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About me
My name is Jim Friedman and I live with my partner in Nottingham.
My first career was as a teacher in a university English
department. Since 1992 I have trained and worked as a counsellor of couples
and individuals with Relate and, more recently, as a supervisor of counsellors.
I have also worked as a visiting therapist in a psychotherapy unit and as a
supervisor of postgraduate counselling diploma students.
My counselling qualifications and accreditation:
I have a Certificate in Marital and Couple Counselling (Relate)
and a Diploma and an MA in Couple Therapy (Relate/University of East London).
I also have a Certificate in Professional Studies: Supervision (University
of Leicester). I am a BACP accredited counsellor and, also, I am a BACP accredited
supervisor of individuals. I am a UKRC registered Independent Counsellor and
I am on Relate's Register of Supervisors.
My approach
The psychological theories which inform my counselling are:
psychodynamic – this explores
and negotiates with you an understanding of how you have come to be the person
you are and how that influences the relationships you have with others; and
systemic – this explores how
you communicate within, and are affected by, networks of relationships with
others, such as partner, family, work colleagues, etc. as well as the ideas
and values current in those networks.
Whilst these are my preferred approaches, I
try to respond in ways that are appropriate to our dialogue and to the relationship
as it develops between us. You would be welcome to ask any questions you may
have about these approaches either at the initial consultation or during counselling
itself.
The kinds of work I do with clients
I specialise in couple counselling and relationship counselling
(e.g. relations between family members, colleagues) and work with individuals.
Couple Counselling
I have worked as a couple counsellor for the last fourteen
years, both with couples and individual partners. Often couples who come for
counselling are finding talking difficult, though they may be sending powerful
messages to each other through behaviours and silences. I listen to what each
partner has to say about the problems or issues that have prompted them to
seek counselling. Usually I work with both partners together as a team of three.
I don't take sides but help each partner to understand themselves and each
other differently by looking at their needs and their expectations of each
other and how those may have changed over time. Sometimes it's useful to see
where these expectations have come from and how they affect partners' behaviours
and outlooks. I also see partners on their own who want to discuss what is
happening in their relationship. Some of the relationship concerns that I have
worked with include breakdown in communication, affairs, separation, moving
on after divorce.
I work with both heterosexual and same sex couples.
One-to-one counselling
I also work with individual clients who are questioning
their sense of who they are and how they are relating to others in their lives.
Work with individual clients can involve addressing life-stage and self-esteem
issues, looking at here-and-now difficulties – usually with a partner, a colleague
or family member – and understanding how your past relationships are exerting
their influence on you.
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