A conversation with Teresa Wilkinson

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

  Growing up in a complex family system and then experiencing how life-changing therapy can be.

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?

  I have been profoundly influenced by attachment theory. What we learn (experience) in childhood about relationships becomes unconscious patterns and leads to our future relationship patterns. Our attachment templates create what we expect in relationships with others and ourselves. We can bring the unconscious into conscious awareness and this allows choice.
  
  I believe in the profound ability of the body and mind to self-heal given the right support.

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

  I specialise in working with people who have experienced trauma and attachment issues. I also work with people who struggle with contentment and life purpose, as well as depression, anxiety, etc.

• What methods do you use?

  I work from a conversational model, meaning we discuss what impacts upon you, helping you make sense of this, assisting you to identify, process and express emotions and develop increased confidence to manage your emotions.
  
  I also focus on the body in therapy and we learn to listen to what the body is telling us. Listening to the body also helps us develop skills to manage feelings associated with anxiety and depression and helps to improve our confidence to understand what we are feeling, why and how to manage it.
  
  I work from a parts perspective, embracing the idea that we can feel conflicting things at the same time and working on developing more supportive relationships within ourselves and with others.

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

  We work as a team to address your therapeutic goals. We will regularly review how we are working, what is helpful and what requires adjustment. We will discuss what progress you want to make and explore how you will know when we are achieving that.

• How has therapy made a difference in your life?

  It builds self-awareness, which allows us to choose how we relate to ourselves and others. Being able to hear how we talk to ourselves is necessary for listening to ourselves and improving our situations.

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

  I really enjoy seeing people reorganise their internal systems into a system that supports them to achieve, stability, contentment, agency and future dreams.

• Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?

  Yes, Therapists are just people. I try and use my skills to hold myself kindly and gently at these times and hope to role model to my clients that it is also okay for you to have "bad hair days" too.

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

  We live in a community that does not talk alot about emotions. People are often feeling isolated with how they feel and at times others do not know how to support them and be open and honest about their own struggles. The more we talk about emotions the more we learn about them and the more support everyone can access. It also normalises that everyone struggles at times.

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

  John O'Donohue's book called Internal Echoes: Exploring our Hunger to Belong.