Jo Cockwill

I have recently started my own counselling practice at The Practice Rooms whilst continuing part-time counselling in the Gloucestershire Counselling Service. My relationship with you will be as important as the way we work together. 

The type of counselling I offer is 'psychodynamic' counselling. But what does that mean? From early in life it often feels safer to avoid thinking about unpleasant feelings and experiences, especially when thinking about them stirs up emotions like anger, fear, misery, shame or guilt that we imagine might endanger our relationships. So, we discover habits to protect ourselves from these negative thoughts, and may even manage to forget about them altogether. But keeping them out of awareness comes at a cost. The emotions that were attached to those memories tend to 'bubble up to the surface' in other ways that can be much more destructive - causing anxiety, depression, anger, harm to yourself and others, or physical conditions with no medical explanation. We can also find ourselves in the same bad situations or relationships over and over again, without understanding why. You may feel undeserving, unloveable, a stranger to yourself, or as if your life lacks meaning. The experience can be overwhelming, particularly when you face a difficult situation or relationship that arouses past buried feelings. 

It can be tough to face your true thoughts and feelings and bring them into the open, even in the counselling room with a counsellor who you trust. Coming to counselling will take courage. But developing the links between how you are now and your past thoughts and feelings, can provide a healthier route for your emotions to emerge and be thought about. This can also free you up to accept that what is behind you can't be altered, but that you can make different choices in the future. 

I will provide you with a safe place where you can start to explore your thoughts, feelings and needs more freely and develop a genuine, compassionate relationship with yourself. I will be there to support you as we work at your pace, each step of the way. I will be non-judgemental and encourage you to reflect on your current experiences, thoughts and feelings, and the links to your past. We will think together about what they might mean for you, but I will always respect that it is for you to draw your own conclusions, and make your own decisions.