APPROACH TO COUNSELLING AND

Psychotherapy

When it comes to counselling and psychotherapy there is no sure-shot, one-way-is-the-right-way approach that can be taken. Counselling for any client revolves around specific attributes related to that client; for example, the issue at hand, the readiness for change, how receptive a client is, their rate of growth, the degree to which they feel safe as well as their personality traits, specific life experiences and general outlook on life. Alongside these variables it is helpful if one views counselling and psychotherapy as an adventure and journey where one is continually achieving little and working on long term goals, ever growing and steadily moving forward. 

As a practising psychologist and therapist, it’s interesting to figure out the best approach that will work for each client. Some clients do really well with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and make huge leaps, others get caught in the web of their thoughts and thrive better when they use art therapy. Some clients relate with mental imagery exercises or Gestalt techniques like the Empty Chair, while others prefer more tangible methods to grapple with what they are trying to understand. Each person is different, responding to different techniques in different ways. At Yellow Brick Counseling, we try our best to approach each client with understanding and expertise, and we tailor counselling and psychotherapy to what suits them best.

TYPES OF THERAPY USED AT YELLOW BRICK COUNSELING:

    • Solution-focused therapy
    • Strengths-based therapy
    • Transactional Analysis (TA)
    • Attachment theory
    • Gestalt techniques
    • Somatic awareness
    • Person-centered therapy
    • Humanistic approach
    • Integrative approach

I find that an integrative approach is

rich

in tools and can address a vast range of clientele and issues.

Alongside other therapy techniques, Art Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are specialized trauma-informed psychotherapy approaches that are used with many clients.

ART THERAPY

In 1942, a British artist, Adrian Hill discovered the incredible benefits of drawing and painting while recovering from an awful bout of tuberculosis.  This is where the term “art therapy” comes from. Today, psychologists and therapists use more than just painting and drawing to help clients understand and process difficult experiences.

WHAT IS ART THERAPY AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

Art therapy is a technique that springs from the idea that creative expression can bring hope and foster healing and mental well-being. It is a trauma-informed psychotherapy approach in which clients—facilitated by the art therapist—use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, improve self-awareness, manage behaviour and addictions, develop social skills, reduce anxiety, increase self-esteem and process trauma.

Creative expression is a brilliant way to interact with big feelings and things that are too difficult to articulate and talk about. It helps make abstract feelings and sensations in the body more tangible so one can interact with these parts of themselves with ease. It provides the opportunity for vulnerabilities to be unpacked in a way that is non-threatening and gentle. Creativity gives clients the safety they need to touch things that otherwise might be too scary for them. This space and freedom of expression allows clients to continue to deepen the process of exploration, realization, understanding and healing.

“In art there are no mistakes, only discoveries…”

DOES ART THERAPY ACTUALLY WORK?

Creativity requires using the right side of the brain. This is the creative, emotional /feeling part of the brain. Using this part of the brain helps bypass our cognition, inhibition, logical thinking and reasoning. This is valuable because there are many insights to be gained when we leave our defenses behind. Art therapy has been shown to be an effective mental health treatment for individuals who have experienced depression, trauma, medical illness, and social difficulties. So yes, art therapy actually does work.

WHO CAN USE ART THERAPY?

Absolutely anyone can use creative expression and art—young children, teens, adults and the elderly. The processes involved are the same. Expressing via painting, clay work, colouring, collage making, sculpture, psychodrama, and movement is what is most important. Let curiosity be your guide.

WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF USING ART THERAPY?

Using metaphors, colours, clay and other means of expression causes thoughts patterns and emotions to shift inside. A few benefits of art therapy include:

  • The integration of cognitive, emotional and sensory processes.
  • Building, creating and nurturing of internal resources that support self-esteem, confidence and safety.
  • Working through personal issues and trauma.
  • A safe and supportive environment to explore parts of yourself that you don’t like or normally keep hidden.
  • Acceptance and compassion for all parts of self.
  • Support, expression and acknowledgement of the difficult times in your life.
  • The ability to express what is on the inside in a way that is safer and more empowering than words alone.
  • Learning healthy ways to cope with what’s going on inside and around you.

DO I HAVE TO BE GOOD AT ART TO DO ART THERAPY?

Absolutely not. It is not an art competition. Art therapy is about allowing yourself the permission and freedom to express yourself. This may be something you have struggled to do for years. Let it out, it might surprise you. Although it may seem different and unnatural at first, you will very quickly see how the creative process can be one of the most rewarding and insightful experiences you could have.

EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR)

When a traumatic event occurs, it overwhelms the brain’s natural ability to heal, inhibiting distressing memories from being processed fully in a healthy, natural way. Recalling the trauma may feel as terrible as experiencing it for the first time. It can also significantly impact a person’s core beliefs about themselves and the world around them. For example, a person who was abandoned as a child believes “I am not worthy” or “I am unlovable.” Many moments, even from the youngest years of our life, of distress, trauma and pain are stored in the form of unprocessed memories. These unprocessed memories contain images, emotions, sensations and negative cognition about  the self, associated with the many difficult situations the person has lived through. These traumatic experiences are too much to process and as a result, become frozen in time, generating negative symptoms such as flashbacks, fear and anxiety.

