Psychotherapists and Counsellors Answer your Questions
Conversations with Therapists
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What led you to choose psychotherapy or counselling as a profession?
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Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?
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Which particular aspects of health or the human journey are you interested in?
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What methods do you use?
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When do you think the client will start to feel that progress is being made?
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How has therapy made a difference in your life?
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What do you like most about being a therapist?
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Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?
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What do you think is the most significant problem we face, in the world today?
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Can you share the name of a book, film, song, event or work of art that inspires you?
Cathy Lee
Of course â?? I have â??bad hairâ? days too, but Iâ??ve learned to pop my own stuff aside when Iâ??m with clients so the focus stays on them.
Lisa Barrett
Yes, but a lot less since I discovered GHD straighteners about 15 years ago -another life changer!!
But yes, I do. And I have parts that try to tell me that I shouldn't and other parts that suggest...
Carolyn Choy
Of course! It's the love and support of family and good friends that gets me through them.
Gaye Mallinson
Most definitely! ...Don't we all?
After decades of life struggles, I have now come to accept that some days are just easier than others & to always have hope when it's been a not so great day -...
Lu Migliore
I often have days where it feels hard to show up for others and myself! On those days I try to be extra gentle with myself and get into nature, even if it is only a few minutes of staring up at the...
Eric Rangel Oliveira
We all have days when things donâ??t go as plannedâ??when we feel off, unmotivated, or not quite like ourselves.
No one operates at 100% all the time, and thatâ??s okay. Weâ??re human, and...
Helen Basili
Of course! Like most other humans on the planet, I experience the full spectrum of emotions and some are more enjoyable than others.
Sebastian Kinne
Of course â?? like everyone, I sometimes have days where Iâ??m self-critical or feel I could have shown up differently. Thatâ??s part of being human. What therapy has taught me is that these...
Uri Bookman
Absolutely. Like everyone, I have days when I wake up feeling sad, fearful, or lost. In the past, I would push those feelings away, hoping to return to â??happy.â? Now, Iâ??ve learned through...
Xanthe Katsouras
Of course and I am very good at taking care of myself on those days.
Reed Everingham
Yes, both literally and metaphorically! Like everyone else, I am broken yet beautiful. I strive to stay authentic, feel my emotions, and lead a life with meaning. However, life can be unpredictable,...
Priscilla Schwartzman
Yes, absolutely. I still have days where I feel unsure or question myself. I still fall into old patterns at times, especially when Iâ??m tired or triggered. I still have moments where I feel...
Jim Filshie
I have fewer and fewer bad hair days as I get older (and my hairline recedes). Or is it that every day becomes a bad hair day, meaning that none of them are? What a conundrum...
Vassilka Dimitrova
Yes, often, but I also have 'good hair' days. I appreciate and enjoy both states of my hair.
Travis Grogan
Occasionally (but I keep my hair short so it's fairly simple). Most recently, I had a bad hair day for my wedding (a few months back). I normally cut my own hair (short back and sides) but for my...
Debby Heath
Of course - I'm human after all. I appreciate my clients' patience with me when I sometimes struggle to find the right words or make a mistake (which I will always take responsibility and apologise...
Beck Ronkson
Of course (have you seen my unruly hair?).
And even though it's frustrating, I'd be concerned if I didn't. Life circumstances are not able to always be controlled. Bad hair days happen, and so do...
Kelsey Hendrickson
Absolutely I have bad hair days. Sometimes I wake up and the weather is sticky and humid and my hair is just frizzy that day. The key for me and for my clients is to remember that tomorrow the weather...
Megan McGrath
Absolutely and all the time! My morning routine always gets a sweat on either with running or a gym session - a ponytail or a bun slicked back is practically my daily uniform.
Gabriele (Gabe) Marranci
Yes, just like everyone else, I have days where I may not feel at my best. In the Internal Family Systems (IFS) context, we can think of these moments as different parts of me expressing themselves....
Ron Dowd
They're more like 'bad hair' moments, but yes. I'm not 'perfect', never will be, and I'm fine with that.
'Bad hair' moments are the triggers that remind me what's important - and how I can gently...
Carlyn Chen
Absolutely! We are all human, and the older I get, the more I am able to embrace the complexity of life and accept being perfectly imperfect. Also, as a parent, there is no escape from bad hair days,...
Gregory Poll
Quite often, it is a vital part of my life that allows me to enjoy and appreciate my good days even more.
Carolyn Zantis
Oh yes!!
And if I'm following my process and realise I need to pull back and be quiet, or go within, I make that happen.
Nathan Dick
Yes, I have come to accept these days, often they last a few days or a week. I find my own therapy and supervision supportive. I also have built a network of people around me who I trust and am able...
Ash Rehn
Of course! Everyone has bad days and for many different reasons. I think it is helpful, on days when things are not going so well, to be okay about that. Living with imperfection can be quite...
Hadass Segal
I have curly hair and a curly approach to life. Need I say more?
