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COUPLES AND FAMILY THERAPY, INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY. Meg provides a secure place to bring your delicate concerns and is able to assist you to problem solve in a way that recognises your strengths. Meg is a warm and caring practitioner who is experienced and able to reflect on a wide pool of psychological theories while fundamentally respecting your individual and unique therapeutic needs.
Experience and Qualifications at the end of this page.
Marital, Family, Personal and Group Counselling CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS & ADULTS
Influence your life.
TESTIMONIALS
"The experience of psychotherapy for me has been a respectful and empowering process. In the past I had participated in a few group therapy situations, which I found beneficial, but ultimately for me, group therapy is like a nutritious snack while individual therapy is a well balanced and sustaining meal.
At times therapy has been challenging and difficult but I have always felt cared for and protected in my work with Meg.
The most wonderful outcome for me, has been learning how to be in a mindful, encouraging and productive relationship with myself- and flowing on from that, with my partner, family and friends."
KATHY, MARCH 2008
My Counselling Experience
"I began counselling at a time when I thought there was no hope for me. I felt I couldn’t do anything about my situation or the way I was feeling, I could barely function and could see no way out. I literally felt I could die.
I started the process feeling hopeless and this went on for months, I didn’t think I was making any progress and sat crying and repeating the same things for much of my sessions, then I started to think ‘Meg is going to think I’m useless too – what if she gives up on me as well’. Luckily, she didn’t and I started to feel very safe in my little space and looked forward to going. I would get through each week just thinking if only I could make it to my counselling session; I would get a little bit of strength to keep on going.
Slowly, my thoughts began to change and I felt I deserved better, even though I couldn’t see how, this was a big milestone. I would often slip back but I felt encouraged to see the positiveness of these small steps. In time I built on this and could start to see a future for myself and my children, instead of seeing nothing.
So, I’ve learnt to accept my past, my faults and my mistakes as part of who I am, I’ve learnt to accept myself and be kinder by not giving myself such a hard time.
More importantly, I’ve learnt its okay to be with myself, I don’t have to have someone to validate me – I can exist on my own. This is still constant work though, my old beliefs are so powerful I have to work hard to keep them down; hopefully in time this will get easier."
Thanks so much Meg
xx
SERVICES
Specialising in:
Counselling
Couples or Family Therapy
Child and Adolescent Counselling
Individual Psychotherapy
Group Psychotherapy
Understanding Dreams
Therapeutic Application of the Arts
Personal Development
Professional Clinical Supervision
Therapy for Therapists
Inspiring day long Workshops and Retreats
Public Talks and Educational Seminars
Conference Presentations
Experiential Group Psychotherapy for Group workers.
Creative mentoring for Artists
Support and discussion Groups for Mothers of Teenage Boys
Deepening Self-Esteem and Dream Analysis Groups
Counselling and Psychotherapy with a respectful and qualified professional assists you to develop the clarity and confidence to live authentically.
You will be more effective in solving your relationship conflicts and heartaches, challenges at work, depression, confusion, low self-esteem, communication skills, work/life balance and more.
Recognise what it is that might hold you back from the life and relationships you really want, and see the way forwards .
Find a constructive ways to have a satisfying and supportive relationship with your self.
Is it time to live your life fully ?
Sessions are one hour duration.
Weekly, fortnightly or monthly sessions can be arranged according to your need.
20% Discount for single parents and unemployed people.
Scroll down for:
Group Psychotherapy Program
Information on Couples and Family Counselling
Deepening self-esteem
Information on the study of Dreams
Qualifications and experience
General Issues Addressed:
Relationship issues
Healthy relationships
Career challenges
Mental Health
Grief and loss
Life Transitions
Confusion
Conflict Resolution
Preparation for marriage and parenting
Divorce and separation
Learning self care
Understanding and changing Self-Harm and Suicidal tendencies
Trauma
Anxiety, Social and other Phobias,
Post Traumatic Stress
Depression
Self-esteem
Assertiveness
Abuse Issues
Parenting, child safety and wellbeing
Anger Management
Effects of Domestic Violence
Work Issues
Life Direction
Addictions
Trust
The search for satisfaction and happiness
Discovering your personal spirituality and connection with the sacred.
Individuation.
Enhance your Couples Relationship and Family Life
All couples and families experience conflict within their relationship at some stage.
They sometimes try to work things out on their own and find it difficult to find a solution that works for all involved.
Would you like to enjoy each other more?
Let me help you bring the fun back!
Now’s the time to get help from a qualified relationship specialist.
You may be interested in reflecting on:
How to maintain healthy relationships
Guidelines for constructive arguing
Communication,
Co-parenting
Lifestyle management.
Child and adolescent problems
You may need to ask yourselves :
"When did we stop being a couple and function only as parents?"
