Trust
Trust and the therapeutic relationship
Trust and honesty are very important in counselling; they are essential ingredients in the therapeutic relationship and it is the therapeutic relationship that studies show, again and again, make the whole thing work.
The thing is, how do you know who to trust?
Your path to choosing a neurodiversity-affirming counsellor
You have decided that you’d like to see a counsellor – that is a big step, so well done, you are on the right path.
You are now faced with a choice of therapies and practitioners that is potentially overwhelming, at a time in your life when you are feeling at a low ebb. For neurodivergent clients this process can be impossibly difficult. The counselling directories are full of thousands of entries. How do you tell the difference between them …
If you are feeling frustrated and overwhelmed with this process, relax. Read on.
My story
When I first started counselling training, I had to find a personal counsellor to experience what it is like to be a client. I was reduced to tears of frustration by the lack of differentiation between the entries and I nearly gave up. I had to persist as having my own counsellor was a requirement, so in the end I chose one at random. Obviously, this is no way to make an important decision and not surprisingly, it didn’t work out very well. It wasn’t that the person I chose was unethical or unqualified, they just did not understand where I was coming from. They didn’t really see me because they were looking through a neurotypical lens.
My mission here is to make sure your experience is positive
Curious?
Discovery calls
One way I help you is to offer a free Discovery Call. This lets us talk in a way that mirrors a counselling session, without actually doing any counselling. It’s a genuine encounter for me, I listen and respond in my own unique way and if that feels right for you, then it’s a good start.
Next you might choose to have a first session and see how that goes. If you still feel comfortable, then you’ve probably made a good choice. It works both ways; it’s equally important to me that I feel comfortable to work with you, that I understand where you are coming from.
The Just Bee Approach
The Just Bee Approach fundamentally respects that each of us has our own unique nature. I believe that everyone is different, and that this is OK.
By OK I mean that individual differences are to be valued, not fixed, cured or put right. We all have our own neurotype, values and strengths that contribute to who we are. My approach is about understanding your experience, without comparing or judging.
Remember, it’s the therapeutic relationship that does the magic and that is built on the ethical framework of my accrediting body.
