Peter Smith
Member Status: Accredited
Member No: NCS18-07412
Location: Glastonbury
My approach combines person-centred counselling with Buddhist psychology and I specialise in treating depression, anxiety, stress, bereavement, relationships, anger, abuse, addiction, low self-esteem and spiritual dilemmas. I offer a free half hour introductory call to see if we are compatible before you decide whether you want to start counselling with me.
Counselling provides an opportunity to reflect on your life and to question who you are and what you need in order to move forward to a better future. During counselling you will discover that although life happens out there, it is how we respond to it internally that ultimately defines us. Many of the issues that clients bring to counselling involve recurrent patterns of intrusive thoughts, overwhelming feelings and impulsive actions. These may be triggered by external events like the pandemic, the cost of living, or climate change; or they may result from personal circumstances such as relationship problems, health or financial issues, work-related stress, or bereavement. There are many such issues that can upset our mental balance and often there are several that will combine and cause a crisis that eventually overwhelms us.
Seeking help involves acknowledging your vulnerability which takes courage and then finding the right therapist which can be confusing and difficult. So congratulations on taking this difficult first step towards your own recovery.
Online Counselling
Research has shown that online counselling is as effective as counselling face-to-face and for many people there are some distinct advantages to working online.
• It is a way of accessing counselling that would otherwise be unavailable
• It is more convenient
• There is no need to make other arrangements (e.g. childcare, travel, etc.)
• All you need is a private place where you feel comfortable talking
personally
• It gives a greater sense of anonymity
• There are no geographical limits for clients who are not close enough for
face-to-face sessions or are physically unable to travel
• It removes the stigma of physically attending a counselling session
Person-Centred Counselling
Person-centred counselling is a collaborative approach based on the therapeutic relationship that develops between the client and the counsellor which is like a partnership of introspection and discovery in which you will take the lead. This means that together we will focus on developing your awareness and trust in your own emotional resources and on helping you to make the necessary changes in your life to achieve greater fulfilment. The aim is for you to feel happier and more positive by processing blocked emotions which allows you to become more emotionally open in your relationship with yourself and with others.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness practices are ancient mental exercises that teach us to focus our attention on the present moment and to observe our experience with acceptance, without judging it to be good, bad, or indifferent. Instead of thinking about or ruminating upon things, we practise simply being aware of our moment by moment experiences with curiosity and acceptance as we watch them passing through our conscious mind. By monitoring our mental processes non-conceptually in this way we gain self-knowledge and we also learn how to regulate our moods e.g. by preventing minor irritations from escalating into uncontrollable anger, or by not fretting about some concern and magnifying it into a fully-fledged phobia or panic attack.
Supervision
I also provide online supervision to qualified counsellors, psychotherapists and students, as well as supporting practitioners who are working towards accreditation or for an academic qualification. My approach is integrative and I have supervised trainees and qualified practitioners who work with different therapeutic models. I currently provide online group supervision for Cruse Bereavement Care, a national charity. I am trained in the Hawkins & Shohet model, also known as the seven-eyed model of supervision. It offers a practical framework that focuses on different aspects of the inter-relationships between the client/supervisee and the supervisee/supervisor, as well as considering the organisational context of the therapy.
If you are looking for a professional, approachable and supportive supervisor please contact me for an informal discussion about your supervision needs.
