Shelley Holland
Counselling & Clinical Supervision

Counselling and Supervision

Counselling

My main model of working is the psychodynamic approach where the emphasis is on providing a secure, safe, and supportive therapeutic relationship where problematic issues can be understood through an exploration of both conscious and unconscious feelings – feelings that are buried or difficult to access are just as important as those we are all too aware of feeling!

We may also explore distant past or recent past events or relationships. These often heavily influence how we approach our day-to-day life and how we find ourselves responding in our present day relationships with others.

Stories can also be an important part of therapy. We all have a story, perhaps many stories, that have helped us at some point to make sense of our lives and the experiences we’ve had. Sometimes these stories seem to stop working, perhaps because of changes in our relationships with others, or because our life circumstances have changed.

From time to time I also work therapeutically with art materials – crayons and pastels for example. No ability to draw or be artistic is needed. It can be a very exciting and powerful way of accessing unconscious material for some people.

Counselling can be helpful in providing an environment where stories can be explored, considered, explained, rewritten perhaps. Counselling and psychotherapy are both ‘talking cures’. They are a method of developing improved emotional and psychological well-being through the process of therapeutic conversation with a trained therapist.

A great philosopher once said that even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. If you are reading this then it's likely you are already on that journey...

Supervision

I have undertaken advanced training in Clinical Supervision and offer counselling supervision to practising counsellors.

I have worked for many years within the field of counselling, and have managed a Counselling Service for over 7 years which involved running a large student placement scheme, placing and supporting over 20 counsellors-in-training each year.

I have a number of years experience supervising both qualified counsellors and counsellors-in-training, and welcome enquiries from both qualified and trainee counsellors looking for clinical supervision of their work. I currently offer supervision as a group supervisor with Arun Counselling Centre, as well as in private practice.

I also offer external supervision to those who are not counsellors but who work with others in a supportive or managerial role, or who require supervision of their work with vulnerable client groups.

Supervision sessions can be weekly, fortnightly or monthly and last either 50 minutes or 1.5 hours for individual one-to-one supervision. Small group supervision (maximum of three) is also available.