Roger Green Counselling

Counselling provides the opportunity for clients to explore their issues and feelings in a safe, non-judgemental environment.

Clients may best explore their issues in a number of ways- through conversation, through art, through role play or structured play as is appropriate for the client.

Please click on headings for more information

What is Counselling?

Stress Management

Stress is a normal emotional state. A small amount of stress before a test or sports match, for instance may even enhance performance, but too much stress is truly debilitating. It can make the sufferer freeze, unable to face a new challenge even if it is apparently as small as eating an unfamiliar food.

On the other hand the sufferer might become restless, unable to concentrate or to settle to anything. They might become irritable or lose their temper over trifles.

The client can begin to understand what causes their raised stress levels in counselling and learn ways of managing their stress and become happier human beings.

We can explore all these issuses in my peaceful counsulting room in Stratford upon Avon.

Anger Management

Anger can be such a powerful emotion. It can take us over physically and mentally, rendering us unable to respond rationally. It can be truly destructive personally and for those around. It will often trigger the 'Fight or Flight' response.

How will counselling help?

Research shows that those that lose their temper easily, often do not recognise the early signs that this is likely to happen. They can learn to recognise the warning signs which are manifested physically and how to manage their anger appropiately. Life events can make the sufferer more likely to have anger management problems.

One young client discribed this as the gas in him which ignited so easily. The understanding of the 'gas' was the beginning of his journey to a calmer place.

We can reach a calmer, more happy life situation in my peaceful consulting room in Stratford Upon Avon.

A.D.H.D

Children with ADHD have difficulty controlling their first impulse. They will repeat the same behaviour which got them in trouble again and again. They also have difficulty focussing on the task in hand. They may break off from the task and do something irrelevant or may go into a daydream and do nothing. They need to learn how they can take charge and control their impulses. Sometimes medication is prescribed and it can help some children for a bit but research shows that the efficiency of the medication wears off over time.

Whether they have medication or not they can be helped to control their impulses through cognitive therapy. This is important since otherwise the child will provoke many negative responses through their behaviour and will gradually learn to perceive the world as a hostile place. This will provoke a defensive and hostile attitude in the child.

Some people have ADD. They are not hyperactive but do have a difficulty focusing and may slip into a 'World of their own' at inopportune times. Therapy can help these children to learn to focus more. Unfortunately, because these children are normally quiet, the problem is often missed and the child can be written off as not very bright or a 'low achiever'.

Either way, I can help them in my peaceful consulting room in Stratford upon Avon.

Or I can arrange to come to the childs home, school or other locatation

Asperger/ Autism

People on the autistic spectrum can find the world a difficult, confusing place. I provide a specialist counselling service to children and adults. They need to feel that they are listened to and their feelings and thoughts are valued, taken seriously and discussed. They need to understand how autism affects them, what challenges it throws up and how they manage those challenges.

Although people on the autisctic spectrum share some characteristics each person is an individual. As you would expect, no two people are the same. Sometimes they benefit from coaching in social skills or they may need other specific help. This may need a number of sessions. If this is the case, I am willing to reduce my fees to make it more affordable.

They will find a peaceful, safe place in my consulting room in Stratford upon Avon.

Bereavement & Loss

I have included loss with bereavement because when we feel we are losing someone, as with separation, we may react emotionally in a similar way. At first we may not be able to take it in, we cannot believe it is really happening to us. We might even temporarily forget what has happened.

We might find ourselves laying an extra plate at the table or storing up things to tell the person we have lost. Later we might find we are getting more angry, losing our tempers more often.

This often leads to a quieter stage when we are often feeling sad and lacklustre, so we find it harder to motivate ourselves to do things. Following this stage, we start to adjust to our loss. We still feel it but we can live with it.

The process of grieving is much the same for children and adults except children may dip in and out of their grief. One minute they are playing happily, the next they are lost in grief. Sometimes, people need help getting through their grief.

They can have the help in my peaceful consulting room in Stratford upon Avon.

Depression & Anxiety

We all feel anxious at times but it becomes a problem when we feel anxious all the time. We may even know that some of our worries are illogical or may never happen or even not be something that is our responsibility but we just cannot stop worrying. We are anxious all the time. This makes us feel tired and lethargic. We may stop doing things we usually enjoy. We may fall asleep at odd times and be unable to sleep at night. All these behaviours are indicators of despression. Children and adolescents are vulnerable to depression as are all of us whatever our age.

One 9 year old boy seemed overwhelmed with depression, unable to imagine a time when he felt better. During one session, I said that it might feel as though he was carrying a huge weight but it would gradually shrink until it was the size of a football. Later it would become the size of a tennis ball then shrink to the size of a golf ball and then eventually a ping pong ball when he would be able to put it into his pocket and get on with his life.

At a later session, he bounced into my room and said that it had shrunk to a golf ball but he could already put it in his pocket and do what he wanted. We can only imagine the burden the child had suffered. Counselling can work. The client can come to my tranquil consulting room in Stratford upon Avon.

Learning Problems

Not all children with learning problems need counselling - far from it. But some children lose confidence and develop low self-esteem. This could be because of bullying and teasing but it can also be because they are having to work so hard to make any progress. They may feel they are failing to reach expectations and they are disappointing the significant people in their lives. For whatever reason, life can seem very hard for them. I do not offer to make a learning assessment myself but can refer children to colleagues for written reports and I am ready to counsel your child in my peachful and safe consulting room in Stratford upon Avon