About Utsa Das
www.mentaline.com/utsadas/
Why counselling?
When life’s challenges get us down we can feel trapped in a forest with no means of escape. Sharing with friends and family can have its drawbacks as they can offer their opinions and advice which may not have any relevance for you. Also, our natural instinct is to protect the feelings of those we care for and therefore we may hold back our thoughts and feelings. In such instances talking to someone not related to you can help. In the analogy of the forest, the counsellor is like a helicopter hovering above the trees, who is able to see the bigger picture, and point you to various options that exist, without recourse to advice, opinion or personal involvement. As counselling is a confidential service, one can feel safe in the knowledge that their disclosure remains private.
I have been in this field since 1996 and have worked in various settings (Primary care, Sexual trauma, RELATE, mental health, infertility unit, cancer unit and private work). I offer 2 different experiences of counselling:
Short term therapy
In short term work I usually use Brief Solution Focused Therapy (BSFT) and the work may be no more than 6 – 8 weeks, sometimes less. This is a non-directive but active therapy where the focus is in the present, with clear, specific and attainable goals that can be achieved in the time available. This is helpful in situations where there may be a sudden issue that arises in your life that you are finding difficult to deal with or when you wish to develop specific skills to deal with your concerns, such as assertiveness training or confidence building.
Long term therapy
Occasionally there maybe long term concerns that are affected by unresolved past issues or long lasting concerns such as overwhelming anxiety or depression. In such situations, I use Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) which looks at how our thoughts, attitudes and values related to a particular situation impacts on how we behave and deal with it. Just compare how you address a situation in which you feel confident versus one in which you doubt your capability. You will notice that your thoughts and feelings regarding a difficult situation are very negative and that you worry about it for days even before that situation has risen. CBT helps you to look at past experiences and beliefs that maybe impinging in this case and develop better coping skills and self confidence. It helps to break the cycle of negativity and repeated patterns. Over time we develop a map linking the past to the present, (called a conceptualisation) and this insight becomes the foundation of changing behaviour. It is a very active therapy which encourages you to find goals to work towards both in the session and outside in your daily life. Homework will be involved that may include reflecting on what has been learnt in the session, practicing skills, doing imagery work to develop confidence and occasionally written work. The number of sessions can vary usually between 8 – 12 sessions, with difficult issues such as trauma requiring more.
Supervision
I offer supervision to therapists and my usual mode of working can be purely CBT or integrative to suit the supervisee. I use creative means and imagery to help the counsellor get the most out of supervision.
