Sophia Elise

Counselling and Coaching  Services  

My Counselling Approach

My counselling approach is based in Collaborative Therapies where I draw mainly from Narrative Therapy and Solution Focused Brief Therapy. (Explained in the column to the right). I also draw from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Response Based Therapy. My relationship counselling is based in the Gottman Method and The Developmental Model (Explained in the column to the right).

As your counsellor I will:
  •  Work alongside and with you in partnership.
  • Consult with you about your goals, directions and thoughts around the counselling process.

  • Combine your personal knowledge and expertise, with my abilities as a counsellor, so that we work together to find your own individualised ways forward.

  • View the problem as separate from the person i.e. the problem is the problem, the person is not the problem.

  • Acknowledge and jointly identify your own unique skills, abilities, strengths, values, commitments, beliefs and competencies that will help you with the problems that may be influencing your life.

  • Develop practical tools, techniques and resources to assist you.

  • Promote self-reliance and the use of your own resources in meeting whatever challenges are present and also develop your own ways of managing things in the future.

  • Make all case notes available to you and written in your words with no technical or theoretical terms used.

  • Be transparent with my thoughts and ideas and allowing room for you to disagree or correct me.
  • Not make assumptions or judgements.
  • Enjoy the spontaneity of our conversation.

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    My practice is guided by the NZAC (New Zealand Association of Counsellors) Code of Ethics and I hold a current practicing certificate as a full member.

    Narrative Therapy
    Includes listening to your story (what we see, feel, and do), without judgment and helping you to change your current “problem story” to a “success story”. This starts with helping you to identify the problem and noting exceptions to the problem story. We then begin to rewrite your story by envisioning future possibilities. Finishing with you living out your new “success story”.  We also identify and discuss any impact that  the dominant culture (social discourse) may be having on your life.

     

    Solution Focused Brief Therapy
    I encourage  you to engage in solution focused talk instead of problem focused talk which helps to increase hopefulness and facilitates change.  We focus on future possibilities and solutions, incorporating optimistic thinking. We work together to identify and establish effective patterns of behaviour. You chose your own goals which are small and realistic.


    Developmental Model
    This model assists each person to gain a greater awareness of unconscious interactional patterns and emotional triggering. It also ensures that people don’t feel reliant on their partner changing in order to make progress as it encourages each partner to focus on their own change instead of looking to their partner for solutions. It includes a sophisticated skills-training approach that allows clients to learn new skills in the context of meaningful exercises that make sense and are relevant to them. Ultimately improving communication and intimacy.