Welcome
The atmosphere I try to create is one in which there can be a comfortable relationship between you and me. When you feel safe in relation to your therapist it is easier to bring up and speak about some of the feelings and situations that trouble you.
Therapy is about feeling better about your self, extending to feeling better about your whole life situation. This may mean making changes in your life, or just learning to become comfortable with yourself, your past, and your future.
Therapy
Therapy is for you. In our conversation we can explore whatever you feel you would like to talk about. Anything and everything can be discussed and dealt with.
As the client you make the decision as to what we will talk about. As the therapist, I listen with a very careful ear, and feed back and mirror what I hear from you. You might then be able to see some of your concerns in a different light, allowing you to move forward, where you may have felt stuck. Perhaps you may also find there are certain issues or patterns you were not aware of. Bringing these into your conscious attention may help you better understand yourself enabling you to precipitate change and give you a greater appreciation of yourself.
About Valerie Gerechter
I began my journey to become a therapist quite a long time ago. I have always been interested and fascinated by how the human mind works. How is it that we can accomplish some difficult things with relative ease and are then tripped up by situations that we feel ought to not to cause us any problem at all? How do we get to different places in our lives and, once there, how do we move through them?
I hold an undergraduate degree in both sociology and psychology. Furthermore, I am a graduate of CTP (The Centre for Training in Psychotherapy). The varied levels of learning, both theoretical and experiential, in the CTP program have provided me with a comprehensive training and a grounded humanistic approach to the work of psychotherapy. I bring this unique capacity to my clients and our sessions.
My experience
I believe that my life experience has enabled me to bring a wealth of empathy to my work as a therapist. I am a parent of adult children. My own childhood was spent within the foster care system. As an adult, I have experienced the other side of the system as well, leading to the adoption of a child who had been a foster child as well. Further, I have also had the challenge of going through a divorce, learning to survive and then thrive in the aftermath.
Having done personal therapy myself, I have undertaken the same journey that you are now embarking upon. This first hand understanding of the value of therapy is perhaps the most valuable asset I have to offer my clients. I also rely on my strong academic training, which allows me to draw on the great psychotherapists and analysts of the past and present. This enlightens my practice, and brings valuable skills and knowledge to my work.
People see me for
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Couples Counselling
- Trauma/Crisis
- Sexual Abuse
- Self Esteem
- Parenting
- Dreams
- Grief/Loss
- Negative Patterns
- Relationship Issues
- Psychodynamic Therapy
Specialties
- One-to-one
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