Counselling and Couples Therapy in South Bristol Through my own experience of therapy and that of working with many different people, I firmly believe that counselling offers us the opportunity to grow an honest awareness of ourselves in relation to others. Through childhood experiences and life events we try to fit into the world we live in. From very early on we tend to adapt ourselves to meet the needs of others, to be loved, liked and accepted. We twist and manage ourselves into expected ways of being and mask what is really going on for us. In doing this we lose the sense of who we really are, often before we have had a chance to know.  In my view we are all acceptable in this world as human beings and we all have a valuable contribution to make regardless of where we are from, what we know, how we present or what we do for a living. Being aware and honest with ourselves and knowing who we are helps us to face up to life’s difficulties with acceptance and strength.  In truth we are like sturdy mountains. Touched sometimes by traumatic and tumultuous events, we can still be ourselves despite the external changes that happen around us.  We grow old, we get ill, we experience loss, we feel rejected, we have or don’t have children, we change jobs, we get divorced, we travel around but still we stand strong as ourselves.  We have the power to grow through pain, through monumental life changes so long as we remain true to our inner selves.  I can help you to grow through acceptance, love and become aware of who you truly are.  You may want to explore how you are in work, in family relationships, friendships or the wider world.  You may have fears or worries that block you and keep you stuck from going forward.  You might have depression, anxiety or addictions. You might feel that your communication style is not accepted or understood. I can reflect your truth that you show me in those moments of honest sharing and self-reflection.  Through self-awareness you can learn to be yourself in the outside world and meet your needs to live a healthy life. In life we often struggle in relationships and want to change the things and people around us, our partner, our children, or our colleagues and we exhaust ourselves trying to do this to no avail. In truth and reality, we know that we only have the power to change ourselves. By accepting you and holding you safely through the difficult times in therapy, I can help you use your inner knowing and power to transform your life and find the freedom to be you. I am able to be with you just as you are in a safe and confidential space. I will honour you and stay with you whatever you bring to the room.