My Approach
The objective of my counselling and life coaching is to help you to gain insight into yourself and your issues and to empower you to take positive action and make beneficial changes in the way you act, feel, think and perceive. My counselling and life coaching are tailored to the unique situation and needs of each client. I base my approach on the twin values of unconditional regard for the client (non-judgment) and equality of status (working collaboratively with clients).
My counselling and life coaching are informed by a holistic model of what it means to be human. It is based on empathetic listening, deconstructive questioning and the offering of insights or suggestions for the client’s consideration.
Generally, I follow the narrative therapy approach, which is based on the idea that we perceive ourselves and our lives in terms of powerful internal ‘stories’ constructed by our selective memory of events. This approach sheds light on the dominance of such stories, and challenges them, empowering you to choose how to conduct your life now and in the future.
Sometimes, I may focus more directly on what I call the client’s issues: the particular beliefs, expectations, thoughts, emotions and actions which are associated with any problems the client is encountering. Here my approach bears some similarity with cognitive-behavioural therapy but with greater reliance on the importance of developing self-awareness through mindfulness and growth through self-acceptance.
Other approaches I sometimes use in my counselling and life coaching derive from gestalt therapy and neuro-linguistic programming.
Sessions by appointment
Gerald Kember Counsellor : Life Coach : Graduate Diploma in Counselling, BA (Psychology), LLM
Address: 97 Summer Street, Ponsonby, Auckland
