• About Caroline Romaine
• What is Systemic therapy?
• What is Cognitive therapy?
• Who Can I Help?
• Costs
• Contact
• Map
• Useful Links

We all face challenges throughout our lives and usually we sort through them by ourselves or with the help of family and friends.  Occasionally we are faced with problems that threaten to overwhelm us or our relationships and it is at these times it can be useful to access counselling.

I am a accredited BACP counsellor with over 15 years experience in the profession.  I am primarily a systemic and behavioural therapist although my training has taken in many of the recognised counselling techniques and theories.  This means that I can fit my approach to best suit the clients needs.  Clients are all individuals and so we work together to find the best way forward.  I work alongside my clients in an active and involved way and am transparent in my style so you always understand where I am coming from and how I am working with you.

I am a practicing Relate Couple and Family counsellor and have extensive experience dealing with all kinds of couple and family relationship issues including issues with young people.

I am based in Tunbridge Wells in Kent and work both daytime and evenings.  I also offer Saturday morning appointments.

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Systemic therapy views people in relationship to each other rather than what is happening within the individual.  Systemic therapists work with whole families, parts of families, couples and individuals.

We explore together how people communicate with each other and what they communicate looking to identify and explore the patterns of behaviours and beliefs in roles and relationships that have become rigid over time.  Doing this enables clients to decide if change is desired.

This approach is a very active using questions to explore stories from the clients past and present.  The technique used to explore the stories is sometimes called the narrative therapy.  It assists clients to identify, link, expand and acknowledge the positive and helpful experiences from their past and present they may have lost sight of in their present confusion and distress.  Using these insights it is then possible to reframe and move forward in a more positive and helpful way.

Systemic therapy is usually short termed; sometimes only one session can be extremely helpful.  We work in the belief that clients need to take what is happening in the therapy sessions back into their everyday lives and use the techniques to make the changes they feel is necessary part of their new approach.  This means that it is very important what happens between the sessions as in the sessions themselves.

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Cognitive therapy works from the basis that psychological problems can arise from the way we view the world and our experience in it.  We have core belief about ourselves and the people around us and this can sometimes lead us to believe our issues and problems are hopeless and threatening.

These core beliefs can promote automatic negative thoughts which stop us doing what we want and may lead us into feeling unhappy.  Some examples of these beliefs are:

• I always have to please those around me
• I am unlike able or unlovable
• I will never be successful
• I will always feel exactly as I do now

Most of these beliefs are actually just thoughts – they are not facts.  The problem is that these thoughts can lead to us looking for confirmation of our negative thoughts missing too easily those things that challenge or confirm a more positive possibility.

In cognitive behavioural therapy we challenge those thoughts by testing them out to see if they respond to reality.  Once thoughts have been identified they can be modified.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy uses a whole range of techniques for dealing with negative thoughts realising when they are going on, stopping them and replacing them with more realistic and positive responses.  It is extremely useful for dealing with issues such as long term depression and lack of self esteem issues.

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Daytime sessions                                                  £35.00

Early evening and Saturday                                  £35.00

Evening post 7.00pm                                             £40.00

Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance of the session.  Within 24 hours I charge 50% of the fee for the session.

1. Link to British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy website: www.bcap.co.uk
2. Link to Relate website: www.relate.org.uk

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