with
Gina Dowd
Ask Yourself
Ask yourself what space you are in right now, when we are in the right space we are connected to now and the actual event which is taking place, much better for body and soul.
Reaching Out
If we get stuck it is not always important to know why we are stuck, but rather admit we are stuck and reach out for support.
Hit the Pause Button
The only way we can start each day is by learning from yesterdays mistakes and letting go, being mindful today and remembering to pause
What Matters?
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
Creating the Space
What is Counselling/ Psychotherapy? How can talking possibly help me, I wouldn’t know what to say, no one can understand what I am going through!
These are often comments I hear. Some said directly to me, some overheard in a queue, some I read. I can’t fix anyone as I am not a mechanic, I can’t make anyone talk as I am not that amazing! I can’t change anyone as I don’t have supernatural powers. What I can do is listen, I mean really listen.
so how about ..
.. if you were to just pause today if someone is telling you a story and really listen, they are not interested in your opinion they just want an uninterrupted five minutes to tell their story.
The kind of listening that doesn’t interrupt to tell you that you are wrong, or that my story is better/worse, the kind that doesn’t make you feel shamed or embarrassed, the kind that doesn’t look at my watch and wonder if you are ever going to finish. My listening isn’t about being exceptionally amazing or gifted I am human just like everyone else. My listening is about ..
..being interested enough
to give you space so you can figure stuff out, so together we can get to grips with what is going on. Thats it, nothing more or nothing less. Clients aren’t interested in how many qualifications I have or how many years I have been doing this job. A client wants to know that I can be there, I mean really be there, they usually figure out my availability within the first give minutes of meeting me!
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Counselling West
Childhood Abuse and Trauma
“ One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them ” Aldous Huxley, Brave New World To lose something is to feel grief, panic, sadness and anger. This may be short lived but all these feelings are inevitable as our mind grapples to bring into...
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Raymond and I
' Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? ' Martin Lloyd Jones Raymond has been knocking around quite a while now, an annoying little fellow who makes his appearance...
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Anxiety and its Relationship to Stress
' stress, anxiety and depression, appear when we are living only to please others ' PAULO COELHO Many people today are diagnosed as having anxiety, a chronic debilitating condition that needs diagnosis by the time we decide to look at it. By the diagnosis is made a...
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Supporting Adolescents
Today’s world is full of stuff. Stuff we should be doing, stuff we should like, stuff we are supposed to enjoy and the list goes on. Imagine for one moment being an adolescent again… what’s it like to imagine that place???? You would probably rather not go there. So...
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Time to Stop!
We are almost through January and statically it is around now that all good intentions begin to slip. The healthy eating plan has a few holes in it, the gym doesn’t look as attractive as that first week, the resolve to give up smoking has worn thin, we are...
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Farm Accidents
Understanding the impact of Farm Accidents As therapist’s we are trained to sit with another’s person’s pain, crises, upset or confusion. Our tool bag is full of the wonderful skills of listening, empathy, understanding, appropriate theory, patience and time. At times...
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A Therapists View
Ask yourself what space you are in right now, when we are in the right space we are connected to now and the actual event which is taking place, much better for body and soul. Becoming a therapist isn’t something you dream of as a child, it isn’t a magical calling, it...
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Surviving Our Anger
'Anger dwells in the bosom of fools' ALBERT EINSTEIN (1856-1939) physicist & all round genius For many people their anger is something to be feared. At some point they may have been told they have anger issues, maybe their anger has caused them some shame or...
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Yoga for Everybody
August 2016 Gina Dowd Counselling West It can be free, its fun, its relaxing, its energetic…………..its good for you. Yoga is a practice I have dipped in and out of for years. I even went so far as to train as a yoga teacher and had a short but lovely experience of...
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The Irish Psyche
'The Irish is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever' SIGMUND FREUD (1856-1939) the founding father of psychoanalysis Would you tell your neighbor you were in therapy? Maybe, depends on the questions the neighbor was asking, depends if your...
read moreThe most creative act you will undertake is that of creating yourself
Deepak Chopra
Counselling Services
Adults
The work of therapy is most often associated with present difficulties and a sense of unease in the world. For many, this often relates to childhood memories, experiences and introjections. My training in the psychodynamic and eclectic model affords me the opportunity to work with adults who face many challenges and upsets in their lives. For many feelings of stress, despair or anxiety lead to unhappiness in themselves and confusion around identity and the way forward. I offer adults the opportunity to talk through their concerns in a helpful and supportive way so that a person can make sense of both their feelings in body and mind. Short or long-term support is offered depending on individual needs and requirements.
Adolescents
Having specialised in a Gestalt Adolescent Psychotherapy Gina works with adolescents their parents & carers. A relational assessment is completed during the first meeting between adolescents and their parents. This offers everyone involved the opportunity to speak about their concerns and offer a focus on a supported way forward. Ongoing work is offered in various ways: individual psychotherapy session with the adolescent, parent strategy sessions all of these methods offer supportive work between the family system.The therapeutic space I offer is an opportunity for a young person to begin to get to know themselves and figure out their own place in the world. Family sessions are offered in consultation with the younger person as a way to encourage communication and facilitate positive change within the family network.
Children
This work offers an opportunity to young children to explore issues of Anxiety, Loss, Change or Upset that may be happening in their lives. Working alongside parents in family sessions promotes the interaction and communications patterns that facilitate change. All work requires parental consent and initial family consultation. I work with children from age 4+.
Issues
The many issues dealt with include Childhood Issues and Trauma, Sexual Identity, Grief and Loss Relationship Difficulties, Separation, Anxiety and Depression, Personal Development, Sexual, Physical and Emotional Abuse, Self Esteem, Confidence and Assertiveness.
Questions are always one of best ways to start the healing, please feel free to use the contact form here
sometimes a nice cup of coffee goes
a long way
“I always thought I was nobody now after time spent in therapy I realise I am somebody .. ..thankyou “
the words of a wonderful person who gave me permission to publish at the end of her therapy journey today
Counselling Sessions
Sessions can be on a weekly or fortnightly basis as per your preference or needs and normally one hour in duration. Talking in confidence will give you the space and time you need to talk through your concerns and seek the most appropriate solution for you.
Gina Dowd
BsocSC
NQSW
MIACP
A qualified Psychotherapist, I trained with the Tivoli Institute in Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy. I am a member of the Irish Association of Counselling Practitioners and am Garda vetted and Children First trained by the HSE.
My experience includes work with Bereaved Adults and Children in Hospice and Palliative Care Teams, Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse, direct work with Children and Teenagers experiencing Anxiety and Loss. Personal development in Yoga training with adults and children has enabled me to incorporate and understanding of both body and mind in my counselling approach.
Gina Dowd
BsocSC
NQSW
MIACP
A qualified Psychotherapist, I trained with the Tivoli Institute in Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy. I am a member of the Irish Association of Counselling Practitioners and am Garda vetted and Children First trained by the HSE.
My experience includes work with Bereaved Adults and Children in Hospice and Palliative Care Teams, Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse, direct work with Children and Teenagers experiencing Anxiety and Loss. Personal development in Yoga training with adults and children has enabled me to incorporate and understanding of both body and mind in my counselling approach.
Finding your Life Space a new approach..
Get in Touch
Counselling West with Gina Dowd – Creating the Space for Healing