Brenda Rowlandson
Oh yes! And 'bad clothes days' and sometimes I work with a headache, or a backache, but even on those days I still wouldn't want to be doing anything else (except perhaps lying down!). In saying that,...
Dominique Smajstr
Oh, definitely â?? therapists have their bad hair days! Sometimes it feels like my hair has a mind of its own, much like our thoughts and emotions. Luckily, just like in therapy, a little patience, a...
Steve Bonanno
Haha. As a bald guy, actual bad hair days are a thing of the past... but when it comes to the ebbs and flows of the human condition: yes! I have my good days and my bad days. It really helps me to...
Carla Van Der Poel
Yes, absolutely! I didnâ??t become a therapist because I have it all figured out, Iâ??m human too, and I definitely have my â??bad hairâ? days. Life isnâ??t a straight line and we all face...
Alda Curtis
Absolutely! Iâ??d say my hair is rarely having a â??goodâ? day. :) Real life isnâ??t always perfect - and neither is my hair! Thankfully, in therapy, what matters most is showing up as...
Cecilia Calnan
Sure, don't we all.
It's part of life.
Life would be dull, boring and mundane without these kind of days. Don't you think?
Nev Guven
Who doesn't have bad hair days? We all do, it's part of being human. I normalise bad hair days.
Karen Druce
Like most people, I certainly do have bad hair days. More so, as I get older. I see such days as a timely reminder that I am all too human. The good thing about bad hair days is that they tend to...
Fiona Giles
Yep. My approach is to reassure myself that staying present with the client, and conveying loving kindness, will always be valuable, even if my cognitive powers are a little less shiny than usual. I...
Tania Djipalo
Yes I do, but I longer have to be perfect to show up to life. I can also tend to my fragile parts and make sure I ring a friend or be extra kind and loving with myself and show up to life.
Geoff Heard
Yes, because I'm human. It can also happen that what feels like a bad hair day is the result of relationship dynamics within a therapy session, useful information about the process and not to be...
George Turnure
You bet. I am a human with vulnerabilities and fallible too.
Tessa Ipp
Sometimes, then I realise I need to give to myself to again find my balance and presence as counsellor/psychotherapist.
Steven Segal
Rather than fighting my 'bad hair' days, I have learnt to accept them which allows me to focus on something else, e.g., go for a walk in the park. I find this very helpful in allowing me to tune in...
Martina Palombi
Of course! All the time! I am human like everyone else. I do not see myself as necessarily more advanced than my clients. I see therapy as a person to person, human to human process. I am still...
Philipa Thornton
I am human and like anyone have my up and down day's. I think this helps me have greater empathy for others. On those days I give myself permission to take a break and take care of myself as best I...
Stefan Durlach
Sure. Don't we all? The kind of days when nothing seems to go right and we're feeling out of centre. Within a therapy context there are two kinds: The ones that emanate from my own life and the ones...
Marie Mooney
You bet! My approach is to be real and as authentically present as I can be.
Rina Taub
Of course we all do but it is not about a Performance or test. As long as I am genuinely listening, authentic and collaborative we can check and get back on track.
Teresa Wilkinson
Yes, Therapists are just people. I try and use my skills to hold myself kindly and gently at these times and hope to role model to my clients that it is also okay for you to have bad hair days too.
Nicole Kinnaird
Yes of course! I can get as moody and grumpy as anyone. I get tired and sooky and forget I have many wonderful tools and supports around me. It all passes, even though sometimes it's hard to remember...
Amanda Dounis
Let me just say this....when I am with a client, or clients /groups /families, I am entirely WITH them for the duration of the session regardless of my h.a.i.r. I learned that I compartmentalise...
Michelle Lam
Yes I do. What helps me most is remembering to be kind and gentle to myself. This may involve practicing mindfulness, looking after myself better (such as exercising and sleeping more, healthy eating)...
Deb Gavan
ALL. THE. TIME.
I approach bad hair days with humour, mindfulness, open mindedness (and chocolate).
Jean Gamble
When I let my boundaries and self-care slip I can become tired and feel a bit jaded about my work. I know that this is a signal for me to return to the level of self-loving choices and behaviours that...
Catherine Devetzis
Robert Grant refers to trauma as the way of the wound, of course this path is often scary, painful and fraught with misunderstandings. However, I have learnt that maintaining my responses as...
Howard Colin-Thome
I have ups and downs like everyone. I've had periods where I've had stress, relationship issues, anxiety and probably low mood. They are useful periods however as they help me understand myself and...
Kerstin Buccoliero
Certainly, or those days where I prefer to pull the blanket over my head and stay in bed, rather than get up, and walk the dog in the rain...again. I think it is unhealthy to always want to be joyful...
Mia Kennedy
Yes and the older I get the easier it is to admit it. I feel very blessed by the training I was fortunate enough to receive. Early on in my career I volunteered at Lifeline and I stayed there for many...
Martin Hemsley
Blimey, my hair is often so bad! Being human is not easy, I think. I can be anxious, feel overwhelmed and a bit shut down at times.
