Counselling services

Anxiety
Co-dependency
Addiction
Stress Management
Professional difficulties
​Panic Attacks
Trauma
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Family and Step Family Issues
Bereavement
Anger management
Emotional Abuse
Isolation and Loneliness
Depression
Self-confidence & Self-esteem
Communication skills
Relationship problems
Emotional difficulties
Affairs
Divorce and Separation
Life Coaching / Skills
Personal development
Spirituality
​Menopausal issues

I have studied a number of different theories and therapeutic approaches. I select and adapt these to the needs of each individual client and situation by incorporating a variety of techniques. 


Person-Centered / Humanistic Counselling:  

This theory, initiated by Carl Rogers in 1940, has as its central tenet that every person contains within  himself or herself vast resources for self-understanding, for altering his or her self-concept, attitudes and self-directed behaviour.  These resources can be tapped in a climate of empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard for the client.

Gestalt:  

Fritz Perls is the originator of gestalt counselling. Personal responsibility and awareness of individual potential is key. The principle is to focus on the “here and now”. It is holistic, encompassing mind, body and spirit. This approach encourages the person to feel more complete and gain awareness of parts of themselves that have been forgotten or denied. 

Transactional – Analysis:  

This was originated by Eric Berne.  This approach aims to help clients obtain an “I’m Ok and you’re Ok” life position. The three basic capacities of the “OK position” are:  awareness, spontaneity and intimacy. Another goal is to achieve autonomy.

Cognitive therapy:  

Now known as CBT, this focused problem-solving therapy was begun by Aaron T. Beck in the 1970s.   It concerns the connection between thoughts, feelings and actions and holds that by training our behaviour we can change difficult thoughts and feelings.  CBT techniques can be helpful in overcoming phobia, changing bad habits to good and self-destructive patterns to those that spring from self-belief.

Lifeskills Counselling:

The goal is to help the client develop the skills to cope with specific problems now and in the future. Among these are thinking skills such as owning responsibility for choosing, using coping self-talk, choosing realistic personal rules, preventing and managing problems and setting realistic goals. 

Focusing:

This was developed by Eugene Gendlin and Carl Rogers.  It is a natural and gentle way of tuning in or listening to our inner sense of knowing.  It is about learning to relate to ourselves and all our experiences in a compassionate and curious way.  In focusing we learn to befriend ourselves.  Our bodies hold an amazing amount of wisdom and knowledge.  Once we learn to trust what our bodies communicate, we can better understand our emotions and make clearer decisions. 
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Somatic Experiencing:
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Please see separate section on this.

© Antoinette Steenkamp