The Great Pause. Certainly many of us have felt that parts of our lives have been on pause. Our social lives. Travelling abroad. Perhaps our jobs? The list goes on. Face-to-face therapy was also on pause for many of us during this time. Even the idea of seeing someone may have felt impossible or overwhelming with so much else happening in the world.
As a therapist, the biggest change was seeing clients almost exclusively over Zoom, with all the challenges and flexibility that came with it. I’ve decided that I’m ready to see vaccinated clients face-to-face again. I now have consulting rooms in both Chelmsford, Essex and Shoreditch, London. I have availability at both locations and am interested in seeing new clients.
One of the advantages of Gestalt in the current situation is that it draws on Field Theory. Quite simply, Field Theory acknowledges that there is a big picture and we are in it. Like any big picture there can be any number of big themes, small details and central figures. Unlike a painting this big picture is subject to change, and what was merely in the background is sometimes now the central figure.
You could think of an example of this thusly: COVID is part of the your background whether you like it or not. However, it may not be the central figure that’s holding your attention. The central figure could be anything from childcare commitments, to struggling in a relationship, to anxiety about work. COVID would suddenly move from the background to the foreground if someone in your family suddenly displays symptoms. In this way the field, or background, and the central figure are always in a state of flux, shifting subtly or dramatically.
I’ve found that keeping an awareness of the big picture during the last two years has enabled me to understand just how much myself and others are up against, socially, politically, and virally.
Perhaps you’ve decided it’s time to make sense of your big picture, the various themes in your life, and even reexamine the small details?
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Holding on to Hope Counselling 