Tap into your power
Self-Discovery Counselling
Understanding what makes us tick and what we need to live well as our true selves can take a lifetime or more! While life is a great teacher, sometimes we might prefer to start out on a major journey with the ship pointing in the right direction. Add other people and their mysterious ways to this and things get really complicated! ... read on for how I can help.
We are all unique ...
It's a cliche to say we are all different and all need to follow our own unique path, and of course it is true. But how? Do you have a language to describe what you deeply need to be 'yourself' in everyday life, work, study, love, friends and family? Do you currently feel energised or depleted by your life?
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Personality theory, values work and life coaching bring together a wonderful range of tools that we can use to help us 'see the wood for the trees' and label the issues. The process can help us to see what we need to do and give us the belief that feeds our motivation. It can benefit all aspects of our lives in ways that are meaningful to us.​
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I offer a standalone package of three hour-long sessions for £100 to explore this with you. Ideal if you are setting out in life or thinking about a big change. Perhaps a meaningful gift for a loved one.​​
Personality Theory
I find the patterns and dynamics of personality types particularly fascinating. Carl Jung's book 'Psychological Types' (1921) was expanded by Katherine Myers and Isobel Briggs, who developed the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI) by the mid 20th century. This uses a four letter code: I/E-S/N-F/T-P/J. You are probably already familiar with the I/E, representing Introversion and Extraversion. The other letters denote equally significant aspects of how we show up in the world and what we need to live well. The theory has subsequently been refined by many others.
Exploring our personality offers amazing insights and 'aha!' moments and my clients find it very affirming and empowering. It helps us to understand what it is about particular situations that make us feel ‘disproportionately’ stressed or able to thrive. Usually, we can identify small changes that are easy to implement and have a disproportionate effect on our wellbeing. It also helps us to be more curious and compassionate towards ourselves and others.
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I like the Myers-Briggs ‘type-based’ approach better than the Big Five Personality Test (a ‘traits-based’ approach) for two important reasons:
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1) It is non-judgemental and strengths-based (who would want to be labelled as low on 'agreeableness'!);
2) It respects our messy but beautiful complexity and developmental trajectories: the patterns and relationships that connect us within ourselves and between us, over past, present and future … rather than trying to reduce us to neat and tidy measurements of unconnected meaningless bits (as so much of modern life is already trying to do!).
Some of the most important things in human life, like love and mind are in no way simple. Indeed, scientifically speaking, they can be described as emergent properties within a non-linear dynamical system. Within such a system the patterns and relationships are as important as the material. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. We are all part of the Web of Life!
