What’s in a name? Counsellor ... Change Therapist?

I’ve called myself a “counsellor” now for 10 years, but recently, and following my current reflection on my practice and the wider range of reading I’ve been engaging in, I’m beginning to feel restricted and constrained by that ‘label.’ And “Change Therapist” is a name that keeps springing to mind when I think about the work that I do, and look forward to doing in the future.

As I wrote in my previous blog, I am first and foremost a Person-Centred Counsellor, and I still fully adhere to the underlying philosophy of person-centredness. However, as I continue to read other methods of facilitating change for clients, I’m increasingly realising that I no longer want to be restrained by sticking rigidly to the methods of Rogerian therapy.

For me, effective therapy is essentially about a therapist (of whatever persuasion) enabling and facilitating a change which the client wishes to bring about. A good starting point is to listen fully and deeply to the client in front of you to hear exactly where they’re starting from, and exactly where they wish to go to; if they have a final goal in mind. It’s about accepting the client for exactly who, and where they are, without any judgement or criticism. It’s also about listening carefully to the words the client uses to gain a deeper understanding for both yourself (as therapist) and the client of how that individual views, experiences, and lives in, the world … eg, what beliefs do they hold, what thought patterns are restricting them or working against them living as they wish to, how does that individual view the world and their sense of themselves within it? Observing the client’s body language and their way of expressing themselves in, and through, their body can also offer a wealth of information to the observant therapist.

And quite often, this process alone is enlightening for the client, who has maybe never stopped to consider their own world view and belief systems. Quite often, people are unaware of the ineffective beliefs they’re holding onto and living their life by. By uncovering these beliefs within the therapy room and gaining a deeper understanding of them and where they came from, some clients are able to challenge, and change or reject those beliefs, and replace them with more effective ones, allowing them to go on to lead more peaceful lives.

However, for some clients this process isn’t enough, or it would maybe take many weeks, months or even years. And I’m increasingly seeing the beneficence of being able to offer techniques, exercises and processes to clients to assist in their discovery and change. Personal growth and change is very often difficult and challenging for clients, and if I can ease clients through that process without doing them harm (non-maleficence), then surely that can only be for their good? And for me, any processes or techniques which I ‘choose’ to use with clients are still grounded in my person-centred way of being … by remaining with clients in their process and empathising with them, I find that the relevant process for that client at that particular time, makes itself known to me. I’m not consciously sifting through a filing cabinet in my mind of techniques to offer a client which would suggest my not being fully with the client. I remain fully in contact with the person sat with me, and their communication invites the appropriate process into my consciousness. I’ve worked like this for a long time now, offering clients the opportunity to use art materials, stones, visualisations, maybe offering some CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) exercises, and in the vast majority of cases, what I’ve offered the client has been willingly accepted and has proven beneficial for them at that time.

In the past, I was very sceptical of techniques such as those offered by NLP, and even Hypnosis, but at present I’m feeling increasingly excited and intrigued by what I’m learning they have to offer, both for myself as a therapist, and for my clients. I’ve spent a lot of time recently reading and talking about NLP and Hypnotherapy and especially their use of language (both verbal and body) and I’m recognising very close parallels with how I already work with my clients. I’m already employing a lot of ideas and theories from these two ‘schools,’ and as my training in them both develops throughout this year, I can envisage myself using more and more of their ideas, theories, techniques and processes … all with the aim of enabling change to happen for my clients … hence my term “Change Therapist.”