Counselling Ireland

Counselling refers, like psychotherapy, to a type of inner exploration aimed at nurturing self- awareness, compassion and positive change. Held within the supportive boundaries of a professional therapeutic relationship, counselling can help address psychological distress, both longstanding an recent. In counselling the focus may be more on learning more creative and effective ways of coping and eventually outgrowing current difficulties. It entails a commitment to weekly sessions and it may be of brief duration, commonly between 6 and 12 sessions depending on the nature of the issue.

Like counselling,  psychotherapy describes a type of inner exploration aimed at nurturing self-compassion and positive change, and held within the supportive and confidential boundaries of a professional therapeutic relationship. Usually psychotherapy clients tend to want to engage at greater depths with their inner life. Often this entails the exploration of unconscious dynamics rooted in past conditioning.  The duration of the treatment depends on and is determined by the need of each person. Clients can choose to see me initially for 6 to 8 sessions and then review whether to continue on a more open-ended basis. 

Valeria Ballarotti MA,PG.Dip Couns. works holistically, creating space to explore not only the emotional, physical and practical aspects of bereavement but also any existential and spiritual questions it may trigger.  

Life brings challenges to all of us and most people feel worried or depressed at some point in their lives. Although we can often work our way through problems, they can sometimes become overwhelming. Friends and family may be supportive but many people prefer not to share the intimate details of their lives with them. People may also find it difficult to talk to friends and family about personal difficulties because they are worried about being judged, hurting the other person’s feelings, or becoming a burden to them. Friends and family may try to make the person feel better by telling them that everything is ok, or that there are others who are worse off, but this doesn’t help to resolve the issue. Counsellors and Psychotherapists are trained professionals who listen carefully to your problems, help you to see things more clearly, and support you while you find your own solutions. The Counsellor / Psychotherapist will never put you under pressure to do anything but will help you find solutions that are realistic and workable for you. The relationship between an individual and their Counsellor / Psychotherapist is confidential and is based on respect and trust: a person can talk freely and openly to a professional counsellor in a way that is seldom possible with a friend or family member. Counselling and Psychotherapy offers the opportunity to express difficult feelings such as anger, fear, and jealousy in a safe, supportive environment. It can enable you to discover the reasons for negative feelings, help you through challenging times, and provide better coping skills for the future. Counselling and Psychotherapy can be used to address a wide range of problems such as emotional stress, depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, parenting issues, grief, and abuse. Anybody can benefit from Counselling/Psychotherapy; and asking for support does not mean there is something wrong with you. People decide to see a Counsellor/Psychotherapist

I am a qualified and Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist with IACP working from a Humanistic and Integrative approach. This means that I work in a way that suits each individual person, according to their needs. I work with adult individuals and couples in person. I also work online with individual adults when more suitable. Problems treated include relationship issues, depression, anxiety, addictions, low self-esteem and bullying. Services offered include counselling, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), couples counselling, hypnotherapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and employee assistance programmes (EAP).

I am a qualified and Accredited Counsellor and Psychotherapist with IACP working from a Humanistic and Integrative approach. This means that I work in a way that suits each individual person, according to their needs. I work with adult individuals and couples in person. I also work online with individual adults when more suitable. Problems treated include relationship issues, depression, anxiety, addictions,  low self-esteem and bullying. Services offered include counselling, psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), couples counselling, hypnotherapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and employee assistance programmes (EAP).

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a co-operative, hands-on and problem-oriented method to sensitive  difficulties whereby the client and therapist work in harmony towards  comprehending problems in terms of the association between opinions,  moods, body reactions and performance.