About Counselling
My Counselling Style"The life which is unexamined is not worth living" - Plato
I am an Integrative Counselling practitioner.
This means that I draw upon a variety of counselling approaches such as Person-Centred, Creative Therapies, Cognitive Behavioural and Inter-Cultural Therapy to suit the individual needs of my clients.
I feel that in counselling, one is searching for the meaning of life. I believe that life is a classroom and we are all here to learn certain lessons.
My belief is that life is designed to be challenging so that we all grow into more conscious human beings. However, growth is usually not a comfortable experience. Growth always costs us something. It can be scary and painful but pain is information. It leads you to what is keeping you from becoming your best self. My belief is that obstacles won’t dissolve until they teach you what they came to teach you.
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity" - Albert Einstein
We, including myself are all students in the Class of Life. Hence I choose not to see myself as an expert but agree with Irvin Yalom who feels that “the patient and therapist are “fellow travellers” in therapy – they’re both human beings dealing with essential problems of existence and must work cooperatively to solve them” .
My definition of a good working relationship is one in which you the client experiences me as non-judgemental, warm, transparent and empathic. I aspire and strive to bring out the best in you and the only way this can truly happen is through your trust and faith in me.
Although I am a counsellor, I still strive to be "myself" in the way that I work and who I am. I hope that my being "real" with you will help you feel relaxed with me that you even dare to take some risks in order to achieve your happiness and fulfilment.
I encourage you to listen to that small voice within you - your `inner teacher’ in order that you receive your `in-tuition’ so as to foster greater self-reliance.
By allowing you the opportunity to look inward and listening to your heart, I will help you to come up with your own `soul’utions .
By becoming more wise, truthful and insightful, you will become more powerful. As you learn new inner skills to manage your life more effectively, you are empowering yourself.
Benefits of counselling can include:
Client Testimonials
... "Marcia is creative in the work that she does with me. I find her to be encouraging when you are ready to give up. She believes in helping you to keep pushing on ... Marcia is someone that I will never forget. Marcia makes me feel comfortable enough to confide in her; telling her things that I hold in and are too ashamed to tell others. She makes me explore parts of myself which is helping me to grow into a more positive individual. Thank you Marcia" - Ashleigh
"... You have helped me in so many different and amazing ways. You helped me to focus my thoughts, understand who I am and see clearly what I want out of life. You listened to me so thoughtfully and by showing that you understood, helped me understand myself. You did this with such wonderful patience, encouragement and enthusiasm. I feel that we made a great team and I will remember you and the experience forever. For everything that we have achieved and for the exciting times that lie ahead in the future, I thank you" - James.
"Didn't believe in counselling until I met Marcia. Had previously tried different counsellors before which was unsuccessful. She's genuinely compassionate, helpful and fully engages. She helped me rebuild myself, reassess my negative thinking patterns and taught me to love and understand myself. I am eternally grateful to her for bringing me out of the zombie state I was in for years after my mother passed" - Faith
“Seeing Marcia on a regular basis for over a year helped me in my effort to return to the legal profession after a long battle with crippling depression and anxiety. Although my mood had stabilised by this time and I was motivated to succeed in my goal, anxiety was preventing me from taking some of the necessary steps to move things forward. With Marcia’s help, I was able to break my objectives down into manageable chunks – I say “I” but in reality it was more “we” as I always felt as though we were working together as part of a team and I certainly never felt alone in my endeavours. Marcia’s practical business-minded approach coupled with encouragement and support was exactly what I needed to stay on track. As the weeks went by, little achievements morphed into impressive achievements and my confidence grew over time. Looking back now, I can hardly believe how far I have come. Motivation was much easier to maintain and results easier to achieve with someone else engaged with my project and I am happy to say that I am once again practising law as a sole-practitioner. I wholeheartedly recommend Marcia to anybody seeking help with their goals and, in particular, a better work/life balance. Marcia is professional, kind, personable and, importantly, gets results” - Dominic
"When I first met Marcia I did not know what to expect as I did not think I needed a therapist. But after 10mins sitting with her my nerves were calmed down. She is very compassionate and takes her time to make you feel at ease. I was with her for six months and her methods and techniques that she used with me took me out of my dark place.
