Mind and Therapy

About Mind and Therapy

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A Healthy Mind, Is in Reach.
Loughborough Holistic Counselling and Therapy Services.

I am Simon and like you, am only human. We all have feelings and emotions, some of which we find difficult to manage due to situations or traumas in our lives. I have experienced so much in my life and had to find my own path to deal with them. Throughout my career I have listened to many and supported those who needed my help. My aim now is to support others who need someone to talk to, to vent, to turn to for help, to help them grow and feel they can cope with situations they face.

At Mind and Therapy we offer holistic therapy and counselling services in Loughborough to support clients individual needs. We always strive to support physical, emotional, psychological and holistic needs through client centred therapy sessions. Our aim is to help clients develop and improve their mindfulness, and self-acceptance, to develop their own sustainable and effective strategies to regulate their own emotional well-being, through listening and helping them find a way to change their mindset for the better. Giving them time to absorb and think as their mental health should start becoming a priority.

I built ‘Mind and Therapy’ around my own experiences in life. I believe that if I had not experienced my own personal problems and become self aware of how they had evolved through help and support when I needed it, then I would not truly understand how others are feeling. I think it has taken me years to develop a real understanding of why an individual feels the way they do. But overtime and a combination of a mixture of experiences involving Bereavement, Personal Issues, Career Changes, Financial Implications, Life Changing Health Conditions, Experiences and Building a Family, I have found a path to share my skills to support others. Up until now I have faced many challenges as do many people. But I am not here to share my stories, I am here to listen to yours and support you through your own Journey and help you achieve your own goal.

As 'Holistic Counsellor and Therapist I strive to apply my ethical skills that I have developed throughout my career in other positions. Not only am I a therapist, but I am a parent of a loving, supporting family. I started out as a teacher for 12 years, working with children from all ages up to 18. At the moment I would consider myself to have a number of interlinking skills as I am also a Driving Instructor and Artist.

As an artist I am able to use my creative mind to interpret my feelings and emotions through art in a variety of forms, from ink and watercolour through to wooden products. I find art very therapeutic for my own self care which has helped me become my true self.

My job as a driving instructor involves patience, concentration and a willingness to believe in people. Guiding them with stability and strength to achieve their goals. My process involves client centred learning and tailor made lessons. Without a calm and chilled environment, I do not believe that my students would have the best opportunity to flourish, so I always aim to model the driver that I would want them to become - safe, competent and aware.

The aspects of my career as a therapeutic artist, a calm, supportive driving instructor and a caring and trusting role model teacher along with elements of my life experiences are what I feel built the foundations for what I needed to train and become a counsellor.

We are all different, so we should not try to be like someone else, but connect more closely with our true self. If we try to compare ourselves to someone else, then we tend to expect ourselves to overcome traumas like they have. So inevitably we are not expressing our true selves and instead masking our inner self. Mindfulness is a new way of being you, a new way of experiencing life and improving it for the better.

Through my own traumas and tribulations I have learnt how to manage my own interpretation of my past that I can’t change and instead focus on building my future that has not yet been written. From my own experiences and working to support others, I have learnt that to understand someone’s feelings is to simply listen in a relaxed and non judgemental manner. As the client talks about their problem then my role is to connect with their feelings and continue to listen with open questions that encourage you to elaborate. And in this listening process, in a space that you feel safe, accepted and supported, then you (the client) starts to unravel your problems through your own awareness. As the problem becomes clear, then you will start to see the solution emerge. You become more mindful about the present moment and how your unconscious mind is playing a big part on your emotions and reactions to how you respond to challenges you face.

Like me, your own life situations, your own experiences and your own attitude towards finding a solution will inevitably create a path for you to follow. How clear this path will be will depend on how willing you are to open out and let go.

Mind and Therapy can offer support that is effective in any circumstance, any age, for anyone, young or old, for any problem – career, relationship, finance, goal setting, sometimes even physical pain. My theoretical approach can be surprisingly effective in solving problems or helping people find a direction if they are willing to try.

As a counsellor and applying best practice, I do not offer solutions or answers to your problems as they are a biassed opinion. Instead I will support you to unearth your answers that are hidden inside your unconscious mind. Like most clients, you may be unaware that the answers are hidden somewhere deep in mind which need to be unearthed. And like many minds, they are not as clear as they may seem. So as we work together, we would unravel your hidden past that you may have avoided talking about for so long. It may be the first opportunity for us both to start understanding your past experiences and why it causes you your emotional and mental triggers.

When a trigger sets off an emotion, we are responding with feelings, some of which we struggle to control, but if we understand where the triggers have derived from them we can start to understand our emotions and find ways to control them. It is important to understand your desired outcome, what you want to achieve from your sessions.

