At Vita Therapy, Michael is an integrative therapist and coach using a therapy model that centres around relationships. By understanding the connection between your body and mind, you can transform yourself, your relationships and your life. He offers a safe and confidential space to work with whatever issues you raise, with a focus on your needs and expectations, without judgement.
Michael draws on the principles of Gestalt, Person-Centre, Transpersonal and Psychodynamic models of theory. The most crucial part of any successful therapy is the quality of the relationship and connection between you and your therapist, where the foundation of trust is created so that awareness, healing and transformation begin.
Gestalt therapy is a humanistic and person-centred therapy that focuses on the immediate here and now - and how exploring this helps you. It looks at how your past affects and influences your feelings at this moment rather than how you felt back then. Its focus is to raise your immediate awareness of how you are while allowing you to experiment with different response methods.
Gestalt is based on the principle that everyone is whole - made up of mind, body and soul - and draws on the philosophical idea that the whole is other than the sum of its parts. To fully understand people you have to look at their current situation as they experience it. Gestalt therapy is interactive and feedback-driven - it can help with most issues including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and relationship problems.
At Vita Therapy, Michael uses Gestalt therapy as a form of psychotherapy to increase your awareness, freedom and self-direction. He helps you focus on the present to understand what is happening in your life at the moment and how it makes you feel.
Psychodynamic therapy focuses on unconscious processes in your present behaviour. The goals of psychodynamic therapy are self-awareness and an understanding of the influence of the past on present behaviour. It helps you understand how your past experiences, unconscious mind, and impulses shape your current feelings and behaviour.
The relationship between your therapist is critical to this therapeutic approach. An accepting and trusting relationship encourages you to talk freely and openly about topics such as your childhood and your relationship with your parents - this can help you understand what you’re feeling now, why you behave in a certain way and how this affects your relationship.
Psychotherapy aims to bring the unconscious mind into consciousness. At Vita Therapy, Michael helps you recognise, experience and understand your true, deep-rooted feelings to help you resolve them. So you get a better insight into your life and the problems you’re experiencing here and now. With this insight, you can change negative patterns to help you move forward.
Psychodynamic therapy is derived from the psychoanalysis theories of Freud. We are unaware of many things in our subconscious - that are painful or keep us stuck. A psychodynamic therapist helps you look for these patterns to understand them - find the knot, so you can start unravelling all the strands and move on with your life.
A key concept is transference, where you redirect the feelings you experienced in previous significant relationships or during childhood onto your therapist. Transference helps you learn more about your feelings, behaviours and actions and then you can resolve the feelings that originate from these relationships.
Psychodynamic therapy helps with many problems, including anxiety and depression, eating disorders and addictions.
Person-centred therapy is a non-directive approach to talk therapy that requires you to actively take the reins during each therapy session while your therapist acts mainly as a guide or a source of support. It focuses on maximising your ability to find solutions and supports a therapeutic process that encourages positive change within yourself.
At Vita Therapy, Michael focuses on your needs and listens to you while providing a conducive environment for you to make decisions independently without judgement. He helps you grow psychologically, become more self-aware and changes your behaviour via self-direction. Person-centred therapy enables you to eliminate the idea or feeling that external forces beyond your control influence you. The goals of this practice include increasing self-awareness, improving your ability to use self-direction to make desired changes, increasing clarity, improving self-esteem and boosting your self-reliance.
The importance of self, also known as the self-concept, is vital in your total life experience and influences the way you view yourself and the world around you. Person-centred therapy is an effective tool for managing difficult situations such as traumatic events. The therapy benefits those dealing with various issues, such as relationship problems, phobias, panic attacks, substance abuse, personality disorders, low self-esteem linked to depression, stress management, eating disorders, and trauma recovery.
Transpersonal therapy aims to increase your sense of self and improve your overall quality of life via spirituality and self-understanding. It’s a therapy often used to address self-worth and life-purpose challenges. It encompasses three key areas: beyond ego, transformative and integrative/holistic psychology. At Vita Therapy Michael draws from a range of techniques so you can learn and continue to apply beyond therapy with an emphasis on individual development to support and enhance your strive for freedom, unity and life fulfilment.
Transpersonal therapy led to transpersonal psychotherapy, an intervention approach incorporating traditional therapy techniques with holistic practices like meditation, journaling and music therapy. Transpersonal psychology focuses on the mind-body connection blending traditional concepts like behaviourism and humanism with philosophy, mindfulness and mysticism.
Because transpersonal psychology aims to consider the individual as a whole, it doesn’t focus on specific tools or methods. Instead, it looks to understand how your mind works by studying it through your relationship with family and friends. Your therapist is your facilitator, helping you uncover your truths through your discovery process without judgement. It’s a therapy that addresses challenges such as anxiety, depression, low self-worth, identity confusion, relationship distress, trauma, spiritual questioning, PTSD and grief.
A recovery coach promotes recovery and removes the barriers and obstacles to recovery. Recovery coaches serve as personal guides and mentors for anyone seeking or already in recovery from alcohol addiction and or drugs. Recovery coaches provide many different types of support such as emotional, informational, instrumental and affiliate support.
As your recovery coach at Vita Therapy, Michael customises your recovery plan so you can build on your individual strengths, needs and recovery goals. It focuses on long-term recovery and is rooted in a culture of hope, health and wellness. The unique relationship between you and your recovery coach is grounded in trust and focused on providing you with tools, resources and support to achieve long-term recovery.
There are five core elements of recovery coaching: connectedness and supportive relationships, hope, identity, formation of health coping strategies, empowerment and building a secure base. Support to attain or maintain recovery from addiction is vital. As your recovery coach, Michael guides and engages, motivates and inspires you to take positive action.
To book an appointment, please call Michael on 07453 281495 or email info@vita-therapy.co.uk.
Feel free to email or call me to find out more about how therapy and coaching could work for you or to arrange an appointment.
All enquiries are answered within 24 hours, and all contact is confidential.
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