Michael Ossher - Counsellor and Therapist

For some, problems may be felt even more deeply and more generally in their lives.

They may experience the same issues at work as in their relationships and other aspects of their life.

Lives can be overshadowed by earlier traumas which are frequently relived – not only through the memory of particular events but by the pattern of feelings and responses long established.

These can be felt any number of ways – perhaps as an internal emptiness or low self-esteem, continuing depression or constant anxiety. Recurring traumatic experiences might remain unresolved for years. Perhaps there's a ‘script' for ourselves that we developed when young which helped us cope then, but which we have never learnt to go beyond.

The goal of therapy would then be to help you integrate these feelings back into your life, to reframe them in a context that weakens their potency and power to disrupt.

Over time there is a strengthening of self and the type of situations that cause disruptions and anxiety are successfully negotiated:

Take the story of James, a senior associate in a large legal practice:

James experienced immobilising anxiety in many of the larger matters that he worked on. He had grown up in a very critical home, where nothing he did was ever good enough or praised. He had spent his life seeking perfection so as to avoid the critical voice of his parents in his ear.

Consequently James approached all of his work seeking the same level of perfection. He felt nothing he achieved was ever good enough. During his therapy James explored his pursuit for perfection, including a comparison of his need with the practices of the world at large.

It became apparent to him that most of the world expected no more than ‘good enough for the necessary outcomes' and that a certain degree of error was inevitable and reasonable.

This insight enabled him to reflect on his own experience and shift to a more positive, less anxious feeling state across his working and personal life.

His confidence has increased, as has his ability to take on more complex matters and enjoy more rewarding interactions with his family and his work colleagues.

Paradoxically we can fear the new because it threatens the old . Our ability to change can be constrained by these feelings. Unwittingly, desperation and despair become an unpleasant but acceptable noise consuming great personal energy - demanding adaptation, accommodation and disconnection which in turn prevent the spirited experience of life.

Through a program of self-discovery in longer-term therapy, that spirit, confidence and connection are restored.

Counsellor and Therapist

Appointments (02) 9232 8101

For some, problems may be felt even more deeply and more generally in their lives.