Find a Counsellor in Totnes

I support individuals of all ages and backgrounds to live more consciously, confidently and happy by helping them improve their present and their future. My life coaching support works. I feel comfortable saying this because from my clients I see, feel and hear how my service supports, enriches and improves their lives. And why would my support not be successful? If you are here sincerely wanting something to be better or different in - for example, your daily enjoyment of life, your work, family, career, relationships, habits or communication; and I am here to support you in creating what you are wanting then there simply is no other outcome than success and growth. When you and I work together to create what you want in your life, trust me: you will create it. Sounds too good or too simple to be true? Try it so you can find out if you too will benefit from your our cooperation. But in case you expect it to be ‘simple’ as in meaning ‘easy’, then I need to tell you that receiving my support may sound like a ‘simple’ process, but is not an easy one. If you are unfamiliar with life coaching and have Googled this service, you might have seen it described as 'a comprehensive and holistic process based on non-judgemental explorative conversations'. Maybe you too find this sentence not instantly clear or approachable. I confirm that life coaching is founded on conversations, but these conversations are not a passive or easy activity. Although we have conversations with others every day and we talk and listen every day, my support is not like having a 'normal' or 'simple chat' with a friend, colleague or family member. I do not lead, guide, tell, advise or judge. I support, empathise, actively listen, question, mirror, paraphrase and invite you to confirm clarity, understanding, insights and next steps. When you commit to my support, you will – like my past and current clients – discover that your conversations are active because they require your attention and energy; and that they often are challenging, thought provoking and sometimes also emotional. I believe that you, like all my clients, will discover aspects in your life that you will choose to change or replace with something more efficient, successful, positive and helpful to you. Some examples of improvements my clients gained are: positive changes of mindsets, broader perspectives, more efficient habits, increased confidence, improved leadership skills, higher ambitions, more effective and honest communication. Life coaching is described as holistic and comprehensive which means that the areas in our lives are all interconnected: work, family, business, mental health, relationships, well-being, career, emotions, education, spirituality, communication and recreation – all are linked and affect each other. So improving one area of your life will lead to discovering how you can improve other areas in your life and your way of living. This always leads my clients to experience an all-around and continuous success & growth momentum. Also, because coaching includes emotions and feelings, it can feel tiring, challenging, thought-provoking and 'organic' (meaning that it is unpredictable as it can create positive changes, new habits and new perspectives). However, regardless of whether your coaching conversations will feel challenging or not, each time we meet you can look forward to experiencing truly unique- to- you enlightening and empowering moments. Very important for you to know is that any learning, choices, decisions and results you will discover are always created by you. You - not I - will enrich your present and future life. The 3 fundamental words that underpin my life coaching support are: honesty, courage and choice. Even if you do not feel or think this of yourself right now, believe me: your act of searching for support is very much an act of courage, honesty and of self-care, hope, self-respect and inner strength. To bring yourself to face and explore your within and acknowledge that you want something to change, that you want something different - that is the moment when you can choose and then decide to really start living fully with and in honesty to yourself. And so too, to others. No more 'hiding' or delaying: you know you have choice and can choose; you know you can make a decision and take charge. You can choose to give yourself time, choice and empowerment. As soon as you decide to give what you need or want to yourself, you will start to feel more in control, happy, strong and free. Let me say a little about my clients: they are a continuously amazing and inspiring group of brave individuals. Each one is committed in their own way to live with themselves and with others as best as they can and each one is intent to enjoy their lives as fully and happy as possible. This they do whilst learning and growing with each opportunity they discover and each outcome they choose. This they do again and again with each success they create. My clients would tell you that I full-heartedly support them, but that I do not do the 'discovery-work' for them. They - not I - are the ones actively finding their solutions. They - not I - are gaining the insights that help them to reach their chosen goals. And by completing their unique thinking-journeys, my clients take pride, ownership and responsibility of their new insights and opportunities. They feel motivated and inspired to continue developing and constructing their desired present and future and they acknowledge that responsibility, accountability and success for their success lies with them - not with me. My clients would also share with you that they know that they will not receive advice, 'homework' or instructions from me and that sometimes they experience challenging, life-changing and emotional moments during their conversations with me. Moments when, for example, their perspectives or targets or intentions unexpectedly change. Moments when they come to acknowledge that certain habits or emotions were holding them back; when whilst facing their fears, they feel shocked and excited on suddenly gaining new strength and