Stephen Dawson

Kia ora…

Originally from Manchester in the UK, I have been in New Zealand for the best part of 20 years. I now live in a small village in the beautiful rolling hills of the rural Manawatu, and I work in Palmerston North.

Counselling can help you:

• Understand how your thoughts can influence how you feel
• Deal with challenges and difficulties better
• Improve your relationships
• Find peace, contentment and fulfilment

Experience

I have been a counsellor for 6 years.

Counselling approach

I believe, very strongly, that the therapeutic relationship between you and I is the most important thing in counselling. A strong, trusting relationship will allow you to fully express yourself and gain a greater understanding of your issues, giving you the best chance of finding new understandings and better ways of living.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is an approach that I am particularly interested in. The CBT model assumes that the way we feel and act is influenced by how we think. Therefore, if we can change the way we think about something, we can change the way we feel.

Similarly, mindfulness is an approach I often use. Mindfulness helps us to focus on the present. We spend far too much of our time thinking and stressing about the future or the past. If we can clear our minds of this “clutter” and actually practice being in the present, we can experience greater peace in our lives.