Ms Kelsey Hendrickson

A conversation with Kelsey Hendrickson

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

  A lifelong interest in people and what makes us humans tick is what first drew me to study psychology as a Bachelor's Degree in the U.S. I've always been keen to understand why people act the way they do and think the things they do. What motivates people. Over 11 years ago, I trained as a yoga teacher and a few years later, as a yoga therapist. While teaching, I found people were naturally confiding in me about their struggles and issues in life. As such, I felt further training and professional practice in the field of psychotherapy would be of tremendous benefit to myself and my clients.

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?

  Yogic philosophy and Buddhism have both had major influences in both my professional and personal development. As a long term yoga teacher, the practices of mindfulness and breath awareness are a big factor in my life and counselling work.

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

  I'm particularly interested in health from a wholistic viewpoint in so much as health is about the mind, body and soul. I believe part of our journey as humans is to find health, wellbeing and our own sense of meaning in the world. As a therapist, I see part of my job is to help others find their meaning and purpose.

• What methods do you use?

  I am an integrated therapist, which means I have training in a variety of different modalities and use the methods and styles which I think are uniquely suited to my individual clients. That said, I have a special interest and training in Gestalt Therapy which focuses on your somatic experience (what you feel in your body), the relationship between us as therapist and client and what you experience in the here and now, present moment.

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

  Sometimes just by scheduling the first appointment, clients report that a shift has occurred. For others, it may take a few sessions to really start to see some changes. I believe therapy is a life long journey and relationship with yourself. That we as humans are continually learning, growing and changing.

• How has therapy made a difference in your life?

  Therapy has brought a lot of my unconscious behaviour and thoughts to the conscious level; increasing my self awareness. With that increased level of self awareness comes more choice in my life to stop before automatically reacting and pause. With more choice comes the ability to act with more kindness and compassion towards myself and others. Therapy has also taught me that everyone, myself included, struggles with something in their life. That knowledge has given me a great level of comfort. and connection with my fellow humans.

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

  What I like most about being a therapist is the relationships with my clients. It is an immense privilege to create enough trust with someone that they are willing to share things with me about themselves that perhaps no one else knows. I love seeing how through that trusting relationship, people can create tremendous change in their lives.

• Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?

  Absolutely I have bad hair days. Sometimes I wake up and the weather is sticky and humid and my hair is just frizzy that day. The key for me and for my clients is to remember that tomorrow the weather may be different and the heat will dissipate eventually. How can we cope with that bad day when it does arise and know that we are not alone.

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

  I think social isolation is one of the most significant problems we face in our Western world today. Feeling alone and isolated can lead to a host of other mental health problems and stressors. I believe that is one of the most powerful aspects of therapy, to feel that you are not alone in your struggles.