THERAPIST IN STOCKPORT
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Meet Your Therapist ..
Hi, I’m Dempsey!
I am an integrative counsellor working with Adults and Teenagers aged 11+. I work in a variety of settings which includes working privately with Adults & Teenagers 11+ who are experiencing a range of issues.
I am not your “average” therapist who will sit and nod throughout the sessions with minimal input. (Although I will do this at times, as it is really useful) I like to be fully involved in the sessions, to experience the journey with you and support you with the most difficult parts of your life by challenging negative thoughts and assumptions, empowering you to make the changes that you want to make, helping you to think about the future and explore what you need to help you set goals and achieve them. I will work with you to set healthier boundaries, improve your self esteem and embrace change but most importantly, I will be there with you to support you, listen to you and help you to see all the positive strengths you have and take the next steps for yourself.
WHY I STARTED..
I have always been really passionate about helping people, I noticed that I was always the listening ear at parties and social gatherings, people were drawn to me, and that made me feel good. So I wanted to help people on a deeper level, I became really interested in people and I wanted to hear all those really difficult stories about your past and present and the impact this has had on the person you are today. The way your experiences have shaped the way you think, feel and behave in everyday life and the impact that it is having on you.
I am also a firm believer in focusing on what’s inside your control and working on that, whilst also accepting that sometimes there are things outside of your control that you may need support with so you can let go of those things.
Personally, I have been through a few challenges in my life and I feel like I can often relate to the feelings my clients share with me. There have been times I have felt stuck in my personal life and reached out for support that wasn’t quite right for me and then felt worse because it didn’t help. What I have come to realise, and what I tell all of my clients is that, it’s about having the right therapist for you and your needs, finding somebody who really gets you, understands you and makes you feel comfortable sharing the really vulnerable sides of yourself because that’s where all the amazing work is done and that’s when we start to see changes.
MY HOPES..
I hope to help people to understand themselves better so that they can manage their emotions better and think, feel and behave in a way that is positive and healthy by understanding how what they have been through has an impact on the person they are. Which might help them to improve their relationships with their friends, family and the wider social society.
I hope to empower my clients by focusing on whats important to them, what they think they need to feel better, what their hopes and dreams for the future are and then get them to take action and be responsible and accountable for their own lives and reaching their goals.
I hope to help my clients to process difficult experiences by offering a safe and non-judgemental space for them to be themselves and share parts of themselves that they might not have shared before. Through doing this I hope to help them to validate their own feelings, realise what they have overcome, notice how things are different now and embrace change.
I hope to offer a space where they don’t feel alone and they feel supported and have a voice to express themselves freely without the fear of judgement, isolation and worry about how it might sound out loud.
HOW I WORK..
I tailor the therapy to meet the individual needs of the client and focus on first establishing a trusting relationship with my client. Therapy is a different journey for each person, so I feel it’s really important to find out what the client wants to work on, what they feel is important to them, and what they want to achieve through counselling. I aim to challenge negative thoughts and assumptions to allow the client to think about another perspective and see the bigger picture, where necessary, to allow them to explore this in a safe space. I work in an integrative way, which means that I use skills and tools from different counselling approaches to tailor the sessions to meet the client’s needs.
With Teenagers I ethically incorporate creativity into my therapy sessions to allow young people to understand their own mental health and help them to find useful tools and techniques to manage how they are feeling.
To support my practice, I am continuing to engage in courses and external studies to advance my work with clients and better understand my clients and their experience of the world. I actively engage in online learning in areas relating to child development, neurodiversity, Childrens mental health, Adverse Childhood Experiences and the impact on children and young people.
Within my role I manage risk and safety plan on a day-to-day basis, predominantly supporting young people and their families to cope with issues of self-harm and engagement in suicidal ideation. I engage in regular training in safeguarding for children, young people and vulnerable adults to ensure my skills and knowledge are up to date.
MY EXPERIENCE..
In addition to Private Practice I also work for a local charity called Talk Listen Change, in 2 different roles. In one role I work with children and young people in school settings on a 1-2-1 basis, offering counselling and support for their mental health. Additionally, I work directly with parents who have referred their children to Talk Listen Change Counselling Services, helping them to find the right level of support for their children through counselling and other exploring other avenues, providing advice and guidance to parents over the phone to help improve their wellbeing and overall family dynamics following traumatic life experiences.
WORKING WITH TEENAGERS 11+
I find working with Teenagers extremely rewarding. Teenagers might bring a range of issues to counselling such as bullying, gender and identity issues, anger, anxiety, depression, changes in family dynamics, domestic abuse, Autism and ADHD etc.
I have experience in working with Teenagers who have been through trauma such as domestic abuse and are experiencing anxiety, anger, poor self esteem and feeling low as a result of adverse childhood experiences.