"When was the last time we went out together?"
Bring greater harmony into your important intimate relationships.
Parenting can be a real challenge at times.
Are you worried or concerned about your child or teenager?
I can provide a clear and thorough assessment of your child’s problems.
Together, you and I can develop solutions that work.
Find ways to minimise fractures within the family and gain support to decrease the chance of angry escalations in the process of guiding your children and adolescents.
Book a session and explore your concerns. Couples and Family counselling averages between 2 and 10 sessions, usually on a fortnightly basis.
Help with deepening self-esteem
Injured self-esteem impacts upon all aspects of life including ones relationships, family life, social life, work and inner experience of self.
Discover ways to influence ones inner self-talk and live a more satisfying life. Reflect on the difference between internal and external criticism as well as strengthen a connection to an innate sense of competence.
When you can reduce the accumulation of negative feelings, self-imagery and self-concepts, you can then view yourself and others more compassionately as well as have the confidence to take reasonable risks to achieve realistic goals.
There are ways to influence one’s inner self-talk and live a more satisfying life
Enquire now about the next 6-month “Deepening Self- Esteem”- weekly therapeutic Dream Analysis group -weaves together discussion, dream work- incorporating Jungian perspectives, journal keeping, principals of Yalom style Group Psychotherapy and reflection on a variety of inspiring texts.
Dreams…..A vital bridge between the unconscious & conscious mind.
Dreams frequently present solutions to many of life’s predicaments. They present metaphorical images as subject matter for intelligent questioning and fruitful discussions. This naturally results in greater awareness of behavioral patterns and relationship transactions. One can then exercise greater influence and make informed choices in relation to one’s life, behavior and relationships. Participate in discussions within a respectful group culture
Introduction to understanding dreams
Create your own Creative Dream Journal ( explore art, writing, dreams etc)
Deepen your ability to connect with dreams as a symbolic and metaphorical language
Participate in an opportunity to explore any current or recurring dreams
Explore your dreams and practice mindfulness in relation to the context of your life
Identify your personal challenges and current life tasks
Explore different theoretical perspectives on dreams
Benefit from the consistency, reliability and intimacy of a weekly group
Know that your inner authority and your sense of reality is respected in this group
Enjoy quality therapy at an accessible group rate
When you ring to participate, you will be given a free pre-group individual discussion appointment to establish what you personally would like to get out of the group and an opportunity to briefly meet with me and decide if this group is for you.
What Exactly is a 12-month Therapeutic Group?
And what does it have to offer me?
The effective practice of group psychotherapy has been evidence based for many decades and it is gradually developing a public profile in Australia. You may have observed the existence of qualified group practitioners in our local community offering this modality of therapy. Many of us may have mistakenly considered that individual therapy is more intensive than Group therapy. Recent research by leading authority, Irvin Yalom, states that “25% of the time group therapy is more effective than individual therapy and 75% of the time is as effective as individual therapy”.
Advantages
One of the advantages of groups- relevant to our current economic climate is their relative afford ability. A weekly therapeutic experience is costed at a group rate compared to weekly therapy sessions at individual rates.
The top 3 advantages commonly reported by group participants (extracted from client feedback listed in the world renowned Irvin Yalom’s recent 4th edition of “The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy”) are:
1. the self-respect gained through benefiting other group members
2. the experience of belonging to and being accepted by the group
3. A sense of universality, learning I’m not the only one with my type of problem “we’re all in the same boat.”
This outcome is certainly confirmed in my clinical work .
As a human you are a social, heard animal. You grew up in a family, went to school, go to work, and have the freedom to start your own relationships, family and social life. The quality of your current life and relationships is coloured by your learned relationship tendencies from past group experiences ( family and school etc) and personal interactions. Sometimes you may need the support of a qualified and experienced professional to assist you in asking the question “How do I Change?"
A group is an opportunity for you to participate in discussions & reflections within a respectful group culture. 12 months is recommended for long term realistic outcomes. Slowly, safely and steadily you will be able to identify your personal challenges and current life tasks while benefiting from the consistency, reliability and trust of a closed weekly group.
Another feature of an effective therapeutic group is the focus on a common theme, for example: life after separation or a group for couples whose kids have moved out of home or exploring the subject of your dreams and their underlying meanings. Reflecting on a common theme creates group cohesiveness-hence the thought “we’re all in the same boat”
In terms of preparing to value your life with a small weekly fee you may have to cross a cultural hurdle- that only spending finances on material goods will bring you lasting happiness. This is a myth crushed by evidence that in an era of excess material goods and technology- we have an all time greatest peak in our records of people with depression across our global communities.
Thoughts on Dreams
Dreams sometimes reflect our waking personalities and sometimes the opposite. Freud’s famous words are quite apt ( 1856-1939) “Dreams are the Royal Road to the Unconscious”.
