Bendigo Psychotherapy Centre

THINKING ABOUT COUNSELLING OR  PSYCHOTHERAPY? 

Emotional difficulties often arise as a response to problematic situations, as well as traumas  experienced in childhood as well as adulthood. These may have resulted in development of personal belief systems or self talk - ( eg.' I am no good; I can never be good enough';) or symptoms such as depression or anxiety - (  'I can't cope with group situations'; 'I am having problems at work/ with my partner/family etc.'    It may be that you are detecting patterns in your life and relationship which are not working out.  Or it may be that you are feeling basically empty and unhappy and do not know why.

Undertaking psychotherapy, or any form of psychological assistance, is a serious business. It is often entered into after much soul searching and frequently as a last resort.  Talking to someone  trained to listen carefully, may be the first time you will have felt able to speak about some of your innermost thoughts and anxieties.

The therapeutic setting is carefully structured to offer a safe space where one can become more aware of conscious and unconscious processes behind many  beliefs, thoughts and feelings.  It is an opportunity to work towards understanding how and why these  came into being by locating them within one's life history and context and seeing how they may affect present day living and experiencing even though one is now an adult. Particular attention is given to the developing therapeutic relationship, as it becomes a space and time in which these processes can be explored and engaged with. 

For couples and group members, too, the opportunity to observe and understand the ways in which patterns of the past influence your response to those close to you, enables the devlopment of a more realistic and thoughtful understanding of yourself and others.  It is not an easy process; it can be difficult to confront entrenched patterns and learn about their possible meanings. In this way though the development of self understanding and a acceptance of oneself, options for change become clearer.