VMTS LTD
How I can help
I provide emotional support and counseling services to brain injury survivors, their families, carers and to couples affected by brain injury.
I am an integrative counselor which means that I use different methods in my approach according to the issues brought to counseling and the specific needs and wants of each individual client.
I use the therapeutic relationship as the foundation for counselling and incorporate cognitive behavioural therapy, solution focussed, and creative therapies if appropriate. I have additional qualifications and training in couple counselling, working with grief and loss and cognitive behavioural therapy.
It can be surprisingly helpful to tell your story. It is rare to talk with someone whose focus is to listen carefully, understand, help make connections and accept without judging. It can be reassuring to find we are not abnormal or going mad for our reactions to events in our lives.
As an individual, with your own way of looking at life, you are the expert on yourself. I can't tell you what to do or what will work for you, but I will discuss any ideas or techniques I think might help and check if they are acceptable to you. They are suggestions only and I will ensure you are in control of what happens in the session.
Examples of how I can help
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Supporting adjustment and self acceptance.
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Exploring and normalising feelings of anger, guilt, frustration and sorrow in a completely confidential situation.
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Learning behavioural and cognitive strategies to help cope with anxiety and low mood.
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Addressing the feelings about the role changes that can occur after brain injury.
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Identifying positive emotional and practical coping strategies to help deal with issues as they arise.
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Resolving conflict.
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Fostering realistic hope.
Experience and approach
For brain injury survivors with cognitive and emotional difficulties, I tailor how I work in order to help them to make the best use of the intervention. For example – supporting the client’s use of memory strategies to aid carryover in-between sessions.
My experience of working in the brain injury field means I can appreciate and normalise the client and family member’s experience, as well as help them make sense of some of the issues they are struggling with.
I have first-hand experience of working in Neuro ITU, where my role included providing support and information to family members. This is often such a traumatic stage in the brain injury survivor’s recovery, especially for family members who can often still feel very distressed about it years after the event.
Clients have often appreciated and valued this background in their counsellor.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is very important within the counselling process. This means that what happens when we are together will not be discussed with anyone else without your permission, except if there is a risk of harm to yourself or other people.