Happiness is a choice, not a result.
Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you.
~ Ralph Marston
An outmoded process?
In a world where information is at a touch of the button and AI can provide therapy style responses to your challenges, the role of person to person therapy and coaching is at a crossroads. Traditional and popular approaches alike are being questioned. CBT, the most popular intervention of our age, consists of techniques easily provided by programmes like ChatGPT whilst traditional therapy can be replicated by artificial intelligence sitting quietly, reflecting and asking curious questions.
So why pay for a human when a computer can do the job?
Where the magic lives
Evidence overwhelmingly shows that the single biggest component that creates successful change is not the approach, or the frequency of sessions, the duration, the experience of the practitioner or even the motivation of the client.
Instead, study after study shows that results come from the therapeutic relationship. The space that exists between the client and therapist or coach.
And this cannot be replicated by artificial intelligence or large language models, like ChatGPT. There may well come a time when we feel that sense of deep, safe and trusting connection with a robot but, as of now, we are not there. And perhaps we may never reach that point. As ChatGPT itself says, “The human connection, empathy and nuanced understanding that therapists provide just can’t be replicated by AI”.
“Eleanor doesn’t just go the extra mile, she runs the whole marathon with you!”
The power of therapy in the modern world
Psychotherapy has a long history of allowing us to explore the human condition in a safe and reflective space.
You will be given time to explore long standing issues, often rooted in childhood experiences. And we will uncover patterns of thought and behaviour that may be limiting your current life, and also those patterns that are empowering you and make you who you are.
“Clients who participate in humanistic therapies generally show substantially more change than comparable untreated clients.”
The three core components
The human experience is unique in that it combines cognitions (thoughts), emotions (feelings) and these things take place in an embodied state (our bodies). We are a combination of these three vital aspects and as such the therapeutic relationship takes account of all these things.
In our sessions together, we will work on all three elements. I will be aware of your physicality and what this tells us about your thoughts and feelings, and similarly we will pay attention to what your emotions tell us about your expressed thoughts at that time and vice versa.
Good therapy is a dance between these three sides of ourselves, and how they show up in the sessions is a reflection of how they show up in your wider world. In this way, our sessions become a microcosm of your wider world and allow us to explore what is happening for you in safety and trust.
The transformative power of coaching
Coaching is a dynamic and forward focused practice that incorporates goal setting and purpose driven changes in your everyday life. Together we will see what challenges confront you and work on real life solutions.
Our sessions will be problem solving, technique focused and exploratory, as we work together to try new approaches out, see what works and make plans for change that makes a true difference to your life right now.
We will also have between session support, full session notes and a space between sessions for us to continue our proactive work together.
“By helping you develop coping mechanisms, improve self-esteem, and cultivate resilience, life coaching can transform your mental well-being.”
“I can’t imagine life without my sessions now. It’s as if a light has been switched on.”
— Jeremy, 35
With me, you will learn to:
Learn proven and effective strategies to improve your sense of positivity.
Implement real life tips to increase your daily sense of well-being.
Utilise the most recent psychological research to boost your happiness levels (yes it can be done!)
Craft greater day to day well-being levels using the latest neuroscientific discoveries on what actually constitutes happiness.
Build up a toolbox of techniques that are easy to implement, effective in the short term and yet will last you a lifetime.
Ultimately, there is nothing more inherently human than talking with vulnerability, having your emotions heard and feeling seen and understood by a fellow human.
“The moments that define life are the moments of human connection.”