What a Session Would Look Like: A Collaborative Approach to Healing

Starting therapy can feel like stepping into the unknown, and it’s completely normal to wonder: What will our sessions actually look like?

At Holistic Counselling to Liberate, therapy is a collaborative process. You won’t be given a one-size-fits-all plan or told what to do. Instead, we work together to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a way that feels safe, supportive, and empowering.

My role as a counselor is to guide you, not dictate your path. Therapy isn’t about me having all the answers—it’s about helping you discover your own strengths, insights, and tools to navigate life’s challenges.

The Foundations of Our Sessions

Every session is tailored to you, but there are some key elements that guide our work:

1. Safety First: Building a Therapeutic Alliance

Feeling safe and supported is essential for healing. Our first priority is creating a space where you can express yourself without fear of judgment. We’ll move at a pace that feels right for you, ensuring that therapy feels like a partnership, not an interrogation.

The therapeutic alliance—the trust and connection between us—is a crucial part of the process. Research shows that feeling truly heard and understood is one of the biggest factors in effective therapy.

2. Narrative Therapy: Exploring Your Story

The stories we tell ourselves shape how we see the world and our place in it. In our sessions, we’ll gently explore your personal narrative—the experiences, beliefs, and patterns that have influenced your life.

This doesn’t mean rewriting the past or ignoring pain. It means looking at your story with new perspectives, identifying unhelpful patterns, and finding ways to create a future that aligns with who you truly are.

3. Strength-Based Therapy: Recognizing Your Resilience

Many people come to therapy feeling stuck, broken, or overwhelmed. While we will absolutely honor the struggles you’ve faced, we’ll also focus on what’s strong, not just what’s wrong.

This means:✔ Identifying your strengths, even when they feel hidden✔ Recognizing past challenges you’ve already overcome✔ Building confidence in your ability to navigate future difficulties

4. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Rewiring Thought Patterns

Our thoughts shape our emotions and behaviors, sometimes in ways we don’t even realize. Using elements of CBT, we’ll explore:

• How your thoughts influence your feelings and actions

• Whether certain thought patterns are holding you back

• Practical tools to challenge and shift unhelpful thinking

This approach helps reduce anxiety, self-doubt, and negative self-talk, creating space for more self-compassion and clarity.

5. Grief Work: Honoring Loss and Moving Forward

Grief isn’t just about losing a loved one—it can also be the loss of identity, relationships, or a life you once knew. In our sessions, grief work involves:

• Honoring your emotions without rushing the process

• Understanding that grief is non-linear—it doesn’t follow a set timeline

• Finding ways to integrate loss into your life without feeling consumed by it

You don’t have to carry grief alone. Together, we’ll create space for both healing and remembrance.

6. Somatic Approaches: Reconnecting With Your Body

The body holds onto stress, trauma, and emotions, even when our minds try to move on. Our work may involve gentle somatic techniques to help you reconnect with your body’s wisdom.

This could include:

• Breathwork to regulate your nervous system

• Grounding exercises to bring you back into the present

• Noticing where emotions show up physically and learning how to release them

By incorporating body awareness, we move beyond just “talking” about emotions and into feeling and releasing them.

Your Healing, Your Pace

Therapy isn’t about rushing toward a “solution.” It’s about learning, growing, and discovering yourself in a way that feels safe and empowering.

Some sessions may feel deep and emotional. Others may focus on practical strategies for daily life. Every step is guided by what you need in the moment—because this is your journey.

If you’re ready to explore therapy in a way that honors your whole self—mind, body, and story—I’m here to support you.

Together, we’ll create space for healing, growth, and liberation.