Once I got to a point were I was better our sessions stopped but I am forever grateful for being introduced to Marcia as she is a credit to her profession and helped me see my pain and grief would get better once I gave myself time to heal. She even followed up with me to check how I was doing which meant alot to me as it showed me she is more then a therapist/counsellor, she actually cares, anyone who uses her services can be assured of her ability to help is genuine" - Marilyn.
Recommended Reading for the Soul
The Circle of One - Kuumba Nia
You Can Heal your Life - Louise L.Hay
One Day My Soul Just Opened Up: 40 Days and 40 Nights Toward Spiritual Strength and Personal Growth - Iyanla Vanzant
In the Meantime: Finding Yourself and the Love You Want - Iyanla Vanzant
Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway - Susan Jeffers
Be Your Own Life Coach - Fiona Harrold
Writing as a Way of Healing - Louise De Salvo
Nothing Left Over: A Plain and Simple Life - Toinette Lippe
The Self-Esteem Journal: Using a Journal To Build Self-Esteem - Alison Waines
Self-Esteem Bible: Build Your Confidence Day by Day - Gael Lindenfield
Stand Up for Your Life - Cheryl Richardson
In the Meantime: Finding Yourself and the Love You Want - Iyanla Vanzant
How to Mend Your Broken Heart: Overcome Emotional Pain at the End of a Relationship - Paul McKenna & Hugh Willbourn
Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think - Dennis Greenberger & Christine Padesky
Life Lessons: How our Mortality Can Teach us about Life and Living - Elizabeth Kubler Ross & David Kessler
Counselling for Toads: A Psychological Adventure - Robert de Board
What Should I Do With My Life? - Po Bronson
Movie Therapy: How it Changes Lives - Bernie Wooder
Night - Elie Wiesel
Love Yourself, Heal Your Life Workbook (Insight Guide) - Louise Hay
The 7 Ahas of Highly Enlightened Souls: How to Free Yourself from All Forms of Stress - Mike George
Personal Development All-In-One for Dummies - Rhena Branch, Mike Bryant, Kate Burton & Peter Mabbutt
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living - Dale Carnegie
You Can If You Think You Can - Norman Vincent Peale
Audio-Tapes by Iyanla Vanzant: Giving To Yourself; Living From Your Center; Finding Faith in Difficult Times. Iyanla Lives series: Transformation; Back to Basics; Our Relationship With Money; Gratitude and Forgiveness.
The Pain Behind the Mask: Overcoming Masculine Depression - John Lynch & Christopher Kilmartin
Souls of My Brothers: Black Men Break Their Silence, Tell their Truths and Heal Their Spirits - Dawn Marie Daniels, Robert Agee & Candace Sandy
The New Diary - How to use a Journal for Self guidance and Expanded Creativity - Tristine Rainer
My Therapy - Marian Davies
How to get What You Want and Want What You Have - John Gray
What's Your Purpose? Seven Questions to Find Your Answer - Richard Jacobs
Who is it that can tell me who I am? - Jane Haynes
Affirmations. How to Expand Your Personal Power and Take Back Control of Your Life - Stuart Wilde
The Art of Extreme Self-Care: Transform Your Life One Month at a Time - Cheryl Richardson
Being in Balance - Dr. Wayne Dyer
Soul Pupose: Self affirming rituals, meditations and creative exercises to revive your spirit - Jackee Holder
Families and How to Survive Them - Robin Skynner & John Cleese
Grief:Rebuilding Your Life After Bereavement - Dr R.M. Youngson
The Naked Truth: an exercise in therapeutic storytelling and the principles involved in becoming finally free - Eva Dillner
The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking: Skilful thoughts for Successful Living - Christopher Hansard
How Did I Get Here? Finding Your Way To Renewed Hope and Happiness When Life and Love take Unexpected Turns - Barbara De Angelis
Exploring the Self through Photography. Activities For Use in Group Work - Claire Craig.
Secrets About Life Every Woman Should Know: Ten Principles for Total Spiritual and Emotional Fulfilment - Barbara De Angelis
Why Forgive? Johann Christoph Arnold
How to Cope With Splitting Up - Vera Peiffer
How to Love and be Loved - Dr. Paul Hauck
Into the Hearts of Men - T.D.Jakes
Spiritual Lessons for My Sisters: How to get Over the Drama and Live Your Best Life! Natasha Munson.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Dummies: Rhena Branch
Just Being Me: Marcia Atkinson
Raising The Bar: A Poetry Outing: Marcia Atkinson
