by Donald Marmara, Somatic Psychotherapist, Artarmon, Sydney
What is Psychotherapy? Is it the same as Counselling? How can I choose a therapist best suited to my needs?
Core Development offers:
- FACE-TO-FACE SESSIONS IN SYDNEY
- ZOOM AND PHONE SESSIONS WORLDWIDE
- Individual sessions
- Sessions for Parents and Teenagers (together and separately)
- Couples Counselling
- Talks and workshops for groups and organisations
Psychotherapy and Counselling are collaborative processes between you and a therapist to enable you to explore and resolve issues that may be blocking you from having the quality of life that you want.
Issues that may lead you to seek the help of a therapist include:
- anxiety
- depression
- stress
- trauma
- challenges at work, at home or in relationships
- loss and grief
- separation and divorce
- recurring physical problems such as back pain, migraine and digestive difficulties, especially when these do not appear to have a physical cause
- a general feeling of dissatisfaction with your life.
Psychotherapy and Counselling can be of great help with all the above difficulties, however you do not have to have a problem to benefit.
You can also benefit if you wish to have a more fulfilling and meaningful life, and a better relationship with yourself and others.
What’s the difference between Counselling and Psychotherapy?
The terms counselling and psychotherapy are often used interchangeably, others use the word psychotherapy to refer to a more in-depth process than counselling. There are also many different schools and approaches to psychotherapy and counselling.
What methods are used?
The methods used vary from just talking to sessions that may include role-play, bodywork, visualisation, breathing techniques and other methods depending on the particular approach.
What is Core Development’s approach?
I approach therapy as learning rather than pathological processes.
This means that, rather than looking for what’s wrong with you, I look for what needs to happen for you to have the quality of life that you want, and how we can work together to enable you to achieve this.
Instead of labelling stress, anxiety and depression as illnesses, they are recognised as signposts to a richer and more fulfilling life.
Some therapists have a predominantly theoretical training, others have trained more experientially. In my opinion a combination of experiential and theoretical training is ideal.
What do you mean by Experiential?
Some people use the term experiential to mean either practicing being in the therapist’s role, or watching other therapists at work. Others, including myself, use the term experiential to mean that the therapist has undergone therapy himself or herself.
“To my mind, Personal Psychotherapy is, by far, the most important part of Psychotherapy Training” Irvin D. Yalom, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University
In my initial training in somatic psychotherapy in London, I was required to undergo at least 150 hours of individual therapy in addition to over 2500 hours of face-to-face training including group therapy, supervision and theoretical training over a period of four years.
I developed Core Development, a creative approach to dealing successfully with life’s challenges, from my personal therapy, professional training and over 40 years’ experience.
Core Development is a learning process rather than a clinical method that can help you regain control of your life by discovering the underlying causes for the way you feel, and dealing with them successfully.
Does Core Development interfere with other forms of therapy?
Core Development can also be a very useful adjunct to other forms of therapy. This depends on the issues you are facing and on your particular circumstances. By dealing with the emotional aspects of the difficulties you are experiencing, it can enhance the effectiveness of other methods.
Core Development is not intended as a substitute for clinical or medical treatment in cases where this is required.
How do I know what’s right for me?
Choosing a Counsellor or Psychotherapist is an important decision and what suits one person may not suit another.
Research has shown that the quality of the relationship between you and your therapist is at least as important, and often more important, than the particular school or method used.
Therefore I suggest that, in addition to considering what method or methods appeal to you, you contact the therapist and have a chat to find out whether what you are looking for and what the practitioner is offering match up.
If you want guidance and support in dealing effectively with life’s challenges, and in being true to yourself in an environment that may not always share your priorities and values,
Call Donald Marmara on +61 412 178 234
M: +61 412 178 234 E: donald@coredevelopment.com.au