My Philosophy of Counselling & Worldview

My philosophy of counselling is rooted in Narrative, Humanistic, Existential, Relational and Collaborative Therapeutic Modalities. I believe that the stories people tell themselves about their problems shape not only their lives but they also keep them from achieving their own potentials and prevent them from being who they really are. I understand problems as socially constructed entities that are not inherited or self-imposed. Within this understanding is a notion that neither the person nor the relationship between people is the problem. As White (1990) said, “the problem becomes the problem”.

As the name of my counselling agency suggests, one way to conquer problems and to reclaim our authentic life is to reach into what we already have, our inner power. This power within each one of us is what sustains us despite perceived weaknesses, diversity, social constructs and self-defeating behaviours. We often forget what got us going in the first place, what we stand for or believe in and consequently, we give in to negative self-talk or we cave in under the pressure of social expectations and roles others have assigned to us. The power within all of us never leave us, but it is up to us to reach into it so we reclaim our authentic state of being.

Further, I believe that theoretical modalities may inform a counsellor’s practice but the process of connecting and creating a space for change to take place is far more important than following a script someone else designed.

My worldview is one of human/nature’s connectedness, unconditional acceptance, integrity, dignity, respect, compassion and mutual trust. This worldview is informed by the work of G. Bateson, M. White, R.D. Lang, R. May, V. Franklin, C. Jung, Yalom and others who look for patterns of connections, explore meanings we assign to our experiences, witness human pain without the urge to run away, and look for unique outcomes instead of human pathologies.