Katherine Nickoll - Therapeutic Counselling
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Counselling Options

Menu of creative counselling and relaxation techniques:

If you would like to incorporate these into your counselling, please let me know. I may suggest things through the course of our therapeutic journey, but as this is person-centred counselling remember you are in charge, so if you want to try any of these out, please say so.
Some exercises we can do in the moment, others I may need to prepare, so please give me at least 48 hours’ notice if you would like to try one of these techniques. 


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Creative counselling

Work with clay

Online or phone 

​You’ll need
Clay, natural clay preferably, but air-dry clay or even plasticine or playdoh can work. You'll also need a board to work on, an apron, a knife or cheese-wire, and if you like stamps or natural objects to press into the clay. 

Why clay?

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Work with clay is grounding, tactile, mindful, and meditative, we can literally manipulate a lump of earth into something beautiful or useful or both.  Using clay therapeutically can enhance our sense of ourselves, timelessly.  Creating with clay is a multi-sensory and holistic experience: we can let our conscious and unconscious emotions, desires and ideas shape our creations. We can also release emotion by wedging (pounding) out air bubbles or squishing down rejects. It’s also a beautiful metaphor for change and growth as the lump of earth transcends into a piece of art. ​
Online sand tray

Online

You'll need:
To access your session through zoom.

Why online sand-tray?

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Working with a sand tray creates a safe and boundaried environment which can allow us to express emotional issues that are difficult to put into words.
This technique has been developed by HG Wells (yes really!), Carl Jung,
Dora Kalff and Margaret Lowenfeld.
Although when working online we lose the tactile nature of the sand, we gain accessibility, and an almost endless choice of symbols to represent our emotions!
Work with stories and characters 

Online or Phone

You'll need:
An image of a favourite character, or a book or comic where they feature. Or you may want to bring pens or pencils to draw them, or have technology handy to search for images.​

​Why work with stories or characters?

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  • Develop your sense of self through exploring character
  • Use visualisation and drawing to create a story to connect with deep feelings
  • Use storytelling and metaphor to connect the unconscious and conscious
  • Tell your story, express yourself, cathartically get it out of the mind and the body, and onto the page

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Work with photos, cards, and images

​Online 

You'll need:
  • A pack of therapeutic cards, I can recommend some or you can work with your own
  • Or a camera, or your phone to take photos. You may need to take photographs before our sessions and then share them with me during a session
  • Or a collection of powerful images that jump out for you​
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Why work with images ?

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Images can be powerful when words are not enough, they can link to deeper or unexpressed feelings.
Photography can be empowering as a form of communication and expression. It can also be therapeutic, as like mindfulness, you can find yourself in flow or deep concentrate, which can calm the mind. There are also powerful metaphors we can explore around seeing things from a different perspective
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We can explore your photographs, or work on a collage.
Work with art and colour 

Online or Phone

You'll need:
Felt tips, crayons, pencils, or paint, and paper.
If using paint don't forget brushes, water, a plate or palette, newspaper and a cloth. 
​
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Why work with art and colour?

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Art and colour can be a link to deeper feelings. 
​By explore your relationship with colour you can learn which colours soothe and relax you, and which colours inspire or motivate you.  
Using art in counselling can build self expression, explore communicate emotions, and build and recognised inner strength.  Work with mandalas can be grounding and doodling can be powerful. We can link drawing to visualisation and storytelling through a longer exercise.
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Work with words and poems
You'll need:
A pen and notebook, or a phone or tablet. 
Why work with words and poems?
Using words creatively and reflecting on them can be a meaningful link to deeper feelings; uncover insights and unlock creativity. We can reflect on existing poems together, or, follow prompts, or freestyle to write poems or prose that is meaningful for you, that we can then explore together. 
You don't need any previous experience of creative writing. ​

Relaxation techniques

Mindfulness

Online or Phone

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Mindfulness blends modern psychology and the ancient wisdom of meditation to help us live more fully and with a greater sense of perspective. It is the awareness that arises from paying attention to our experience in the present moment, with curiosity, compassion, and acceptance.  I can guide you to experience each of your senses, through a body scan and to focus on the breath. ​
Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness

Online or Phone

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Mindfulness aids empowerment and resilience, however mindfulness meditation can exacerbate symptoms of trauma.  As a trauma-informed counsellor, my gentle and careful approach can help you to access mindfulness in a safe way.​
Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Online or Phone

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In progressive muscle relaxation, you tense a group of muscles as you breathe in, and you relax them as you breathe out. You work on your muscle groups in a certain order.

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When your body is physically relaxed, it is harder to be anxious. So it is an effective stress relief technique.
Visualisation or guided imagery

Online or Phone

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This practice of creating a detailed mental image of an attractive and peaceful setting or environment. It is helpful if you share with me the sorts of environments that you find relaxing and if there are any triggers you might want to avoid. We can combine this with creative counselling to draw or write about the experience.  ​
Grounding techniques

Online or Phone

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Grounding can help you feel more connected to the present, and can be helpful when feeling anxious, dysregulated or dissociated. 

These short exercises can be done at the end of any of the above techniques or on their own, or before or after traditional talking counselling. 
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I can also send you some of these to do in your own time.

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Drawing mandalas

Online or Phone

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Mandala drawing was first practiced by Tibetan Buddhist and then developed by Carl Jung. Studies have shown that drawing mandalas improves our wellbeing. 
Drawing mandalas can help to
bring peace, calm and tranquillity, they can help with concentration, and make it easier to be mindful, as they can push aside thoughts and let your creativity flow.
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Please note I am not a crisis service. 
If you need urgent or crisis support, please consider contacting one of the these organisations, which are open 24/7.
If your life is at risk, please call 999 for immediate help. Mental Health emergencies are serious, you are not wasting anyone's time. 

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