Psychotherapy aims to assist you obtain a deeper insight into your difficulties and distresses. Psychotherapy can also help us to understand why we are the way we are.  Learning how our life experiences have shaped us both emotionally and psychologically is vital in order to find the correct methods for coping and bring about changes in how we feel, think and behave.

Within our psychotherapy sessions here in Dublin we explore relevant events, beliefs, thoughts and feelings, in a structured way with the guidance of a fully qualified psychotherapist. I work collaboratively with the client to gain insight into the emotional and psychological aspects that may be underlying their presenting issues, as well as how once effective coping strategies may now operate as a stumbling block to personal growth.  

Following a traumatic incident, it’s normal for individuals to feel ‘on guard’ as in many ways their sense of safety and security in the world has been broken. Symptoms can vary, however often these include anxiety, stress, sleep disturbance as well as intrusive dreams and thoughts. Flashbacks are a very frequent occurrence in trauma and these can be very distressing for the individual. At Olivia Naughton Counselling and Psychotherapy Dublin we aim first to establish a sense of safety and trust for you.

Most of us experience a level of stress or anxiety from time to time and this can often provide us with a level of motivation and productivity that we require. However, a pattern of anxiety that affects how you live your life can render you debilitated and leave you feeling extremely frustrated. At Olivia Naughton Counselling and Psychotherapy Dublin we work with each client to help them understand their own personal and unique experience of anxiety. Understanding the physiological changes that occur during anxiety and panic can help to decrease the sense of risk or danger that can often perpetuate the cycle. Using aspects of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help to gain insight into how our thoughts and feelings may play a role in our anxiety.

Grief is universal; we all experience grief at some stage in our lives in some form. This may be the death of someone we care about or it may be in the form of the loss of a relationship/friendship, a job loss, the loss of good health or the sense of loss of identity/meaning. In grieving we can experience a wide range of emotions all of which can be appropriate.

We don’t always know how to resolve issues when things don’t go to plan during a relationship. In my couples work I’m interested in how each individual’s early experience, assumption and expectation of relationships impacts how they experience and react in their own relationship. Often couples can become stuck in ways of interacting with each other that are maladaptive. Couples therapy can help to identify and replace this with more positive interactions that allow greater empathy, understanding and intimacy between the couple. Learning and improving tools of communication as a couple can enable you to understand and resolve conflict within your relationship. An important part of a healthy relationship is being able to negotiate problems and differences and argue in a healthy way.

Many people come to Psychotherapy because of relationship difficulties. These may not be restricted to intimate relationships but can also include difficulty in friendships, family or working relationships. Being in a relationship which experiences conflict or communication difficulties can be very stressful and unfulfilling. Individual Psychotherapy for relationships can help to provide a safe and non-judgmental space to gain understanding of what is happening within the relationship and particularly our own position within the relationship. Often our own experiences in early life can leave us with wounds that make it difficult for us to make healthy attachments in relationships and to be fully comfortable with deep levels of emotional intimacy and communication with others.