10 Questions with Natajsa Wagner

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

• Becoming a psychotherapist was actually a career change for me. My background prior to this was working in the corporate sales sector. I began my journey in psychotherapy when I started to ask the big questions: What am I doing with my life? Is what I am doing making me happy? Who am I really? As I started my training and started to find the answers to those questions, I discovered that this was the work I was meant to be doing!

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional/personal development?

• My belief is that all of our challenges are relational in nature. Whether it is the relationship we have with ourselves, others or a lack of relationship. By developing self-awareness and understanding of our challenges we can create change that leads to more fulfilling and meaningful connection and wellbeing.
  
  I draw inspiration from many people including Ron Kurtz, Janina Fisher, Pat Ogden, Peter Levine, Carl Jung, Martin Buber, Epicurus, Fritz Perlz, Irving Yalom and Nitcheze to name a few!

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

• I have a special interest in supporting people through life transitions, and when they hear The call.
  
  The call comes when we are breaking or are ready to break.
  I believe many of us come to this moment.
  A point in our lives where we start to question how we are living our life and if it's in alignment with our values and what we want to be doing.
  
  Sometimes it is a relationship that ends, we lose our job, a child becomes ill, a loved one dies or we have a dream that won't seem to let go.
  
  These are the pivotal and life-changing moments where we are called to assess where we are, what's important and what changes need to be made.
  
  We begin to question our place in the world and how we are living.
  We ask ourselves if we are living authentically and if we remember what authentic is for us.
  We want to find answers to "who am I?" and "What do I want from my life?"
  We feel deeply that there is something we are missing, a knowing that something is not quite right or that there is something else we should be doing.
  
  This is the call.
  The call to wake up, to begin to peel off our masks, our layers of conditioning.
  This is the call
  To discover who we really are, who we are meant to be and what our work is in the world.

• What method/s do you use?

• My training is as a Gestalt therapist, however, I employ a range of methods when working with someone. My approach is also more than my methods or techniques. I believe good therapy is about a human meeting and meeting each person where they are.
  
  Relationships are key and this is why I work collaboratively and in partnership with all of my clients.
  My focus is to provide a safe and supportive space for you to share your stories, challenges and concerns.
  I work with you to develop awareness and clarity on your situation so that together, we can find the solutions you need to create long-term sustainable change.
  
  I am here for you as an objective, non-judegmental guide. This means that I can help you see your blind posts as well as help you look at different perspectives you might not have considered.

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

• I believe that choosing to take the first step to reach out for support is progress in itself. As each individual is different I believe that progress is also specific to each person. For some people progress is starting to open up and speak to someone, learning something new about ourselves, developing more awareness or achieving a specific outcome or goal. My belief is that every moment is an opportunity to create something change.

• How has therapy made you a better person?

• As a therapist walking my talk is something that is important to me. Having awareness of my own edges, vulnerabilities, and places to grow means that I am able to support my clients. I am able to know what belongs to me and what belongs to my clients.
  
  Having sat in the client's chair also means I have an understanding of the therapeutic process as well as the feelings and emotions that come up for you!

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

• I am most grateful for the privilege of being able to hold space for my clients. Being able to support people to do the inner work is a gift. The journey of healing, growth and personal transformation is real, raw, messy and heart-opening work.

• Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?

• Yes of course! I am human. What is different for me now after doing my own inner work is that I have awareness of what is going on and I know how to manage it. I can come from a place of choice and possibility rather than feeling overwhelmed or stuck.

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

• Great question, with many answers. For me, I see one of the most significant problems we face is a lack of connection. In so many ways humans have become disconnected from ourselves, each other, nature, meaningful work, purpose, and spirituality. If we look at the root causes of dis-ease both emotional and physical I think the disconnection we feel in these areas of our lives is an important factor we need to address.

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

• Some of my favourite books are The Alchemist by Paul Coelho, The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, Lost connections Johann Hari