Our Approach

There are a number of models of counselling commonly used in the UK. Staff at Five Valleys Counselling Practice are either fully trained in psychodynamic counselling, or have this as part of their training, and are clinically supervised in this model.

What is Psychodynamic Counselling?

The term 'psychodynamic' comes from two roots: psyche refers to the human mind or soul, which is expressed as our sense of self; dynamic refers to the idea that our sense of who we are, and our external relationships with others, are not static but change in response to the situations we find ourselves in.

Psychodynamic counselling works from the premise that our early life experiences, from birth through to young adulthood, are highly important in shaping the adult we become. We are born with a genetic inheritance which is expressed in both our physical self, and our personality and predisposition (“nature”). This is then overlaid by our experiences (“nurture”): how we are cared for, what kinds of rules and opportunities we encounter in our family and community; and what kinds of other life experiences we have as we grow. Psychodynamic counselling aims to unpick the complex interaction of our nature and the nurture we have had, in order to help us find the sense of self that we are comfortable with. This helps us to direct our decisions and actions in life in an informed and reflective manner, rather than simply reacting to events as they unfold.

A significant number of people begin to experience difficulties at times of important life changes - for example, at adolescence; leaving home; starting a career; having children; losses and bereavements.

Sometimes we have experienced traumatic events in our past, or more recently, that need processing because of their enduring impact. There are also a very significant number of people who have not experienced enough of the emotional or practical care that they needed in early life and struggle with adulthood as they feel they have a lack of internal resources to manage the challenges of adult relationships, work and commitments.

There are times when we cannot identify clear reasons for our difficulties – the experienced counsellors at Five Valleys Counselling Practice are skilled in helping you identify the underlying reasons, and then finding a positive way ahead with you.

When we experience difficulties in our lives, we can develop essential strategies to help us manage the situation we are in. These strategies can become a second nature to us and we continue to use them, even when they are no longer necessary or helpful. Psychodynamic counselling can assist in identifying which strategies remain helpful to you and which you may want to let go of.