuck any more, or because they are curious and open to exploring the complexity of life and all it has to offer.  Does that sound crazy to you?  I wouldn’t say so!

COUNSELLING OR PSYCHOTHERAPY? WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Generally speaking, the terms are fairly interchangeable.  But you could say that counselling tends to focus on one specific issue, such as with grief or particular habits, and generally lasts for a set number of sessions – this would be discussed in your first meeting with your counsellor.  Psychotherapy can refer to longer, more in depth work which may look to address the causes and effects of a number of issues that might be affecting you.

INTEGRATIVE THERAPY? HUH?!

I use an integrative approach in my practice, which means that I draw from many therapeutic theories as and when appropriate so that we can best focus on you as an individual and the issues you bring with you.  This is not a one size fits all approach – this is about you as the unique individual that you are.

BUT I’M SO EMBARASSED ABOUT WHAT I HAVE TO SAY!

Don’t worry about that!  The most wonderful thing therapy offers is a safe, confidential, non-judgemental space for you to be you.   Empathy is one of the key attributes of good therapy – not sympathy, not critical – empathy describes a position whereby the therapist goes with you on your journey of self-discovery; it is accepting, understanding, respectful and as far as is possible, experiencing alongside you what you are going through.  I’ve never known of a good therapist being shocked yet!

SO WHAT CAN I ACTUALLY EXPECT?

The first thing is to email me – I’ll then get in touch with you and we can have a chat on the phone or over email about you and what you think therapy can help you with.  We can then arrange a time to meet for an initial consultation session where we can discuss in more depth the areas of your life you’d like to look at.  After that, if we both decide it’s the right thing for you, we set up a regular time to meet, usually one 50 minute session per week, and take it from there.  We will usually review our progress every few weeks.

You can expect a confidential, comfortable space; a friendly welcome and professional guidance.  Therapy is about learning, accepting and growing.  It can be painful, but also deeply rewarding.  It is about positive lasting change, and all you need to bring with you is willing.   It is a space for you to be honest, to express yourself, to speak as freely as you wish to, to feel things that perhaps everyday life doesn’t afford you the time or place to do so.....a truly freeing and liberating experience in itself!  Therapy is all about you – making time to understand who you are, be curious and explore your potential.  Life is the greatest adventure of all – I believe that everyone has a right to, and is capable of living a happy and fulfilling life.  I hope that we can work together to explore and discover what that means to you.

By Lucy Corbally (Adv dip psych; dip hyp; MCS Acc)

Lucy is a professional counsellor and psychotherapist and runs a practice at Waterloo Therapy Rooms on Tuesday evenings - please contact Lucy for more information.  She is accredited by the National Counselling Society.  In her spare time, she loves spending time with her chocolate Labradors and makes a mean Spaghetti Bolognese.

 

Website: www.one2onetherapy.co.uk