Counselling/Psychotherapy and Supervision in Leeds, West Yorkshire
Tel: Leeds (0113) 262 5783 email: kristal@kristalclark.com web: www.kristalclark.com

>>A personal introduction
>>My training and experiences
>>What I can offer you - psychotherapy, counselling
>>Couples counselling
>>FAQ
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>>Who do I see?
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>>What is counselling/psychotherapy?
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>>The initial appointment
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A personal introduction

Quote from Melanie Klein: "...the understanding of personality is the foundation for the understanding of social life".

I see therapy (or counselling) as an opportunity rather than a chore.

I have felt passionately about the benefits of therapeutic intervention since beginning formal study in 1995. I wanted to know myself better i.e. to know what my feelings meant and to feel free to express myself rather than censoring myself. My own personal therapy has been a supportive and insightful experience which I hope will be the same for you, if you choose to take this path.

I believe that knowing yourself is an on-going process as we experience life changes and changes within ourselfves as we get older. this process of learning who we are can last a lifetime process and it is also something you can come in and out of at different times in your life.

Whilst I believe that our life journey is individual to each of us, I believe that we share inner emotional experiences. You will have thoughts that you do not want to share and you will have dreams some of which you remember and others you do not remember. You are capable of experiencing a range of emotions and you may choose to not feel them. You may choose to block out certain thoughts or let your thoughts run. There are truths about yourself that you may keep hidden for many years and truths that you desperately want to talk about but are afraid to do so. My own experience of talking and sharing of myself with therapists, in a confidential setting, has been one way of releasing mental or emotional tensions and fears, and to understand what these tensions or fears have meant. The talking and sharing of feelings and thoughts with a neutral person can be an empowering and liberating experience.
How we are as a person in the world, or how we think we are, affects every relationship or encounter we experience. Who we are affects decisions we make. Counselling/ psychotherapy can bring greater awareness of how we are actually living our life. You may want to ask yourself: How happy am I with my life? how happy am I with myself? Are there things in my life that I want to do and don't do? What could be better?
Ask yourself: Do I live always in the future? or do I tend to get caught up in my past? How often do I relish living in the present moment? Counselling or psychotherapy can give you awareness of these aspects of your life. What you do with this knowledge will depend on you.