What is Counselling/Integrative Psychotherapy?

'Psychotherapy must remain the obstinate attempt of two people to recover the wholeness of being human through the relationship between them'
(R.D. Laing, The Politics of Experience 1967)

Despite the ongoing debate on differences between Counselling and Psychotherapy I use the terminology interchangeably. Many people find the term 'Integrative Psychotherapy' confusing - for me it means the fusion of knowledge from various disciplines.

My approach to Integrative Psychotherapy is influenced by the concepts of Richard Erskine, who developed his model in the late Seventies at the Institute for Integrative Psychotherapy, New York) This client-centred model seeks to pay attention to the many, varied needs each client brings, their particular disposition and respond in a way that is informed, but not shackled by, traditional psychodynamic theory. It incorporates learning from the more humanistic-relationship oriented approaches. In other words, the integrative way of working with people who are in distress takes teachings from many areas of study into the functioning of the human mind and heart. It seeks to understand where and why this particular person is hurting in this way and tries to offer strategies appropriate to that individual so that they can move on to a more optimal way of living.

I see therapy as walking alongside each client for a while, offering my mind, eyes and heart so that they can use what is most useful to them at that moment in their life. I think it is important for human beings to find an environment that is safe enough for them to be able to explore fully what troubles them, in the non-judgmental presence of someone who is beside them, but does not wish to influence in any particular direction. This utter respect for confidentiality and belief in each persons potential to find their own way out of their dilemma, given the time and safe space, are central in my understanding of what makes for good therapy.

Based on our recently much improved understanding of neuro-physiological processes we have come to reconceptualise much of the rather monolithic way of thinking from the beginnings of psychotherapy. Humanistic practitioners were confirmed in moving away from the very rationalistic concepts of conventional Cognitive Behavioural Therapy when recent publications by, for example, the neuro-scientist Antonio Damasio, stressed the importance of feelings within the change process. We understand better now that we must meet our clients in many modalities, approach them and try to meet them in the multifaceted way that is appropriate for their complexity as human beings (see also D.J.Siegel, A.N.Schore, J.LeDoux). We are beings with cognition and feelings, very dependant in our functioning on other human beings, and therapy must reflect this.

Research into happy families also indicates that we need to make sense of our lives in order to feel content and there are may ways each individual can explore to achieve this. This more holistic thinking, in the true sense of the word, also opens a dialogue with more body-oriented therapies that can be seen to be of great value in the therapeutic encounter. This approach requires a wider knowledge than one methodology can offer, and consequently I found it mandatory to expand my knowledgebase in order to be able to integrate various approaches based on my own conclusions of what we need to flourish.

My clients are not 'mad or bad'. They are ordinary people wanting some impartial support to get through a difficult time in their life, or who are trying to find better solutions for themselves, improve their life quality. I see it as my responsibility to continuously update my knowledgebase and develop my skills, so that I continue to be a safe, reliable practitioner of my profession. I also enjoy this ongoing learning process and research is a welcome part of my work. I am particularly interested in the contribution that culture, race and gender have on personal development.

The Integrative mode of thinking has encouraged me to work with and learn from professionals in related fields. I have in the last five years become very interested in the role the body plays in embodying the mind, how to think about psychosomatic 'dis-ease' and how to use our bodies to encourage the healing processes in the mind. Experiencing the healing effects of medicinal massage and leading edge body therapy has freed me to truly open up my work to be holistic, concerned with the totality of the body/mind.

Through my work in Stress Management I have become involved in examining how relaxation work can help with wound healing, first prompted by working with Ms Lena Andersson MD, a plastic surgeon specialising in burn injuries. I have recently found the work of William Bloom very helpful and find that my clients self-help strategies are quickly enhanced by learning his 'fast' meditation approach. Equally Jon Kabat-Zinn's stress managemet work seems very integrative to me and I found it enriches my work in a very complementary way (www.mindandlife.org)

I value my relationships with traditional health practitioners like GPs, psychologists, psychiatrists equally to those in alternative medicine such as osteopaths, acupuncturists, medicinal massage specialists. I like to keep abreast of leading edge developments and belong to organisations that further this kind of thinking, such as SEAL (Society for Effective Affective Learning) and the Scientific and Medical Network.

I am an accredited member of the United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapy and subscribe to its strict ethical code. I am also a member of the European Association for Psychotherapy and the UK Counselling Charity. Their website and code of conduct can be found at www.counselling.ltd.uk.