Malahide Mediation And Counselling

29/09/2020

‘My first foray into therapy was a doomed expedition: I refused to discuss my childhood or my past ’

10/06/2020

Needing a Counselling Space

With the lockdown imposed by COVID-19 some of my clients moved to continue online, whilst others opted not to do so.

What is interesting as we emerge from lockdown is how almost all of my clients want to return to face to face sessions. Many stated during lockdown how much they missed the space at No. 6 St James, Malahide.

This is not entirely surprising.

We are wired for connection, and there is an energy and connection peculiar to being in the same room as another person that is difficult to replicate online.

Every ounce of that connection is vital for the therapeutic relationship as we emerge from the impact of lockdown.

The impact of a ‘pause’ that prevented us living every day as we had been doing.

Being at home without the usual distraction of social and work activities.

Forced to take stock of our lives, our relationships, our work, or choice of career.

Any or all of this may have engendered crises ranging from mild stress, to a painful awakening that something needs to change.

Indeed as we emerge from lockdown, I have begun to receive enquiries from clients who chose not to move online, but who now want to book in for upcoming face-to-face sessions.

And so I am delighted to be returning to work at No. 6 St James, Malahide.

Like my clients, I acknowledge that online counselling has a role. But I too have missed the unique space of the room for person to person connection.

Evelyn Jameson

Email: malahidemediation@outlook.com

www.malahidemediationandcounselling.com

07/04/2020

I heard this poem on the radio this morning and was struck by how aptly it offers a message of resilience for these uncertain times. I have abbreviated it for the purpose of the post.

'A Blessing For One Who Is Exhausted by John O’Donohue'

When ....

The tide you never valued has gone out.
And you are marooned on unsure ground.
Something within you has closed down;
And you cannot push yourself back to life.

You have been forced to enter empty time.
The desire that drove you has relinquished.
There is nothing else to do now but rest
And patiently learn to receive the self
You have forsaken for the race of days.

At first your thinking will darken
And sadness take over like listless weather.
The flow of unwept tears will frighten you.

You have travelled too fast over false ground;
Now your soul has come to take you back.

Take refuge in your senses, open up
To all the small miracles you rushed through.

Become inclined to watch the way of rain
When it falls slow and free.

Imitate the habit of twilight,
Taking time to open the well of colour
That fostered the brightness of day.

Draw alongside the silence of stone
Until its calmness can claim you.
Be excessively gentle with yourself.

Stay clear of those vexed in spirit.
Learn to linger around someone of ease
Who feels they have all the time in the world.

Gradually, you will return to yourself,
Having learned a new respect for your heart
And the joy that dwells far within slow time.

02/04/2020

Walt Whitman's fun quote* epitomises the joy of reading a good book. There is something about the reading experience that is so much more absorbing than audio or the screen. So if you are self-isolating or alone, here are my 3 recommendations for some good company:

1. Tracy Chevalier: 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' - transports you in time and place to Delft in mid 17th century Rotterdam.
2. Zoe Heller: 'Notes on a Scandal'. You may have seen the movie with Kate Blanchett. Go the movies again and read the book's uncut version.
3. Marina Lewycka: 'A short history of tractors in Ukranian.' If you're feeling in need of a good chuckle this is it.

Enjoy,
Evelyn

*Photo of quote from blackboard outside bookshop 'Shakespeare & Co.'

13/01/2020

06/07/2019

Trying to find the right therapist can feel a bit like 'How/Where Do I Start'?.
So here are my 3 tips to help with your search.
1. PROFESSIONALISM: The field is still in the process of being regulated and you want to ensure that you are dealing with a trained professional. I suggest that you ask your counsellor WHO THEY ARE ACCREDITED WITH. For example, I am accredited with the Irish Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy (IACP). To gain that accreditation I had to do a minimum of 550 hours of counselling and 3 years study for an approved degree.
Your counsellor may be pre-accredited which means they have not yet reached that level of experience. They may charge less or not... (see next point on costs).
Worth noting is that part of a psychotherapist's own training is that they attend a minimum of 50 hours of personal therapy and this is only accepted when done with an ACCREDITED psychotherapist or counsellor.
2. COST: You will likely have to self fund and so will want to make sure your money is well spent. There is no set fee meaning costs vary considerably between and even within practices. As an accredited counsellor my charge of €50 for a full hour is at the lower end of the scale. Other therapists, even those with less experience may charge more. Remember you have the choice. Private health insurance such as Irish Life Health are starting to offer cover. Currently they cover 50% of the cost of up to 12 visits capped at €1000 on 5 of their plans. However the therapist/counsellor must be an ACCREDITED member of the IACP.
3. RAPPORT: You know quite early on whether you want to continue seeing a particular therapist and are under no obligation to continue attending if it is not working for you. However don't give up on psychotherapy before trying another therapist. Sometimes it may have been that their particular experience or expertise wasn't right for you. And the good news is there is a huge range of therapists to choose from on the IACP register which lists ACCREDITED psychotherapists.
Good luck!
Evelyn
email: malahidemediation@outlook.com
www.malahidemediationandcounselling.com

