Psychotherapy foundations

What shapes the way I work?

My approach to psychotherapy is shaped not only by theory and training but also by values that inform how I think about emotional experience, relationships and psychological change. It also draws on the work of William Cornell (2024), particularly his ideas about emotional experience, relationships and psychological change.

What might it mean to become more curious about your experience?

Psychotherapy can involve developing greater capacity for curiosity and reflection, including becoming more open to experiences, feelings and perspectives that may initially be difficult to understand. Therapeutic work may also involve learning to remain more present with emotional states, bodily experiences and aspects of ourselves that can feel difficult, unwanted or emotionally painful.

How might we make space for difficult emotions and for the inner worlds of others?

At times, psychotherapy can create space to explore experiences of grief, loss, uncertainty and emotional conflict, including feelings we may struggle to tolerate in ourselves or others. The therapeutic relationship can support greater awareness of both your own emotional experience and the inner worlds of other people, including their complexity, separateness and individuality.

What might growth, openness and psychological freedom look like for you?

Psychological growth may involve uncertainty, self-questioning and a willingness to reconsider familiar assumptions about yourself, relationships and the world around you. Psychotherapy does not take place outside wider social and cultural realities. Experiences of identity, belonging, difference and social expectation can shape emotional life in significant ways, sometimes limiting how freely people feel able to think, relate or express themselves. Therapeutic work may involve creating space for greater openness, authenticity and psychological freedom within these realities.

References

Cornell, W. F. (2024). In These Dark Times: Exploring Our Values as Transactional Analysts. Transactional Analysis Journal, 54(2), 114–125.