In my opinion, most of our problems come from our internal thoughts, memories, patterns, and interpretations of the world around us (the things that fill up those little boxes in your mind). This could mean what we think doesn’t match the reality of the situation, we're mistakenly bringing the wrong box of tools, or we make a mistake gauging what something is supposed to mean. If we can find a way to recognize when we are looking at the world through an off-colored lens, we can adjust and find a better suited way to approach things. To do this, we need to understand why we think the way we do and what made us come to those conclusions. Why did that make me upset? Why do I always react a certain way? What can I do to avoid problems in the future? It is these sorts of questions that we are hoping to find answers to. If we can find ways to become more self-aware and notice what box we are using and when, then we're more likely to pick the best box to set us up for success. For example, instead of saying “I can’t do math, so I can’t do anything right,” making the change to say, “I can’t do math and that’s okay. I can do other things well.” When we become more aware of our conscious and unconscious thoughts, we gain a deeper understanding of both who we are and why we act in the ways that we do.
Education
Certifications
Our world is full of people with different thoughts, beliefs and backgrounds. I think it is safe to say there is no “one-size-fits-all” way to interact with another person without neglecting an important part of their identity. My approach to counselling mixes cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and parts of psychodynamic therapy (PT). By using PT, I am better able to explore the past events that led my client to this point in their life, then use ACT and CBT to collaborate with clients to confront the issues they are facing now, and to make goals and plans for how they wish for things to proceed in the future. To me, use of these three approaches allows for more in-depth exploration of intrinsic processes (emotions, thoughts, perceptions, etc.) along with the behaviours and relationships that occur because of them. Research indicates integration of counselling approaches allows for more personalized treatment, and that can be harnessed to better meet the ever growing and diversifying needs in our globalizing world.
Supervised by Adrian de Zwart
(Mindful Seoul Psychological Services, adriandezwart@gmail.com)
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