EMDR allows one’s brain to process such negative memories in a safe, controlled way. Once treatment is complete, you will no longer relive the trauma or feel disturbed when you think about old memories that previously caused deep distress. Flashbacks and nightmares will cease. You will still recall what happened, but it will not be nearly as upsetting as it was to you before you started EMDR. This is because EMDR is the little nudge or shake given to the brain in order to help unblock the pathways and allow processing to become unstuck and continue to a point of resolution. As a result, you are desensitised to the negative emotions, physical sensations and beliefs associated with distressing memories.  

With EMDR you don’t need to process every single unpleasant memory. The positive outcomes of the treatment are generalized to the smaller memories and neural networks once the most painful, or earliest memories have been processed and desensitized. EMDR can also still be effective when there is no specific memory to target or even if the memory exists, but is vague and without detail.

All of us have the ability and power to heal. Sometimes we just need a little help. EMDR acts as the scaffolding and supports the brain while it processes memories and does all the hard work.

WHAT DOES AN EMDR SESSION LOOK LIKE?

An EMDR session starts with your therapist lighting up the neural pathways in your brain by way of history taking. During this process you will be encouraged to recall both positive and negative memories. Sessions will progress to recalling specific details from a traumatic event that you wish to resolve. While you focus on the upsetting event, the counsellor will begin what is known as ‘bilateral stimulation.’ This can be administered in a number of ways, but is traditionally done by asking you to follow a light with your eyes while it moves rapidly from side to side in front of your face. At Yellow Brick Counseling we use butterfly hugs for bilateral stimulation. 

The client will be guided to notice what comes to mind after each set of bilateral stimulation. You may experience shifts in insight or changes in images, feelings, or beliefs regarding the event you are processing. This bilateral stimulation is repeated in sets with pauses in between for reflection, or questions from the psychologist with the aim of reducing distress. Whilst this bilateral stimulation may be reminiscent of hypnosis, in EMDR you remain fully conscious and are in control at all times.  

Following an EMDR session, clients usually report changes to the way they perceive previously distressing memories. Some note that the memory is less vivid and more distant, others describe feeling empowered by the experiences that once destabilised them. The value of EMDR is that in addition to diminishing negative symptoms, the core beliefs that a person holds about themselves and the world around them are reprocessed in a more adaptive and realistic way. In EMDR, the healing experienced is permanent.

WHO MIGHT BENEFIT FROM EMDR?

Though EMDR was originally established as a treatment for PTSD, contemporary research has found it to be effective in treating an array of clinical issues arising from traumatic or distressing life events. This includes, but is not limited to, depression, anxiety, stress, grief, phobias, addictions, trauma and dissociation.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF EMDR?EMDR therapy

  • Non-intrusive
  • Non-threatening
  • Permanent resolution of issues
  • The ability to transform self-limiting beliefs into beliefs that support your goals and desires for your life
  • Healing of trauma, flashbacks, night terrors and dissociation
  • Ongoing self-improvement
  • Relatively quicker results than talk therapy
  • Improves the ability to live a holistic life

HOW LONG DOES EMDR TAKE TO WORK?

EMDR has been found to be comparable to more traditional treatments (such as talk therapy or exposure therapy). However, studies have shown that similar results can be achieved in a much shorter timeframe with EMDR than with other therapeutic approaches. Note that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to trauma therapy, and that includes EMDR. Whilst results can be seen very quickly, it is important to be aware that for longstanding, complex trauma, this work can still take a significant period of time.

For more information about EMDR visit: www.emdraa.org and www.emdria.org

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO BEGIN TO PREPARE FOR EMDR?

  1. Recognize the things and people who are supportive towards you.
  2. Develop a self-care routine—maybe yoga, meditation, or going out for a walk or any other type of exercise, whatever works for you. It doesn’t have to be for long, just 10 minutes a day can be enough.
  3. Start writing down the things you are grateful for, the things that make you smile and bring you joy. You could try noting the happy memories that you have had.

Whether you start on our own or not, please feel free to book a session and reach out to get the support you need today.

WHY CHOOSE ANU AS YOUR EMDR PRACTITIONER?

Anu Bhagwat is an active member of The EMDR Association of Australia (EMDRAA) and The EMDR Association of India (EMDRI). After her Master’s degree in Applied Psychology in 2010 she continued to grow and learn new techniques and approaches to help her clients. She has been practicing EMDR professionally since 2014 and has changed many lives.

Anu is an excellent EMDR practitioner, she will listen to you, understand what you want to achieve and help you get there while keeping in mind what you can handle. She is gentle, capable and creative in her approach.

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