Contact & POINTS of INTEREST
Peter Wanless M.A.Can be contacted by email at
peter.wanless@ntlworld.comand by telephone on 07828 304 185
WHERE TO FIND ME:Hertfordshire: at Northchurch, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4.
This is at the western end of Hertfordshire close to the borders of Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire. It is within easy reach of Hemel Hempstead, Tring, Aylesbury, Wendover, Chesham, Amersham, Watford and Rickmansworth.
LONDON: Carlton Vale, London, NW6, close to Maida Vale underground station and within easy reach of Kilburn, Maida Vale, St. Johns Wood, Queens Park, West Hampstead, and the London Boroughs of Brent, Camden, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham.
POINTS of INTEREST:
People who come to see a psychotherapist or counsellor are, as we all are, trying to deal with issues of living - birth and death, having and losing, how to understand ourselves and our lives, health and illness and the complexities of ourselves, relationships and life choices. On top of this we have to reckon with our own individual variations of developmental deficits, genetic and social inheritance, personal capacities, strengths, vulnerabilities and limitations.
You may have talked with friends and relatives about your difficulties but found that, in the longer term, this has not helped you enough, or you may have felt unable to talk to anyone about your concerns. You may find yourself confronting the apparent fact that you experience yourself as unable to deal with your own difficulties, despite your own inner resources.
If this is the case, and if your concerns are causing suffering and limiting your possibilities in life, it may be appropriate to consider seeking professional help,
I work with people presenting with many and varied issues. I see the presenting issue, whatever that may be, as part of a bigger picture.
I frequently work with people who have had contact with NHS and other psychiatric services and with people whose history includes drug and/or alcohol addiction and misuse.
ABOUT COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY:
We are not mechanical beings. There is not a mechanical or electrical adjustment we can make to alter ourselves. While alcohol, drugs and medication may make adjustments to the chemical balance of our bodies and influence mood they do not resolve personal difficulties, psychological tensions and difficulties or problems of living.
The process of change and development in counselling and psychotherapy, as in life, is hedged around with uncertainties.
Firstly no therapist can tell you what might be the best choices for you to make in your life. Rather, therapists are used to sitting with and exploring the uncertainties of people who are living with personal difficulties and unanswered questions about themselves and their lives. It is not the job of a therapist to tell you who you are, it is to help you to discover for yourself who you are.
Secondly, it is not straight forward to know what might make a difference for you. I am sometimes aware of things I have said that have seemed to have made a difference, however people will often describe in hindsight experiences and discoveries in therapy that made a difference of which I had not been aware. Often when people show signs of change neither of us knows with real certainty what has made the difference.
Thirdly, part of the process of maturing is to learn how to use others for our own development, to help us to deal with our more problematic emotions and to think. Part of this development is also to contribute towards the growth and development of friends, colleagues and loved ones. Many people in therapy can use the therapist and the process of therapy well, however, these processes can be made more complex where an individual lacks the judgement and trust and ease with others that make this process more straightforward. It is still very possible that therapy can be helpful, however the relationship with the therapist may feel more difficult and fraught (as will relationships in everyday life for this group of people).
PSYCHOTHERAPY AND COUNSELLING both involve a conversation. The therapist's contribution to this is informed by the therapist’s personal experience of life, personal therapy, training, theoretical explorations and ways of thinking. I will not talk in jargon but will try to convey my thoughts in language you will be able to understand. Having said this, misunderstandings and miscommunications are sometimes a part of the therapeutic process (as of life). The therapist's job is, in part, to foster an atmosphere in which difficult and painful issues and feelings can be explored and in which it may become possible to learn from our mistakes. The process of psychotherapy is like a shifting tableau in which things are constantly being seen in a different light.
COUNSELLING work is usually time limited. It is exploratory and aims to help you to think about and understand an issue that you have. If possible within the time available, counselling would seek to help you resolve that issue
PSYCHOTHERAPY is therapeutic work undertaken over a longer period of time, usually when someone has become aware that they have personal issues to address which limit their capacity to live positively and creatively and have decided that they wish to do this with the help of a psychotherapist. This is particularly useful for people who feel that their difficulties are persistent and deeply ingrained, for instance when you have repeated disappointments or struggles in some areas of your life.
07828 304 185