ELISABETH van ASSUM COUNSELLING
Counselling with me invites you to explore your life issues as equals, together
Life's challenges are at times difficult to accept. Therapy allows you to face those difficulties in a supportive space. Developing capacity to face your personal challenges creates self acceptance. And self acceptance is the foundation of healing
No matter how overwhelmed you feel, therapy offers a space for you to connect with and gain insight into yourself. You develop self compassion by learning to express your experiences in your own words, in your own time, at your own pace so that you are no longer overwhelmed by them.
I respond to everything you bring into the session. There is room for all of you here. Creating space to see yourself clearly and non-judgementally is what allows opportunities of transformation to arise; and for you to choose something new, over staying in the same pattern.
Counselling With Me
I specialise in assisting individuals navigating life's challenging transitions, which can encompass a wide range of experiences like relationship shifts, family dynamics, physical changes, unprocessed childhood events, the grieving process… to name a few.
These transitions, although inevitable and at times distressing, hold the potential for valuable insights, personal & community growth, wisdom & joy. Counselling provides you with an opportunity to explore and connect into these life shifts within an empathetic and non-judgmental counselling space.
My job is to facilitate you in understanding your issues with self-compassion and self-acceptance. This work fosters an internal experience of reduced self-judgment and increased self-awareness which then leads to greater clarity. I am here to support you in your journey toward clarity so that you can identify your sources of strength and implement lasting, empowering changes.
Counselling For You
Counselling offers a transformative journey that encourages you to embrace every facet of your being. Through open dialogue about your issues, you develop the ability to truly listen to your inner voice and unravel the narratives of your life. The process is inherently self-guided, with my support aimed at helping you achieve your desired outcomes.
A pivotal step is the act of naming and claiming your issues and allowing the possibility of profound change to emerge. As you engage in this process, you will identify the internal & external conditions which influence your decisions and perceptions. By dedicating yourself to this work, you'll unearth the insights necessary to make empowering and transformative decisions which can redirect your life into more fulfilling experiences.
Areas of Service
I focus on supporting clients in working with the following life experience, events and transitions:
impact of trauma compulsion patterns on quality of life and relationships
relationship between adverse childhood events & adult life
impact of working in mental & front-line health fields
mid-life transition including menopause, relationship changes, sexuality, elder care, career shifts, grief
gender & gender identity, specifically coming out later in life and transitioning out of established heteronormative patterns and connecting into a more authentic experience of self
emotional ruptures arising in heteronormative & non-heteronormative relationships - working 1:1. I do not offer couples counselling. Inclusive of all consensual relationship configurations ie monogamous, poly, RA, kink...etc
clarifying and locating issues rooted in systemic & historical oppression; including addressing issues of collective trauma arising in climate change, colonialism, capitalism, sexism and racism
serving and inclusive of all members of the LGBTQA2+ population
“my actions are my only true belongings.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh