Many men struggle with a feeling of failure from any mental health challenge. We feel we’ve just not been strong enough. We shouldn’t feel this way. You wouldn’t hesitate to see a doctor if you broke your arm. You would go to the gym and see a personal trainer to get physically fit. Why is it that when we talk about the mind, we go all coy and fearful?
If you have a mental illness, see me to restore your mental health; if you want to be mentally fit, come and see how I can help.
Do not mistake short-term counselling for a quick fix. I believe in and practice an approach to counselling called ‘slow counselling’, where our work emerges naturally and is not forced. This approach is non-negotiable for the success of our work.
In today’s fast-paced world, counselling does not have to fit into that pace; it should not. Counselling should be where you have time to reflect and understand your feelings and what is happening. It is a space where a nurturing solution can emerge.
Counselling time is unique. A focused amount of counselling time can change your life in a brief spell of standard time.
Where women tend to come to counselling for emotional reasons, men often arrive at my website because of the situations or events they face.
Most people come to see me when their mental health has taken a bashing; they are feeling stressed, anxious, depressed or lacking in confidence, motivation or self-esteem.
I follow a grounded approach to online counselling which essentially means following a four-phase process:
Experience-Reflection-Understanding-Action
We focus on the experience and then reflect on what has been happening; once we have understood what is happening, we can identify actions that fit and work for you. By working through the emotions-reflection-understanding-action process, clients have said they have been able to deal with issues in the future, as well as current problems.
Here are some Emotions to get you started:
Amusement – Anger – Awe – Contempt – Disgust – Distress – Fear – Embarrassment – Envy -Guilt – Happiness – Interest -Jealousy -Joy- Love – Pride – Shame – Shyness Sadness – Surprise – Sympathy
It is said that ‘prevention is better than cure.’ Building mental fitness helps to prevent mental health problems. We do this by developing communication skills, mindful awareness, and an anti-fragile approach to life beyond becoming resilient (look here to see what that last one means!)
Some events and circumstances male clients struggle with:
Divorce – relationship difficulties – infidelity – mid-life crises – long-term illness – retirement – redundancy – living with chronic pain – bereavement – financial worries – sleeping problems – addictions
Specific Issues (Solution-Focussed Work)
Other people work with me as their online counsellor to address specific issues that they are already aware of, for example:
