My focus
I am a specialist in women’s emotional, psychological and spiritual health and well-being. My professional focus is to understand the deeper psychological aspects of mental & emotional distress within the context of women’s lives. This is my chosen niche and my area of expertise.
I dedicate all my continued professional development (CPD) to the study of female psychology. This includes a study of the issues that specifically affect female psychology and also the mental, emotional and physical aspects of women’s health - such as the impact of a mother-daughter dysfunctional relationship, often referred to as The Mother Wound.
Understanding women
As my practiced developed over the years I saw that I was attracting women with similar issues. I knew how to help them. For the last decade I have prioritised my professional experience to understanding the intricate needs of women. Addressing the unmet needs in women’s emotional / mental health is the focus of my daily work.
My specialism continues to deepen my understanding of the conscious and unconscious processes of women, which means I can better attune to the unique challenges and experiences that women face in life. For example, I specialise in helping women resolve the specific insecurities that threaten their relationships. It can be very helpful to work with a counsellor who understands the unique psychology of women, in particular the on-going impact of emotionally absent parents.
Simply put, I specialise in counselling women because I feel it is where my heart firmly lies, it is what I ‘know’ in my bones, the specific (as opposed to general) CPD makes me a better counsellor for women, I love it (which reduces my risk of burn out), I understand it, and... I think my clients would say that I’m very good at it. ?
Ethical practice
That said, I can’t help everyone. I do not knowingly work beyond my limits of competence.
If I feel that my competence, my skills, my clinical experience and my counselling modality are likely to be insufficient / unsuitable / unhelpfuI I will say so. This can be prior to or during counselling. It may occur on the first session, or 2 years on. The length of time we have been working together is irrelevant. Sometimes a situation can arise or change and is of a nature that I cannot help you with. My absolute priority is maintaining your best interests at heart.
There may be other counsellors better qualified to help. There may also be specialist organisations that are better placed to support you. There may be other mindfulness practitioners, life coaches or therapists with different professional experience that are better qualified to help you.
This is extremely ethically important and something that the key professional bodies, The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society are very clear about.
Should this be the case, I will do my best to suggest more appropriate professionals/organisations for you to consider.
*Please note* I do not work with issues related to current/historic abuse, in all forms, or child protection.
Marina Broadley MNCPS (Accred)
Psychodynamic Counsellor
