Philosophy & Vision
My journey into therapy began many years ago when I discovered that massage and bodywork could make an enormous difference to my sense of well-being. This led me to learn and practise massage, and then to wonder why some of us are so unwilling to relax into our bodies and allow ourselves to be fully alive. This led to the study of the bodymind and my current practice of embodied relational psychotherapy. Meditation, yoga, and connection with nature have also become important practices for me.
Background
I have 26 years experience as a psychotherapist, and 31 years as a bodyworker. Apart from this I have travelled and worked as a teacher in various settings, including voluntary work in Africa and migrant education in Australia.
I enjoy wilderness activities, and practise yoga and meditation. Currently I teach Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction in the Blue Mountains, and have completed the level 1 training in the Internal Family Systems model.
Services
I work mainly with adults in one-to-one therapy.
I also teach Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction to groups and individuals.
You are invited to a safe space within which trust and mutual respect and understanding may develop. Going at your own pace, I will encourage you to welcome and become curious about even the most troubling thoughts and emotions, as these often provide keys to resolving inner and outer conflicts.
Quality Provision
I maintain clinical registration with the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia. I engage in regular individual supervision, peer supervision, and personal therapy.
Areas of Special Interest
Accreditations
- Dip Somatic Psychotherapy - 1997 - College for Experiential Psychotherapy, Sydney
- Grad Dip Multicultural Education - 1994 - University of New England
- BSc Physics - 1978 - University of Bristol
- Mindfulness teacher training - 2014 - MTIA
Modalities
Bio-dynamic Massage - Developmental - Experiential - Integrative - Internal Family Systems - MBSR - Mindfulness - Person Centred - Psychodynamic - Somatic Psychotherapy
Therapy Approach
I believe that the therapeutic relationship is at the centre of the work, and we must work to build a space of respect, safety, and trust. It is in this field that you will be able to integrate your experience into learning and growth. Body awareness may be used for becoming more aware of emotional processes, and for regulating the nervous system.
Within this framework, having trained in Internal Family Systems therapy, I am bringing a systems approach to helping clients to work through internal and external conflicts. In this way conflicting patterns, desires, emotions and impulses can move towards resolution, improving clarity, confidence and sense of connection.
Professional Associations
- Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia
Practice Locations
Room 7 Upstairs
120 Katoomba St
Katoomba NSW 2780
My Katoomba practice is in the centre of the town and has ample street parking.
Glenbrook Yoga Space has ample suburban street parking.
Glenbrook Yoga Space
14A Hare St. (Entry from King St)
Glen brook NSW 2773
Appointments
Mondays 9am - 8pm
Wednesdays 9am - 5.30pm
Fees & Insurance
Fee on application
Languages
English
French
Payment Options
Cash or bank transfer.
Contact Geoff
Please contact me to make an appointment
A conversation with Geoff Heard
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I first studied massage, and was intrigued at the way people would, week after week, re-create in their bodies the tensions I had massaged away the week before. This led me to investigate the mind-body connection, and eventually to study Somatic Psychotherapy, in which mental, emotional and physical experience are seen as not only connected but as facets of a greater whole.
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Relational, Somatic, Psychodynamic, Humanist, Existential, Phenomenological, Systems thinking. The evidence is in to show that the principal factor influencing the outcomes of therapy is the quality of the relationship developed between therapist and client, in particular the level of safety and trust that develops between the two. This was the emphasis in my earliest training and has remained my bottom line. Deep listening and attempting to feel into my client's experience is the basis of my work.
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The sense that we are all connected, we are relational beings, that we are a web of intertwined thoughts, stories, beliefs, impulses and emotions. The healing journey is about coming to better appreciate our inner landscapes, resolving inner conflicts along the way. Also that we develop and exist in a web of intertwined relationships with family, community and the wider world.
The things that I find help with this are good therapy, connection with nature (through getting out there), connection with the body (through things like yoga, meditation, dance), and connection with community. -
Creating a relationship of safety and trust, staying present, listening, empathising, reflecting, validating, not judging. Body awareness, to help deepen embodiment and think and act from a more grounded place. Working with emotions and beliefs, stories and impulses develop a deeper trust in self, relieving burdens and resolving inner conflicts along the lines of the Internal Family Systems model may be stages we move through on the road to integration.
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When they start to feel more satisfied with themselves, with others, and with life in general.
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I think that we are all good people, its just that stuff gets in the way of our making our goodness and creativity felt in the world. I have managed to remove some of the obstacles, especially around taking responsibility for myself and my needs. Somatic work particularly has helped me deepen self awareness and become better at self-regulation (looking after my own well-being), hopefully making me a better friend, partner and member of the community.
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The privilege of being let into others lives, which I never take for granted.
And the possibility of making a difference. -
Yes, because I'm human. It can also happen that what feels like a bad hair day is the result of relationship dynamics within a therapy session, useful information about the process and not to be missed.
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On a world scale, many of the basic requirements for living a dignified life are missing. Millions of people do not have sufficient food, land or security to raise healthy families. The causes are complex, but I think we need to take responsibility for the way we live and make a priority of looking after each other and the Earth. A more compassionate world can only come about if we undertake the work to become more compassionate, and self-compassionate, individuals.
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"The Spell of the Sensuous'; Perception and Language in a More Than Human World' by David Abram.