Services
Samantha Whelan Counselling and Psychotherapy Service is a compassionate and professional mental health practice dedicated to offering its clients a wide range of therapeutic options. With a deep commitment to helping individuals navigate their emotional challenges and achieve personal growth, the service provides diverse counselling and psychotherapy approaches. Clients can access various modalities through individualised sessions, including traditional counselling and psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and innovative sand play therapy.
These services cater to each client's unique needs, fostering a safe and nurturing environment for self-exploration and healing. Under the guidance of experienced and licensed therapists, individuals are empowered to confront their emotional struggles, gain insight into their thought patterns, and develop effective coping strategies to lead more fulfilling lives. At Samantha Whelan Counselling and Psychotherapy Service, the well-being and growth of each client are at the heart of their therapeutic journey.
What is Counselling and Psycotherapy?
At different times in our lives we experience challenges or difficulties and sometimes these challenges are too difficult to handle ourselves. A traumatic experience or event is different to everybody, it is extremely distressing, frightening and can often have lasting effects.
Counselling is about exploring and talking to someone who is completely objective, someone who is outside of your family, work and friends.
Counselling is a non-judgmental space where the counsellor will support you to look at what’s happening in your life and support you in expressing your story, whilst also gaining a new perspective and releasing old hurts and frustrations. Counselling can show you a new way of reflecting on the chapters in your life and new skills and coping mechanisms at managing the chapters to come.
Counselling can be deemed as a short term approach and deal with immediate issues that may have happened recently eg. relationship breakdown and can be over a few weeks or months. Psychotherapy can be open ended and can last months or years and deal with issues rooted in the past eg. trauma. All counselling sessions are done in a safe, nurturing, mutually respectful environment. All counselling sessions are private and confidential and will be discussed at the initial meeting. As counselling is a very private and personal to each individual, the counsellor will try to put you at ease from the instant you make contact. Making the first appointment is the first step, a very worthwhile and brave step to make in investing in you for positive change for your future.
What is CBT cognitive behavioural therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a goal-oriented, evidence-based form of psychotherapy focusing on the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. It aims to help individuals identify and challenge negative thoughts and beliefs contributing to emotional distress or unhealthy behaviours. By encouraging clients to challenge their negative thoughts and then to reframe their thinking and adopt more positive and constructive perspectives, CBT equips them with practical coping strategies to manage various challenges. CBT is widely used to treat various mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, phobias, and stress-related disorders, making it a highly effective and popular therapeutic approach.
What is Sand play therapy?
Sand Play therapy is a therapeutic modality that utilizes a tray of sand and a variety of miniature objects as a means of expression and healing. Often employed with children and sometimes with adults, sand play therapy allows individuals to create and manipulate scenes or worlds in the sand, representing their inner thoughts, emotions, and experiences. The process encourages nonverbal communication and access to the subconscious, promoting emotional release and self-discovery. Through this creative and symbolic form of therapy, clients can gain insight into their feelings, work through traumas, and resolve inner conflicts in a safe and supportive environment.