How I Work
Janet Irwin, Therapist, Perth, Australia
My Philosophy of Growth and Change
Counselling can encourage your capacity for learning as you create new possibilities while working through life’s dilemmas.
You have the right and the potential to transition into a more fulfilling life.
To get the most out of therapy, you’ll need to have a yearning to know yourself more deeply and to improve your quality of life.
It’s essential that you’re gentle with yourself as you move forward in your journey. Change takes time, so patience and persistence will help you reach your goals.
My Therapy Approach
My counselling office is a calm, comforting and distraction-free environment.
Research shows the quality of the therapy relationship directly affects the outcome of personal therapy. To this end, I’m committed to building a safe and trusting relationship with you.
The greater the trust you have in our work together, the more freely you can go forward in developing more openness, trust and authenticity in yourself.
I hold the perspective that you’re the expert on your life and can identify what’s valuable and meaningful to you. You’ll play a significant part in mapping the direction of therapy.
I’ll help you tap into your inner wisdom to access your unique personal skills, perspectives, and knowledge so you can use them to make the changes you want in your life.
Working collaboratively, we’ll find ways to change your way of perceiving and experiencing the dilemmas you’re facing so you can transition into a preferred life.
Ultimately, therapy will help you feel more at home in your body and being. You’ll have a greater sense of peace that you may not have experienced before.
The Counselling Methods I Use
Over the past few decades, I’ve completed many specialized workshops and courses focused on specific counselling issues and methods.
The main counselling methods that I use are described below. They’re primarily holistic, mind-body approaches that facilitate deep and lasting healing.
I tailor my work to each client, so I use whichever approach will best help a client in their journey.
Narrative Therapy
Narrative therapy seeks to be non-blaming and respectful in approaching therapy. It centres on the person as the expert in their own life and assumes people have the beliefs, values, commitments, skills, and abilities to help them reduce their life problems. Narrative therapy also assumes that the person is separate from their problem.
Narrative therapy helps you align with your values, beliefs, and abilities and, therefore, create more meaningful ways forward.
In Narrative therapy, there is no fixed path. There are many directions, and each question asked by the therapist is a step in the client’s journey.
EMDR
EMDR is based on extensive research and is one of the most widely used methods of treating trauma, PTSD, and other distressing symptoms such as anxiety and depression. It helps process troubling experiences that get stuck in the brain and body, so the symptoms resolve naturally.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
The field of neuroscience has shown us that trauma, anxiety, depression, and other life stresses are held in the body and the mind.
Like EMDR, Sensorimotor Therapy helps you heal by focusing on both the physical and emotional levels. Healing occurs holistically and naturally with this approach.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness involves the practice of bringing your attention to the present moment to become more aware of what your mind (thoughts and feelings) and body (sensations) are experiencing.
When you become more present with yourself, your true essence is more able to come through. Research shows that Mindfulness can help you balance intense emotions and overcome depression, anxiety, and other traumatic or stressful events.
Hakomi Psychotherapy
Hakomi therapy is a powerful experiential approach that helps you uncover the essence of who you are. It incorporates various forms of Mindfulness and body-centred approaches.
Hakomi helps to increase your awareness of the unconscious beliefs held, thereby aiding the change process. Once you’re more conscious of the somatic indicators (body responses) of unconscious material and befriend them, it’s easier to feel more secure and present in yourself.
Internal Family Systems Therapy
Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) offers a compassionate and empowering approach to resolving issues at their roots.
IFS explores different “parts” of yourself and how they interact with one another. The goal is to integrate the various parts to become whole.
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
Motivational Interviewing is a counselling approach that helps you explore the ambivalences you have about making decisions, how you view your problems, and your options for growth.
Unlike most of the other approaches I use, MI is more directive and goal-focused. It is sometimes used when you may feel stuck or unclear about the steps you want to take in your life.
If you are looking for a gentle and compassionate therapist to help you on your healing journey, contact me. I look forward to hearing from you!