I feel that forgiveness is an ever-recurring theme in my life; forgiving people who hurt me; and, the hardest thing of all, forgiving myself for hurting others.
Empathy is the heart of a helping relationship. Empathy is not a feeling or a state. It is a continuing process throughout the relationship. Empathy is a process of being with the client, to experience the world in their frame of reference; to accompany them on their journey, commenting on what I see as if we were taking a physical journey together.
No therapeutic relationship should last forever. The helper only accompanies the client on part of their journey towards a more fulfilled life. Although it is difficult to predict the length of the therapeutic process, both client and helper need to recognise that there comes a point where their relationship should be terminated.
Since the client is unique, each therapeutic relationship and process will be different. The length and speed of the therapeutic process are quite impossible to predict. The middle phase of the therapeutic relationship can be long or short, just like the beginning or the end of it.
It is very hard to ask for help. First, we need to be self-aware and recognise that we need it. Then, we need to find someone from whom we are actually able to ask for help.
We are all unique individuals. We have our own past experiences, expectations, anxieties, fears, hopes and dreams. Therefore, every single relationship between two people is unique.
This workshop is for anyone and everyone who enjoys listening to stories. The aim of the session is to explore our own thoughts and feelings through listening to stories, telling or re-telling stories, or creating ones.
I’ve seen my friend Alice drumming in the church, but that was quite different from seeing her drumming in a pub with her band the Blu Tone.
We are human – we can only understand the world in stories. If we see an umbrella on a bench, we immediately, involuntarily make up a story in our minds…