I am very interested in young peoples’ mental health and finding ways to empower them to overcome obstacles and challenges from the past and present, also allowing them space to practice new tools and techniques that will help them in the future once the therapy has finished. The young people I have previously worked with describe me as a warm, friendly and caring person, who understands the issues they are facing and somebody who is non-judgmental and genuine. The parents I have previously worked with have provided me with positive feedback around the information, advice and guidance I provide them with, and the resources which have proven useful for them personally, enabling them to better understand their young people.
“I am a friendly, down to earth but professional therapist, I am experienced and I am passionate about helping people and most importantly allowing you to feel that your voice is heard and your feelings are validated.”
Starting therapy (also referred to as counselling or psychotherapy) is often quite a scary or daunting prospect. Maybe you already feel overwhelmed by the amount of different therapies and therapists available – what do the different qualifications and approaches mean? Who is the most experienced therapist? Who will be the best person to help me?
There are so many different types of counselling to choose from, however, research tells us that the most important factor is the quality of the therapeutic relationship (Norcross, 2002; Elkins, 2016; Martin et al, 2002). Which means that as a client you have to feel a connection with your therapist, feel understood and feel that your voice is being heard.
HAVE YOU GOT ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME?
Take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions Section or give me a call for a FREE consultation where we can talk about your needs and whether I am the right fit for you.
So, you want to find the right Therapist?
FEELING OVERWHELMED?
You might get easily overwhelmed and can’t seem to control your feelings, often reacting to things and feeling embarrassment, shame or guilt afterwards. We will look at where these feelings come from, are they related to past experiences? Are they related to outdated views and beliefs. Are your needs being met and again, are you able to assert your boundaries? When we can really explore these factors we can find out whats really going on for you.
TRYING YOUR BEST?
You feel like your trying your best but its just not going anywhere, you feel stuck and don’t know how to move forward, or even where forward is. You know the problems that you have been facing, very well, but can’t seem to resolve them and as a result your finding it difficult to imagine your future. We can work together to explore your past and present and find ways for you to be able to see your future. Just saying things out loud can help you to gain clarity and understand yourself more. I can help you look at different perspectives and unlock your potential so that you can find the direction in your life and find your purpose.
STRUGGLING WITH BOUNDARIES?
You feel that your needs are never met, and you feel uncomfortable asserting your boundaries because you feel that people won’t like you, or might think your aggressive or a bad person. We can look at the boundaries you currently have in place, the ones that you would like to have in place and look at whats stopping you from living authentically and letting people know what your boundaries are and asserting them.
LOW SELF-ESTEEM & CONFIDENCE?
You might be struggling with low self-esteem and low self-worth, you don’t feel good enough at work, you always feel like your messing everything up, your low in confidence and always blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong, never feeling that you deserve anything good. We can look at your core beliefs and values, identify strengths that you have and work on really building on those strengths to improve your sense of self and improve your confidence and self esteem as a result of our work together.
DIFFICULT EXPERIENCES AND TRAUMA?
You may have experienced childhood trauma or a recent trauma, through an accident, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, death of a loved one or something else which is having an impact on your day to day life and you feel unable to move forward. We can work together to work through your experiences and really understand the significance of the experiences and all of the emotions that you feel as a result. Just being able to talk about these experiences in a supported safe environment, where you wont be judged can help you to feel lighter, it might be the first time you have talked about this.
LOW MOOD AND DEPRESSION?
You may be feeling depressed, lacking in motivation and feeling like you don’t enjoy anything anymore. All the hobbies and interests you once had aren’t fulfilling anymore, you just want to stay home, in bed and do nothing. You haven’t got the energy for much more than this. I can help you to explore where the depression started, when you started to notice the impact this is having and work through emotions that might be holding you back and weighing you down. We will look at helping you find joy in the things you really want to do and find a purpose.
FEELING STRESSED AND BURNOUT?
You are feeling a lot of stress, this might be generally feeling overwhelmed by the amount of things you have to do, juggling so many plates at once, parenting struggles, or workplace stress and finding it hard to meet that work life balance. I can help you to find the causes of the stress, whatever that may be and identify positive ways of managing all those plates, looking at ways to reduce your stress levels and feel less stressed overall.
ANXIETY AND NEGATIVE THINKING?
You are struggling with feelings of anxiety, overthinking and negative thinking that is always worst case scenario and its draining, you feel exhausted with the amount of thoughts that go through your mind and constantly feel tired and unable to concentrate or focus on anything. I can help you to explore the negative thoughts and beliefs underneath the worries, reframe the negative thinking and look at ways to be kinder to yourself to help you feel lighter and be able to focus on the things that are important to you.