Elena Phrydas, MBACP (Reg.)
Person-centred counselling and psychotherapy
"A humanistic approach to working with mental health".
I am a person-centred psychotherapist that specialises in offering psychotherapy to adults and young people. I hold a degree in Humanistic Counselling Practice and a Masters in Counselling Children and Young People. I hold over twelve years of expeirence providing psychotherapy to the third party and educational sector.
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I work with a range of issues, including; depression, anxiety, addiction, relationships, identity and self-construct, existential crises, sexuality, and a wide range of compounding issues.
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I work holistically, inviting the emotional, psychological, environmental and spiritual aspects of each client into the room. I work to understand you within the context of your life, rather than focusing narrowly on symptom alleviation and pathologising what can often be natural human experiences.
People come to therapy from all walks of life and for many different reasons; often seeking a form of support, understanding and change, and to ultimately lead more harmonious and fulfilling lives. My aim is to provide a space where you can feel respected and valued, whilst you explore what has brought you to therapy. I understand that people may find themselves in difficult situations and may need time and space to understand what is going on for them; in a space where they feel safe and free from judgment.
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As your therapist I can be helpful in providing you with the conditions within which deeper understanding, empowerment and autonomy can be achieved. As perceptions and experiences are enhanced, relationships and the general coping with daily life are influenced in a meaningful and long-lasting way; facilitated by a therapist that is genuine, warm and present throughout the therapeutic encounter.
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With such a range of therapeutic approaches available today, with some that overlap and some that are in complete contrast, I am assured that there is something for everyone, however it feels important to go back to basics and state a few things that seem to apply to us all regardless of what therapeutic approach we might be drawn to.
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As a humanistic psychotherapist I am in strong adherence with the philosophies of the person-centred approach. The person-centred approach ultimately sees human beings as having an innate tendency to develop towards their full potential. However, this ability can become blocked or distorted by our life experiences - particularly those that affect our sense of value.
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I believe it is important to understand that it is natural for us to experience psychological distress from many things, such as our everyday lives, our pasts and the future. Often we can cope and develop useful coping mechanisms to help us through many of life’s challenges but sometimes we can find ourselves stuck and unsettled by feelings that might be lying beneath the surface. The affect of this alone can cause inner-conflict; an experience of disconnection with your internal and external world, and feelings of anxiety and depression. This is recognised by the person-centred approach as an important part of a person to be embraced and explored rather than “cured” and corrected.
