psychotherapy

 

 

 

Ruth Baker is an experienced professional who provides development services to individuals, couples, groups and organisations. She is a counsellor, psychotherapist, trainer, supervisor and coach who also works with organisations as a consultant.

Ruth is passionate about individuals and organisations developing the capacity to achieve their full potential

 

 

 

People come for psychotherapy and counselling for a number of reasons. They may simply be looking for a way of getting to know themselves better having recognised repeat patterns of problems in their lives.

Many people attend when life has become unbearable and they need support in making new decisions of finding different ways of living. They are looking to resolve problems in the present moment and recognise these may be rooted in earlier life experiences. The role of the counsellor and psychotherapist is to help a person work with the past to gain a fresh perspective and form life goals which will enable them to live a more fulfilled and positive life.

People come forwards with a wide variety of difficulties including:

Relationship difficulties, abuse, anxiety, depression, chronic conditions, deep unhappiness, trauma, personal growth, life transitions, bereavement and loss, child raising issues, infertility, addictions, eating problems, aggression and anger, gender – you name it any area where someone is unhappy in their lives.

Counselling contracts tend to be shorter term.

Psychotherapy contracts tend to be longer term and work at greater depth.

Ruth will look to work with the issues presenting in the here and now by understanding the dynamics of what is going on and using the past to help to understand the process.

 

 

I believe that our most intimate relationships have the power to enable us to achieve our greatest potential. Yet they present us with the some of the most challenging aspects of ourselves and others. Society does little to support the transition from falling romantically in love, to a fulfilling life long relationship. Throw in children, infertility, life’s ups and downs and it often seems simpler to live alone. We need to understand ourselves in these relationships and in the context of our gender. From there we can learn to transform our relationships.

Often couples will attend when things are feeling desperate and separation seems to be the only option.

It is my observation that we continue to repeat negative patterns of relating in new relationships. This is an opportunity to do something different and even if the result is separation: to have a deeper understanding of the processes involved and greater harmony in the process is beneficial. This is crucial if children are involved.

 

 

Coaching differs from counselling and psychotherapy in that it does not deal with deeper psychological issues. Life Coaching simply focuses on getting more out of life whilst Executive Coaching is aimed more specifically at performance in the corporate world, career development, leadership skills, organisational development and staff management.

Discovering your potential and helping you to achieve it.

The approach is one of a professional colleague who provides 1:1 development discussions, feedback on strengths and weaknesses, focuses on specific areas of work, short term, non directive, time bound, works with your skills, improving performance and specific areas of skills.

In executive coaching personal issues may be discussed, however the emphasis is on performance at work.

 

 

It is my belief that all professionals, particularly those working with people require a facilitated space to reflect upon their professional practice. Ruth has experience of providing group and 1:1 supervision where issues can be raised in a supportive non judgmental environment. It is a safe and confidential space to work through difficulties; however it can also look at professional development and be a place to celebrate success. Supervision can look at practice development, team working, individual customers and clients. It is often used as a place to offload and move forwards from.

 

 

Organisational development is about working with the potential of organisations to work to their optimum capacity. It is about working with the whole system to achieve shared visions and goals in a way which results in greater effectiveness of the organisation. It is about individuals in the organisation problem solving, learning new techniques and skills, and creating an atmosphere of continuous improvement.

Organisational development contributes to the sustained health and effectiveness of the organisation by working with robust diagnosis, it is planned and systematic in focus while taking into account the whole organisation, works to align different activities in the organisation projects and initiatives, involves groups of individuals in the organisation to maximise ownership, engagement and contribution.

 

 

I have a strong background in psychological theories and their application to human behaviour. These theories and understandings are versatile in terms of their application across a range of settings. My work is informed by: Transactional Analysis, Gestalt, developmental psychology, psycho dynamic theories, cognitive behavioural psychology, group analysis, transpersonal theories, a deep understanding of the importance of human relationships. In addition to this I will also use motivational interviewing, brief solution focussed therapy and emotional freedom techniques. My stance is fundamentally person centred creative and can even be fun.