My Approach to Helping
Everyone has their own emotional pain and all emotional pain is worth being heard and understood with no judgment but genuine acceptance and presence. Without a right emotional environment, people often stuck in their maladaptive emotions (sadness, hopelessness, helplessness, anger, shame etc) and relationships (conflicting, distant, hostile, cut-off etc).
Often times, I hear client saying "Cheryl, i tried many therapies, medication, and learn many coping skills but it doesn't help, I still feel the same". My response to them is that this is because your emotions might not have been deeply transformed. I strongly believe it is the therapist's profession to facilitate transformational changes in clients' emotions and relationships. This transformational change is NOT ABOUT managing the symptoms with taught skills, coping strategies or even medication. These transformational changes are strongly rooted and stemmed from the felt sense of our body, facilitated by the therapist with the aim to help people to not feel the same naturally (sadness, hopelessness, helplessness, anger, shame) when they are faced with the same triggers and problematic situation again. This healthy and adaptive feeling comes naturally without the constant need to down regulate their emotions with skills and coping strategies. Deep rooted transformational change is what I aim to bring to clients who step into my room.
Due to the high demand, I was given the opportunity to gain substantial and consistent amount of counselling experiences on a daily basis since year 2015. Having the experiences and training in dealing with clients who struggle with complex psychological issues from various age groups have taught me the importance of continuous learning from the professionals as well as clients. I believe that there is no one intervention that can fit all clients for everyone of you is unique in your own way. This belief has guided me to be humble and attentive to take care of all emotional pain that client has struggled with in their life.
Holding a firm value on do-no-harm and keeping myself equipped in advance counselling and psychotherapy field, I am honoured to have the opportunity to receive advance trainings as well as supervisions with international pioneers and expert in the psychotherapy field such as Dr. Leslie Greenberg from Canada and Prof. Maurizio Andolfi from Italy. I have gained extensive trainings and experiences in handling complex traumas, severe mood disturbances such as depression and anxiety, grief and loss, family and couples issues, behavioral issues, suicidal and homicidal tendencies and also sexual and gender-based violence. Incorporating these valuable experiences and skills adopted from different modalities of psychotherapy such as Emotion Focused Therapy, Family Therapy, Relational and Systemic Therapy etc, I am grateful to have transformed and touched many lives.
It is such a touching moment to bear witness how clients have transformed from not being able to function in their daily lives, from losing hope, feeling overwhelmed and devastated to feeling empowered as a person, establishing a healthier and adaptive emotion towards themselves, others and the world, finding meaning in life to continue striving again. It touches me when family reunites; when couple restores their broken vows or promises; when adults, children and teen feel loved, connected, accepted and belonged; when individual finds peace, acceptance and forgiveness towards the self, others and the world. This is why I am here to guide and facilitate a new discovery and transformation of yourself, your family and relationship.