Zoe Flint

There are many different approaches to therapy but research has consistently shown that the most important ingredient is the relationship between client and therapist. I offer a free initial session, either in person or online or by phone, so you can get a sense of how I work and whether we might be a good fit. 

Each person comes to counselling with different hopes, needs and expectations: you may need support with a particular situation, decision or relationship; you may feel stuck, repeating patterns over and over, finding it hard to break the cycle; you may constantly relive the past or worry about the future and want to be more present.

I believe we learn and grow primarily via our relationships and the same applies in counselling: it is the relationship of trust and safety created between us which enables change and growth. I am an integrative counsellor meaning I have various ways of working which I adapt to meet each person's needs. 

When recurring thoughts, feelings or behaviours are hard to manage, it can be because we learnt coping strategies in the past which are no longer useful. My role is to support and sometimes challenge you as you explore whatever experience or situation brought you to counselling and investigate what might be going on behind the scenes.

We can avoid uncomfortable emotions and memories because experiencing them is painful, but they usually make themselves known somehow, even if we are doing our best to suppress them. We can try to contain them in other ways, perhaps lose ourselves in work, alcohol, drugs, sex, shopping, cleaning, social media, etc. Some have the additional stress of an identity which is stigmatised and marginalised in our society.

Revisiting early relationships is invaluable. What did your parents, caregivers, school or culture teach you about life, about relationships? What did you come to believe about yourself? What did you have to do to fit in or feel loved? Are you still doing it now and what might it be costing you?