I also treat dreams as a useful and important tool in the therapeutic process.
Dreaming is what we do when we are asleep and we spend 1/3 of our life sleeping, so we might as well take advantage of the fact we have a life time pass to free dreams from birth. There is no better window into the depths of our unconscious personal and sacred experiences than or own tailor made dreams.
Jung (1875-1960) comments on Dreams “the whole dream work is essentially subjective and a dream is a theater in which the dreamer is him/herself the scene, the player, the prompter, the producer, the author, the public and the critic. This simple truth forms the basis for a conception of the dreamer’s meaning which I have called interpretation on the subjective level. Such an interpretation, as the term implies, conceives all figures in the dream as personified feature of the dreamers own personality.” Jung’s words were from page 168 “Our Dreaming Mind” by Robert Van de Castle.
Preceding this on page 156 Robert Van de Castle explains Jung’s view that “dreams can help to sensitize us to the neglected aspects of our personality by zeroing in on blind spots in our awareness.”
While gaining awareness of blind spots is helpful and important, know that in a professionally run group your inner authority and sense of reality is respected.
Summery
The Latest research from world renowned Irvine Yalom states that group therapy is more effective than individual therapy 25% of the time and equal to individual therapy in effectiveness 75% of the time.
This is the result from extensive research involving many professionals who practice both modalities.
This research is helpful to burst the myth that perhaps Individual therapy is more intensive.
Group psychotherapy is beneficial as people realize others are not too different from oneself in that we all encounter challenges.
Group psychotherapy is affordable compared to individual rates.
Provides a greater range of social interactions and a broad range of experiences
QUALIFICATION DETAILS
Meg Benson
- DEGREE( equivalent)-Psychotherapist/Counsellor-10 YEARS PART-TIME STUDY
Integrative of: Psycho Analytic and Jungian Psychotherapy, Tavistoc Model, Eastern and Indigenous Psychology and Philosophy, Existentialism, Spirituality and the Sacred.plus generalist counselling
- POST GRAD-Couples and Family Therapist ICP -Structural, Strategic, Brief Solutions Focussed Therapy, plus Milan Systemic Family Therapy- 2 1/2 YEARS PART-TIME.
- 18 month toddler observation module covering early childhood personality development and the work of D. W. Winnicott
- Specialist Skills in the Therapeutic Application of the Arts - (visual art, creative writing and drama) As founding member of Blue Mountains Chilren's Theatre, I was supervised and mentored for 5 years by my training analyst.
- Reg member of Institue of Clinical Psychotherapy (ICP)
- Reg Member of the Adolescent and Family Counsellors of NSW
- Training in engaging multicultural clients
- Specialist in engaging delinquent Adolescents
- Attends the Australian Family Therapy Conferences
- Attends the Adolescent and Family Counsellors Association anual conferences.
- Training in the principles of non-violent resistence in the application to work with angry, controlling and aggressive children.
- 2007 -08 Chairperson of Adolescent and Family Counselling Association NSW
Meg has experience as:
A short term counsellor and a longer term Psychotherapist within a private practice setting. Facilitator for numerous Psychotherapeutic Dream Groups, numerous Deepening Self-esteem Discussion Groups, Psychotherapist and Counsellor to Adults , Couples, Families, Adolescents and Children in her private practice within a systemic framework.
Service manager and sole clinician within an NGO context offering generalist counselling to Adolescent and or their parents of the whole family, effectively liasing with schools and other inter agency networks. School Counsellor at a tertiary institution, Group Therapist at a Child Protection Agency offering Group Therapy for Children who have lived with Domestic Violence , Founding Member/ Director/Counsellor of Blue Mountains Therapeutic Children’s Theater ( 50% self-esteem, social skills and peer group relations+ 50% theatrical skills)
Providing Therapy for clients of the Department of Community Services DoCs, Family Assessments for families, National Carers Counselling program –working therapeutically with parents, Young Carers Association- play therapy with youth, Drama Workshop facilitator at Blue Mountains Grammar Winter School " Search for the hidden treasure"",
Art, Drama and Discussion group programming and implementation for annual camps with children and adolescents of parents with Mental Illness (CoPMI Camp) Greater Western Area Health (Orange).
Therapeutic Work with people with Disabilities and mild intellectual disabilities- with particularly effective outcomes.
Meg has an excellent track record of successfully offering psychological treatment to people who have been diagnosed with depression, social phobia, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Most clients no longer required medication after their course of therapy.
- Current Adolescent and Family Counsellor at Lithgow Information and Neighbourhood Centre since 2005
- Current Private Practice Psychotherapy and Family Therapy in Katoomba since 1996
Art Therapists, Counselling, Psychotherapy
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