Helping people to unlock their emotional problems
Last updated 15:52, Wednesday, 23 April 2008
DO you have the ability to listen to people’s problems, genuinely care about their physical and emotional well being, and work alongside them to address those problems? Angela Power does.
She works as a counsellor and psychotherapist and has been a source of support and guidance for people for the last 12 years. But her role as a counsellor developed from a very different profession – teaching.
Angela’s pupils often came to her for advice and guidance; teaching in a secondary school meant she had to be supportive of people who were going through significant changes both emotionally and physically.
But, as she explains: “There wasn’t much space for that in the curriculum. But I loved supporting the pupils and being a person they trusted and felt they could come to.”
So when Angela and her partner, Dave, moved to West Cumbria, she decided a change of career was needed and enrolled on counselling courses at Workington College.
“After I had gained the necessary skills I wanted to acquire experience in as wide an area as possible so I began as a volunteer counsellor for CADAS, Cumbria Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service,” Angela said.
“The in-house training that CADAS offered, during the three years that I worked with them, was transactional analysis (TA) based, which gives a great way of understanding what makes us human beings tick. I decided to focus my studies on transactional analysis and took a four year training course at The Lakeland Institute in Ulverston.”
Transactional Analysis is an integrative psychotherapy using personal centred and humanistic approaches to provide support.
As a result her counselling approach offers a way of understanding how people develop their own personality from childhood onwards, how they relate to others in their personal and work relationships, and what they can do to make desired changes.
Angela’s counselling services are a shorter term solution for clients, with therapy sessions spanning approximately six to 12 weeks. But her psychotherapy skills are based on a longer term approach to dealing with client’s issues with much more in-depth analysis and support.
Her extensive skills and experience in psychotherapy and counselling have meant she has been able to work with a wide range of clients, from children to older adults: “I have run workshops to raise self esteem for children in local schools and those sessions can be very different from what would usually happen in an adult’s session,” Angela explained.
“Depending on the age of the children I’m working with, I’ll adapt my therapy techniques and use cuddly toys, art work or sand-play, for example.
“There are numerous reasons why schools ask me to hold therapeutic sessions with pupils; easing the transition period from junior school to secondary school is a significant one. It can be a very awkward and difficult time for children of that age and having the availability of my services means children are able to make that transition phase more easily.
“With my adult clients I will spend the first session getting to know them, and them getting to know me and talking about what’s brought them to counselling. It’s very important that they feel comfortable with me and are sure that I’m the appropriate counsellor for them.
“From then on I will encourage them to set out what they want to achieve from the counselling sessions and we’ll then go though how we can work together to reach those goals.
“To assist in the therapy sessions, I’ll put together a treatment plan for each client which we’ll then work through together.”
Angela offers individual, couples, family and group counselling and psychotherapy sessions whilst also providing study group and personal and professional development workshops, she continued: “As a counsellor and therapist, I am effectively being a key that can unlock the door to someone’s problems and issues.
“My part as a transactional analyst is to work through a client’s spoken words and body language. These give clues about the subconscious decisions we make from infancy onwards. We all pick up on things, from innocuous comments to potentially abusive events, which can have any number of effects on us.
“For example, as a child we can misconstrue a comment, which may have a negative impact on our emotional development. Later on in life, that may manifest as a difficulty with close relationships. So I am here to help people by working way back to that turning point and addressing issues, which then releases the blocked energy.
“As a counsellor I love being a part of the emotional and psychological healing of people: I love what I do but as a counsellor and psychotherapist you must have a broad range of qualities.
“First and foremost you must be a good listener and have a genuine empathy towards your client. You need to have a calm and steady nature but also be firm and assertive when called for. I have to work with clients who are angry sometimes, so to support them through that I need to match their energy with an equal amount of positive, assertive energy.
“It’s very healthy that an increasing number of people are willing to invest their time, money and energy in their own emotional and psychological wellbeing. I have a real interest in people and being beside them as they work through their issues is a truly rewarding experience”.
Angela has more than 20 years experience working in the caring and educative professions with children and adults but she explains that achieving her ideal career has been difficult at times.
“Trying to work whilst training and gaining further qualifications can be a difficult stage to undergo in anyone’s professional development,” she said.
“I was only able to work part-time at one point whilst I was training; it was difficult juggling the need to gain experience with studying.” After completing a Certificate in Counselling & Psychotherapy, Angela is continuing to study to be a Certified Transactional Analyst which means submitting a 24,000 word case study, accounting for a certain number of hours working with clients, and an oral exam.
“To become certified can take between four and eight years studying on a part-time basis.
“Obviously, studying the subject at university would take around two years but studying part-time was the option for me; I was able to study at my own pace, whilst continuing to work.
“But with all that in mind, the reward I have working as a counsellor and psychotherapist far outweighs the hard work which goes into actually getting there and I would recommend the profession to anyone.”
For more information contact Angela on: 01946 862779 or angie.power@ btinternet.com
