My aim as a therapist is for us to work together to gain a deeper insight and understanding around the reasons for your problems, and to use that insight to learn how to cope with current and future difficulties.

I work with the understanding that unconscious processes and past experiences influence our current thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. I place a strong emphasis on the therapeutic relationship, seeing it as a key avenue for healing and personal growth. I recognise that early childhood experiences shape how my clients relate to themselves and others and I explore how these relational dynamics show in our work together.

I am trauma-informed, which means I am attuned to the effects of trauma on my clients and strive to create a safe, supportive environment where they can explore difficult emotions and past wounds without fear of re-traumatisation. I am mindful of how trauma may impact my client's ability to trust, regulate emotions, or feel safe in relationships, and I approach this with care and sensitivity.

I also follow a developmental model, which means I understand the importance of life stages and how challenges at different points in life can affect growth. My goal is to help clients process and integrate these stages in a way that fosters healing and development, at a pace that feels safe and right for them. 

What this all means is that by working together in this way, I can help you to try to make sense of what is troubling you by looking at what is going on for you at this moment in time but also thinking about what has happened in the past; noticing any patterns in how you relate to yourself and to others. By doing this, it allows you to learn about yourself and enables you to have a choice of what you would like your future to look like.
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My practice is located in a private, comfortable therapy room in the convenient location of Christchurch town centre.
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Please contact me by e-mail at abaker.counselling@hotmail.com or call me on 07588 606615 to arrange an initial assessment appointment.