But What Do You Specialise In?

In the process of establishing a new psychotherapy and counselling practice, I am eagerly distributing business cards, flyers, and connecting with numerous people who offer their encouragement and support.

“Oh, there’s such a need right now.”

“You’ll be able to help so many people.”

And then, they look me squarely in the eye, and they ask the million dollar question.

But what do you specialise in?

I can answer the question with methods (like narrative therapy) or areas of practice (like grief and loss, trauma and recovery).  But if they truly wanted to know my qualifications, they could find my profile on LinkedIn. 

There’s a deeper question at work here.

How do I know that you are the right therapist for my family member, my friend, or me?

How do I know that I will feel comfortable working with you?

How do I know that you can help someone achieve their goals?

There is an unstated anxiety in each of these questions.  Rightfully so.  Therapy, by nature, can be a vulnerable process, and it can take incredible courage for an individual to share their stories with a therapist.  Potential clients want to know that their therapist “knows the territory” and has the necessary life experience to understand the problems that they are bringing to therapy.

These questions may also be grounded with deference to a more medical model of care, as follows.  I go to my doctor when I am feeling sick.  My doctor prescribes medication and then I feel better.  Similarly, when I am feeling unwell emotionally, I want someone (my therapist) to be a specialist.  Because my therapist is the expert, I will walk away feeling better.

But here’s the clincher.

“No one can truly know what it means to see the world through your eyes or live the world in your body, except for you.”

The real expert in therapy is not your therapist.  It’s you. 

The exact same person who seeks a therapist because they are suffering, struggling, or a victim of an injustice, is the exact same person who can emerge from therapy finding healing, discovering resilience, and feeling more empowered. 

I specialise in helping each person that I work with navigate their own journey of change.

I specialise in holding the space for therapy with presence, by developing a therapeutic relationship, building trust, and providing safety for you to go near your deepest emotions. 

I specialise in listening, empathising, identifying your emotions, and reflecting upon what I hear you saying.

It is these very special qualities which help individuals grow from therapy.  (There is plenty of research in the field of interpersonal neurobiology which affirms the value of the person-centred, therapeutic approach).

No one can truly know what it means to see the world through your eyes or live the world in your body, except for you.  A medical or clinical approach may help to relieve your symptoms, but it is only in the context of a safe and trusted therapeutic relationship, that it becomes possible to express how these personal experiences have made you feel. 

I specialise in creating that space for you.

My model of care is personal.  It is individualised and unique, just like every single human being who seeks my guidance.  It is gentle, thoughtful, attentive, respectful, nurturing, and calming, helping you to envision and embrace the person that you are. 

I specialise in journeying with you, from where you are, to where you want to be.