Non-directive therapy is a principled approach to working with clients. It recognises the uniqueness of the human condition: that we are both independent and interdependent on others at the same time.

This means that a relationship between two people involves acknowledging and respecting each other’s uniqueness, while being ready to accept (and be surprised by) what they share. As a non-directive therapist, this means that I can relate to you as a fellow companion on the journey of life, but also as someone who is respectful of your unique experiencing of the world.

Non-directive therapy is also based on a positive, affirming model of human growth and development. This model holds that humans have an innate tendency to move towards greater autonomy, wholeness and complexity. In an optimal relational environment, a person’s natural and spontaneous growth process can be trusted to unfold.

In therapy, I trust and relate to you as a person with agency, autonomy and the capacity to grow in response to your own experience. I focus my attention on your experiences, and do my best to put aside my own biases and expectations.

This stance frees you to discover your own methods and processes of change. Any goals in therapy are yours, not mine, and my focus is on creating the environment for you to make those gains, rather than on the gains themselves. This process of self-discovery lends itself to sustainable and lasting change.

Sometimes, it may feel like your capacity for growth and finding your way forward is stuck, broken or just plain missing. However, the actual experience of non-directive therapy itself helps to dislodge, fix and find it.

If you’d like to experience this way of working for yourself, get in touch for a free 15-minute call with me.