24/03/2019

Delighted to begin working with the therapeutic technique EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). A proven technique for dealing with negative past experiences that continue to cause distress in daily living.
Evelyn
www.malahidemediationandcounselling.com

10/02/2019

A Loving Way Of Being

Love Is
To be found
In the everyday
Minute to minute, hour to hour
Tuning in, connecting,
There will be disconnection
There can be repair
And a deeper connection
When all of me
Loves all of you
And all of me too.

Wishing you all a loving way of being
For yourself and those dear to you
This Valentine's Day and every day
x
Evelyn
www.malahidemediationandcounselling.com

26/01/2019

There's no space I'd rather be.

Yesterday was a very special day for me. It marked a high point of a journey that began in 2013. I decided back then, to do a certificate in psychotherapy and counselling, a necessary foundation and to help decide if you wanted to go ahead with the full training to be a psychotherapist.

I was smitten, and jumped with delight to full training in 2014. There followed years of intense coursework, personal development and personal therapy. And then onto my practice, to the many wonderful hours I have spent working with clients.

Five years on, I am delighted to have reached the goal of becoming an accredited member of the Irish Association For Counselling and Psychotherapy.

It has been, and continues to be, a very full and interesting journey. Every day, my work involves stepping back from the world's great spin. And there's no space I'd rather be.

Evelyn
www.malahidemediationandcounselling.com

22/01/2019

Thinking of Counselling for yourself or for you and your partner?

I now have the following 5 times available:
1. Tuesday evenings at 7pm
2. Saturday mornings at 9am
3.Tuesday 3 or 4.30pm
4. Wednesday 3 or 4.30pm
5.Thursday 3pm

No waiting list.
Availability of the above times is on a first come first served basis.
Please email me directly at malahidemediation@outlook.com if you would like to book a session for any of the above times.
I endeavour to keep my costs low in order to make counselling as widely available as possible.
You can find further details on my website:
www.malahidemediationandcounselling.com

21/01/2019

Finding Comfort in Words and Paintings

I have a painting which I find very comforting called 'Coming Home' by Percy Scott. It reminds me of a very beautiful poem by Mary Oliver called 'Wild Geese'. This evening, I intended to put the two together, noting how each had been created separately in a different art form, but how their themes were linked. Imagine my surprise then, when I went to check the date for Mary's poem only to find that she had just died 3 days ago. Well, as she once wrote 'I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.' And she hasn't. Her reflection on life has crossed time. And we are lucky to have this legacy of words and images to inspire our own journey.
Evelyn
www.malahidemediationandcounselling.com

11/01/2019

The Unconscious Mind

"Most of us vastly underestimate the scope of the unconscious mind. There is an analogy that might give a better appreciation for its pervasive influence. In the daytime, we can't see the stars. We talk as if they 'come out' at night, even though they are there all the time."
(Extract from 'Getting the Love You Want'
by Hendrix & Hunt)

I love this analogy for the unconscious mind. It provides a good comparison for how life experiences which have been stored away, and maybe even forgotten, can still be influencing how we act day to day. Where an experience has been particularly negative or traumatic it can cause us to feel anxious or panic without understanding why. For example, a toddler bitten by a dog may have forgotten the experience by the time they are adult, but have a dislike or phobia of dogs without knowing why.

That is because our brain stores our emotional memories and something that stirs that emotional memory, can instantly send us into fight, flight, freeze mode, or feelings of panic, anger and anxiety.

If you think that one or more of these feelings has become pervasive in your life, talking to a counsellor or psychotherapist can help make sense of what is going on.

Evelyn
www.malahidemediationandcounselling.com

01/01/2019

22/12/2018

A selection of the most popular posts from 2018

08/12/2018

TIME OUT FOR XMAS FUN
I'm enjoying reading Graham Norton's novel 'A Keeper' and just recently went to see the movie Bohemian Rhapsody. I think there is a strange mixture of both in this old edition of Father Ted. Watch and chuckle

Graham Norton guests appears as Father Noel Furlong, so here is some of his highlights from the show! 20 years ago Father Ted came onto our TV screens, so wh...