Context and Perspective a counselling Journey

Supportive Memes: Context and Perspective

I am attempting to explain why I have these two phrases in my counselling phrase log book on rapid recall/dial up.

There are a number of phrases that I use on a frequent basis when counselling; “Hmmmmmm”, happens to be my favourite, “that’s an interesting point”, “I wonder if there is another way to see that?”, “can you say a little more” and “what is the context for that” and “what is your perspective on these set of circumstances now?”

I am writing this blog to expand on the last theme which is that of context and perspective. I copied the two explanations from a word web app to broaden my understanding.

Context: Discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to determine its interpretation. The set of facts or circumstances a situation or event.

Perspective: A way of regarding situations or topics, The appearance of things relative to one another as determined by their distance from the viewer, The technique of representing three dimensional objects on a two dimensional surface

I used the dual phrase (context and perspective) 1^st a few months ago working with a client in private practice. We had come across a few repeating patterns in their life. These patterns had followed set ways of thinking feeling and behaving in the world that were as a result of earlier experiences. A thought struck me as we walked and talked that brought the frame of what was being discussed into bright focus.

I remember we were walking along a pebble path in sunlight in August, the aroma of blackberry’s perfumed the air. At the time of our meeting the sun was beginning it’s slow descent and the moment was framed by my clients words. They spoke about “always doing X and thinking X and that if X happened in this way then it meant that Y was surely to follow and…” I can remember that it occurred to me that we had spoken about some of these ideas before when we were working at my counselling space in Lee.

There was a moment when I thought about the 2 differing environments one was a room the other was outside in a park. The context upon our meeting was different and yet some of what was being discussed was similar to a previous conversation. What I had hoped to convey was that to alter the thought feeling and behaviours facing a set of circumstances, perhaps altering the way in which one approaches them can bring change.

My 1^st degree was in Interior design. I studied at De Montfort University and enabling the client to accept the vision of the designer was an idea I came to appreciate. Interior design helped me gain an understanding of seeing life, art and psychotherapy from a number of differing perspectives. So for me when I speak about perspective I am not speaking about near or far, here or there – more about a continuum of views.

Earlier in October 2015 I worked with a probation referral as a FMHP for Together. He told me of his difficulties managing loss, incarceration and not knowing of how to get his life on track. He was able to outline some of the things he was hoping to achieve and again I was struck by this idea of context and perspective. To support the process of what was happening for this client I wanted to share that I understood what had occurred in his life, but that the context had shifted considerably and that within his new frame the perspective on the past present and future could be greater/different. I took my time to explain what I meant in relaying information about context and perspective.

What I like about these two ideas is their interrelation (how they connect) and that as two words they stand on their own. To place one’s life in context is to view how it is now, who is in it, and the things that are happening. Some attention could be spent reviewing the past in either a limited way: the past 6 months – 5 years or since birth.

Perspective invites individuals to get into a reflective space and note how life is. How life was and how they would like it to be in the future. Perspective is also seeing themselves from others point of view. When discussing aspects of a person’s life whilst in this space the space around the person I am working with appears to soften.

The aim of working with context and perspective is to develop ways with clients that promote forward movement or away from their current set of circumstances and approach a future that could be brighter.

Walk and Talk Therapy

It's an uncommonly mild spring evening. I've had a busy day, leafleting my local neighbourhood about a new Walk and Talk therapy service I’m launching. It's in the quiet time of the day I can reflect how far I have travelled. Round trip I have probably walked 4 miles, Lee-Blackheath-Hither Green. Through my walks I am starting to develop a deeper understanding of the area.

I certainly can’t claim to have come up with the idea of walk and talk therapy. In fact Freud was known to take clients out for a walk occasionally as he believed walking in nature could free clients up. Through my research, I’ve discovered there are a handful of therapists who work in this way across the UK and probably further afield.

I have felt drawn to working in this way through a number of important experiences I’ve had in my working life. For 4 years, I supported young people across London in taking up the challenge of the Duke of Edinburgh’s award. Walking in the hills of mid Wales, the South Downs, The Lake and Peat Districts often had me feeling creative hopeful and happy. In my personal life too, when facing challenges, I instinctively opt for taking walks which frees me up somehow to see situations in a different light.

I’m hopeful that this alternative approach will make counselling more accessible to some people who might be overwhelmed by the idea of sitting opposite someone for 50 minutes in a confined space. Having said that, one of the questions I have about working in this way is how walking will affect the relationship between counsellor and client. I wonder, for example about whether the lack of eye contact will affect the counselling experience. 

Because of this and so many other questions I have about working in this way, I opted to run a small pilot consisting of two 4 week trials which I’ve now completed. I’m really grateful to have received some positive and helpful feedback from the two individuals who took part. One commented that "You can't help but be in the moment. You have to be aware of each step and that keeps you in the now".I find this insight that walking offers a way to connect to oneself  interesting in that  connecting or reconnecting to oneself is widely regarded as one of the main things counselling strives to achieve.

The second individual who participated in the pilot had been in and out of therapy over several years. He noted that the sessions themselves had a completely different feel from the normal ones he had experienced.  He felt that being in the presence of the wildlife and the trees created an instant openness within him which made it easier for him to talk which was different to what  he sometimes experiences in the therapy room. He also observed that the sessions had a lingering effect in that during the week between sessions, he was able to picture the scenery and remember the context of what we spoke about which enabled him to  relax and reflect further on our conversations throughout the week.

My initial thoughts on the pilot are that working this way felt very collaborative. At the beginning of each session, we agreed a meeting spot, but thereafter we walked without an agreed route. This shared experience of co-creating the route helped to establish trust between us which supported the therapeutic relationship. Another observation I made is that the natural pauses for thought which sometimes lapse into periods of silence felt very natural in the context of walk and talk therapy. One thing I want to give more thought to is whether the effect of nature, makes me more creative in my practice.

Of course each individual will have their own experience of walk and talk therapy and it’s fair to say it may not be for everyone. Nonetheless my pilot has left me feeling confident that walking and talking in a London park can be both empowering and enabling for clients who choose to work with me in his way. The final word goes to one of the clients who participated in the trial: "Walking and talking is a tranquil activity as it combines movement with introspection”. He said it better than I could.

Please leave a comment below if you have any questions or comments about this blog or know of any fantastic green spaces in London I should become familiar with.