Dec 4, 2018
Michelle Mould
Dec 4, 2018
I became a therapist because I wanted to use my psychology degree in a positive way, as well as doing something that fitted around caring for my adult daughter who has autism. I have also had therapy myself in difficult times and wanted to be able to help others.
I have a private practice which means that I can work flexibly to suit the times when my daughter has a carer or when my husband is home to do the caring.
I did my psychology degree with the Open University. I then studied to get an advanced diploma in psychotherapeutic counselling with the National Counselling Society, after which I became a certified practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming with the UK Centre of Excellence for NLP and Hypnotherapy. So I am also a hypnotherapy practitioner with both the UK Centre of Excellence and The National Hypnotherapy Society. More recently I have become an approved Anxiety UK therapist and am also helping to pilot their new Digital Online Therapy System known as DOTS.
I am an integrative counsellor but use the person-centred approach as my foundation. This gives me the flexibility to use other approaches where appropriate for my clients.
Being able to use different approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy , NLP or hypnotherapy helps me to meet the needs of my clients. I also use mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy, some Gestalt techniques and a psychodynamic approach, where issues from the past are the reason for a client seeking therapy.
With a background in understanding autism and a qualification with the University of Birmingham in autism I do attract adults, couples and young people with autism as clients. This was not a chosen speciality but one that has just evolved due to my background.
I think that the best part of being a therapist is when you can see your client change over time to being in a better place psychologically. When you witness your client change from having an inflexible way of thinking and being to a more flexible and adaptive view or perspective, it is a real privilege.
Some of the harder aspects of being a therapist are clients who are unemployed or young people in education who need therapy but can't really afford it. I offer a reduced fee in these circumstances to try to make therapy more accessible for these people.
I am new to welldoing.org but was attracted by the articles on the website.
I often suggest the Calm app to my clients and have lifetime membership of Calm myself. I have also recommended Eric Berne's Games People Play when doing relationship counselling on occasions. One of my go-to books is The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim.
I use the Calm app and do some watercolour painting for self-care. When I am painting I am always in the moment, and it is as if nothing else exists for a time. I also have a very best friend that I can talk to about my life, as well as a wonderful supervisor for my counselling practice.
We are a rural county and so it often means that clients are travelling some distance to access therapy. I need to leave decent gaps between clients as some can arrive early or late depending on traffic and tractors.
My consultation room is homely. It is also my office. I have many objects and some of my paintings around the room. As some people are not good in clinical surroundings which remind them of doctors, hospitals or dentists, I decided to keep my room cosy with what I hope is friendly but also professional atmosphere.
I wish that people could understand that therapy is not the often-portrayed version seen on our TV screens. Not all therapists ask you to lie down, for example. We don't all sit with a notebook or clipboard all the time. Oh and I have never asked a client to punch a cushion or hit the chair with a plastic truncheon. Not every session ends with the client crying. It is not necessary to cry to get the best out of therapy. I also would like to point out that we are just people the same as our clients, it's just that we have qualifications and skills in counselling.
In my own therapy I learned that I needed to be more assertive and that when I am overwhelmed with tasks or problems, I can just deal with one at a time.
Michelle Mould