Hello, I’m Pablo. I am an integrative therapist.

What does that actually mean?

It means that I help you address psychological problems, drawing on different therapeutic models like Person Centred Therapy (PCT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Trauma Informed modalities.

PCT states that certain conditions in therapy the client will resolve conflict and develop psychologically – those conditions include empathy, congruency and unconditional positive regard, which brings clarity and the experience of worthiness necessary for therapeutic growth.

With CBT we identify certain negative beliefs as the cause of our emotional suffering and aim to replace those beliefs with more realistic/ functional ones.

Trauma Informed Modalities include new therapy generations that agree our present psychological difficulties are routed in our past trauma and aim to help us understand those elements of our past and come up with strategies to respond to this. I also use ideas from Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), Solution Focused Therapy and Somatic Experiencing.

How long does this process take?

I would say it depends, many people report significant improvements after a few weeks however for deep lasting shifts several months are necessary to review and consolidate the changes

How will we know where to start?

I would start by asking questions to understand your context. What is important for you? What and when has been problematic for you in the past? We might explore your past, where those difficulties might be coming from and once we understand the past patterns we can modify more efficiently our present/future patterns. My sessions normally feel like a conversation about the things that matter to you and what can help create positive change.

How would we start unpacking issues?

In the first 1-2 sessions I try to gain a general understanding and will ask you about different aspects of your life. We will quickly move into what feels more important, where your attention is more focussed (normally this means what is worrying us more), we will see the history of the issue and what has worked best and not worked in our attempts to resolve the issue.

We will also explore how different psychological needs are being met in the present, I understand psychological thriving as more than the solution of problems but as the successful and ongoing meeting of psychological needs such as purpose, connection/belonging, safety, creativity, rest/nutrition, enjoyment and development of our potential.

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If you would like to seek mental health services in Bristol, our team can help. At Bristol Counselling and Psychotherapy, we have a team of experienced counsellors who are ready to offer support for a wide range of mental health issues, welcoming individuals into safe and non-judgemental spaces within which to begin their journey to recovery. For more information or to book an initial consultation, please email hello@bristolcounsellingandpsychotherapy.co.uk. Alternatively, to speak to us directly, please contact 07751 271 709.