I feel that it is important to provide a genuine attitude towards my clients without judgement or opinion so that we have a strong supporting relationship. This is vital for you (the client) to see a pathway ahead of you as you progress towards achieving your goal. As it may be the first time that you have opened out to anyone, please don’t worry, as what you tell me is private and confidential. I am here to listen, understand and support you along your journey.

A session is client centred and client led where you will work towards finding an understanding of your problems and developing a strategy to manage them. So each session is tailored around you and your needs.

Each service is based on regular 50 minute sessions at a rate of £50 per session unless requested for additional time by the client. The descriptions are a basic outline of the theories around the therapy and sessions are planned in advance by your input and requirements. It is important to communicate with your therapist and work on your targets between sessions to improve your chances of making progress. More on this can be read in our terms and conditions page. Its not about choosing a service or theory, it is about using a theory to provide the best service for you, which is adapted at the time to suit your needs.

Counselling Therapy.
Counselling is a talking therapy that involves myself - A trained therapist listening to you and helping you find ways to deal with emotional issues using suitable counselling theories to address the issue and help you find a path to your goal.

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What can counselling help with?
Counselling can help you cope with:

A mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety or an eating disorder.

An upsetting physical health condition, such as infertility.

A difficult life event, such as a bereavement, a relationship breakdown or work-related stress.

Difficult emotions – for example, low self-esteem or anger.

Other issues, such as sexual identity.

Fashion Shoes.
Walk and Talk Therapy.
Walk and talk therapy is becoming a more increasingly popular option than sessions based in our therapy room.


We all know that physical movement, exercise, and counselling therapy are all great for your mental health – so we offer you the opportunity to do them all at the same time.


Sometimes, sitting and focusing on your difficulties in a therapy room can make you feel more overwhelmed – at these times, it can help to get up and get moving.


Mind and Therapy's Walk and Talk Therapy addresses your issues in a way that can be more comfortable than talking face-to-face because it can give you the opportunity to literally get off the therapist’s couch and be doing something, as opposed to simply talking.


Walking and talking side-by-side can help shift any overwhelming feelings and can facilitate psychological processing.


Walk and talk therapy combines positive lifestyle habits with the benefits of therapy which can create new energy and motivation.


We believe it can be a good way to practice Mindfulness skills with your therapist.


Benefits:In addition to exercise’s ability to combat depression, anxiety, insomnia, weight gain and other health and mental health conditions, combining walking with therapy has benefits of its own:


Being in natural environments helps our nervous systems unwind – we know that being in nature helps to quell anxiety and rumination and can soothe the mind.


Exposure to natural light and fresh air combined with light exercise carries opportunities for mood benefits.


Being in the outdoors with a therapist is also a fantastic place to practice refining your mindfulness skills, as there is ample opportunity to tune into sensory information from all of your senses.


Walking may encourage and promote you engaging in additional walks on your own.


Being outside and moving while talking about your difficulties can help create distance between yourself and your problems and this can help you relax.


You choose the location and our walking pace – the walking is secondary to our therapeutic conversation.


Walk and talk sessions may not suit every situation, but it can provide you with the opportunity to meet and speak comfortably, while being immersed in a natural surrounding that appeals to you.

Meditation.
Mindfulness Counselling.
Is mindfulness right for me?

A lot of people who practise mindfulness say it is life-transforming and are amazed that something so ‘simple’ can truly make them feel better. However, it isn’t as easy as it sounds – when we are so used to having such busy, occupied minds, to still them can be truly difficult and even terrifying. You need to be able to commit to the practice for it to take effect. For those who have a lot of unresolved feelings or want to understand their worries and concerns in depth, mindfulness-based therapy may not be the best place to start.


The advantage of this technique is that it is a skill set that once mastered can be used on a daily basis whenever and wherever it is needed.

Mindfulness.
Thought Field Therapy.
Thought Field Therapy is a fringe psychological treatment developed by American psychologist Roger Callahan. Its proponents say that it can heal a variety of mental and physical ailments through specialised "tapping" with the fingers at meridian points on the upper body and hands.

Meditation.
Psychologist Session.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
The underlying concept behind CBT is that thoughts and feelings play a fundamental role in behavior.1 For example, a person who spends a lot of time thinking about plane crashes, runway accidents, and other air disasters may avoid air travel as a result.

The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy is to teach people that while they cannot control every aspect of the world around them, they can take control of how they interpret and deal with things in their environment.

CBT is known for providing the following key benefits:

It helps you develop healthier thought patterns by becoming aware of the negative and often unrealistic thoughts that dampen your feelings and moods.1.

It is an effective short-term treatment option as improvements can often be seen in five to 20 sessions.

Benefits of cognitive behavioural therapy is that it helps clients develop coping skills that can be useful both now and in the future.

Mindfulness.
Attentive Therapist.
Client Centred Therapy.
Client-centred therapy employs a non-authoritative approach that allows clients to take more of a lead in sessions such that, in the process, they discover their own solutions. We work with your needs and your goals, you are guiding the direction of the session.