Mrs Judith Withers

A conversation with Judith Withers

• What led you to choose psychotherapy or counselling as a profession?

  I discovered the importance of understanding why people do certain things, why they feel in certain ways, what to do about it, and how to improve their quality of life.

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional development?

  initially it was Sigmund Freud, then Fritz Perls, Albert Ellis and then it was CBT (behaviour modification)

• Which particular aspects of health or the human journey are you interested in?

  living healthier, positive lives with greater self understanding

• What methods do you use?

  i use range of techniques, from psychotherapy, to Gestalt therapy, CBT, mindfulness and practical short term counselling techniques, based on the needs of the client

• When do you think the client will start to feel that progress is being made?

  hopefully from the first session and onwards

• How has therapy made a difference in your life?

  greater empathy, greater self understanding and a greater understanding of others. Also a more positive attitude

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

  the feeling that I may be able to make a difference to someone else's quality of life

• Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?

  yes, sometimes. It is what we do about them and how we manage them that are important, not whether we have bad hair days or not.

• What do you think is the most significant problem we face, in the world today?

  caring about others and caring about the environment

• Can you share the name of a book, film, song, event or work of art that inspires you?

  How to raise your self esteem by Nathaniel Brandon