insights; or when past moments or emotions appear not to have been fully processed and need some more care, time and attention. My clients would also tell you that they feel guaranteed that during each conversation they not only give themselves an opportunity to learn, understand, change, create and grow - but also to feel they are increasingly choosing and deciding how they want to live their lives: how they want to feel, be, work, behave, think, act and communicate. My clients increasingly come to realise that they can be themselves and can live in honesty to themselves and to those around them. And every time an insight is gained, my clients celebrate this most motivating, creative, empowering and liberating effect of their life coaching support. Their celebrations are why I love what I do :) So, simply put: you, like my clients, can choose to invest in explorative thinking time with me. And you too can look forward to experiencing overall self-empowerment, success and growth. Regardless of your age, background, culture, job, education, socio-economic situation, spirituality or religion – as your life coach, I will successfully support you to move forward when you feel stuck, anxious, insecure, fearful, unproductive, alone or worried. And in case you receive support from other well-being, therapy or counseling services, please know that my support combines very well; in fact, my clients who see other professionals look forward to their time with me as we work from a positive, motivating, pro-active place with a compassionate focus on the present time. Often different clarity, more practical solutions and new insights are gained faster than with their other services. With me you will have uninterrupted time to explore where you are at, where it is you want to be and how you want to get there. My support is successful thanks to my genuine, professional, empathic and intuitive approach. And to put your mind at ease in case you think that my life, because I am a life coach, is all sorted or struggle-free: it is not. My life, like yours, has experienced ups and downs. And it still does. Divorce, grief, loss, living away from family, toxic and manipulative relationships, parenting stresses, Covid trauma, old emotional trauma triggers, insomnia, career challenges, managing my mental health, menopause and anxiety, yoyoing energy and confidence levels - are a few examples. So even though the list is not complete, alongside the challenging experiences is also another ongoing list of my positive, successful, joyful and encouraging experiences. Like you, I too face the choice of what to do with each day and with the time I have available. My life and work values and intentions are: Honesty, Joy, Trust, Growth. I believe that choice + courage = freedom. My values together with my deep sense of gratefulness guide how I want to live, work, feel and be. I hope you can feel from what you have read that the reality of life and living is that challenges and celebrations are part of it. Moments of feeling happy & unhappy, relaxed & worried, high & low, confident & lost are part of it. As I said earlier, it is an act of courage, love and self-care to acknowledge when you face times of feeling unable to take the next step and of finding support to help you along your way. As your coach, I will be that helping hand, the friendly respectful yet challenging push, the actively listening ear, the encouraging thinking and conversation partner. I will motivate you to move forward at your pace. My experience of working and interacting with children, teenagers, adults active in all kinds of careers, unable to work, and retired - spans over 15 years. This together with my professional training and life experiences create the foundation of my effective support. I love my work. And I feel grateful and privileged to work with each one of my clients. I hope that you too are feeling that you can trust me to help improve your life like I have helped to improve the lives of many others. My clients find me easy to talk to, calm, warm, welcoming and approachable. They feel safe and supported which is the key for my clients to be able to understand, release, heal and change themselves and so too their lives. If you, or the person whom you are finding a coach for, are new to coaching conversations, I want to comfort you by saying that you do not need to know or do anything ‘special’. Nor do you need to prepare, or feel prepared for your coaching sessions. You also do not need to have a specific goal, target, or issue ready for your conversation. Life fluctuates and meanders. Therefore, life's concerns, events, emotions and questions are not always clearly identifiable or singular. Simply know that I will support you from the point you are at, at any given time. During your Value Call or ‘consultation’, take time to reflect on whether you are ready to commit to improving your living; your family, career, work, life opportunities and relationships. And ask me the questions that will help you to find out if I am the right coach for you because reaching positive outcomes will depend on our interaction. Today is the day you can start feeling more ready for tomorrow. From today you can experience an increased sense of living, thinking and acting with more consciousness, clarity, intention and confidence. I can't wait to work with you and to celebrate together what you set out to achieve, resolve, manage or overcome. Remember that you can choose to: Say it. Feel it. Create it. Look after yourself and those around you, Yvo PS Until we meet, I give you 2 practices which hugely improve my daily life: 1. Replace the verb ‘should’, with ‘could’. Each time you say, hear or think 'could' instead of 'should' enjoy experiencing what you notice :) 2. Realise that you can choose what you think and what you feel. When next time you feel down, alone, unhappy, unable – check what you are thinking. Then choose whether you stay with what you were thinking and what you were feeling or whether to replace your thinking and feelings with something more positive and grateful. Celebrate what you notice happening within :)