Mr David Mandrake

A conversation with David Mandrake

• What led you to choose psychotherapy or counselling as a profession?

  I discovered that everyone tends to deal with the same issues in life, but people handle them differently. I found better ways of managing life's difficulties through personal experience and by learning from others. I wanted to pass this valuable knowledge on to others to help them successfully overcome their challenges.

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?

  A number of different philosophical approaches influenced my professional practice. This includes: Some of the biblical lessons I learned as a child, Buddhist philosophy, other religions and philosophies.
  
  Some self-improvement techniques that worked particularly well for me include: meditation, guided mediation, mindfulness, positive affirmations, creative visualisation, and hypnosis.
  
  My worked as a private detective in the United States and Australian for close to thirty years was extremely helpful to me in becoming a solution-based thinker. This professional career path also helped me become nonjudgmental and objective with people and situations. It also helped me to see what motivates people and gain a better understanding of human behaviour.

• Which particular aspects of health or the human journey are you interested in?

  I enjoy helping people find the inner resources to overcome the challenges of their current circumstances and succeed in the face of adversity.

• What methods do you use?

  Since each person is unique and their circumstances are different, I use a variety of techniques to assist my clients in finding a way through their difficulties and challenges. While counselling is a big a part of what I do, It's useful to employ what I like to think of as "life management strategies". These are practical approaches for dealing with life's tests and challenges.

• When do you think the client will start to feel that progress is being made?

  Depending on the nature of the client's issues, they will typically start to see some progress in three to six months. Very often a client will see significant improvement after about a year of counselling.

• How has therapy made a difference in your life?

  I am a much happier person for having made a commitment to my own health and well being more than fifteen years ago.

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

  I am grateful for being given the opportunity to hear people's personal experiences and helping them get the most out of life.

• Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?

  Yes, every day, when I first wake up in the morning.

• What do you think is the most significant problem we face, in the world today?

  We live in a complex and demanding world. We put high expectations on ourselves and others, while knowing very little about ourselves.

• Can you share the name of a book, film, song, event or work of art that inspires you?

  I learned a lot from the mystical author Carlos Castaneda. I also like Robert Monroe who wrote "Journeys Out of the Body" trilogy series.