Liz Frings

Approach Description: Person-Centred Therapy: A Compassionate Approach to Healing Person-centred therapy, developed by psychologist Carl Rogers in the 1940s, is based on a beautifully simple but profound idea: you are the expert on your own life, and given the right conditions, you have an innate capacity to grow, heal, and find your own answers. What Makes It Different Unlike therapies where the therapist acts as an expert diagnosing problems and prescribing solutions, person-centred therapy is truly collaborative. Your therapist isn't there to fix you or tell you what to do—they're there to create a safe, non-judgmental space where you can explore your feelings, thoughts, and experiences at your own pace. The Core Conditions Person-centred therapy is built on three essential qualities that your therapist brings to every session: Unconditional Positive Regard: You're accepted completely, without judgment, no matter what you share. There's no "right" or "wrong" way to feel. Empathy: Your therapist genuinely tries to understand your experience from your perspective, reflecting back what they hear so you feel truly seen and understood. Congruence (Genuineness): Your therapist is authentic and real with you, not hiding behind a professional mask. This creates trust and helps you feel safe being authentic too. EMDR Therapy: A Brief Overview EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a specialized form of therapy that helps your brain process and heal from traumatic or distressing experiences. Originally developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Francine Shapiro, EMDR has become one of the most researched and effective treatments for trauma, PTSD, and a wide range of emotional difficulties. How EMDR Works: Unlike traditional talk therapy where you discuss problems in detail for weeks or months, EMDR works differently. It's based on the idea that traumatic or distressing experiences can get "stuck" in your brain—stored in a way that keeps them feeling fresh and overwhelming, as if they're still happening. EMDR helps your brain reprocess these stuck memories so they can be stored properly as something that happened in the past, rather than something that feels threatening in the present. What Happens in an EMDR Session During EMDR therapy, you'll focus on a specific distressing memory, image, or belief while your therapist guides you through bilateral stimulation—typically: Eye movements: Following the therapist's fingers or a light bar moving side to side Tapping: Alternating taps on your hands or knees Audio tones: Sounds alternating between your left and right ears This bilateral stimulation appears to help your brain process information similarly to how it does during REM sleep, when your eyes naturally move back and forth as you dream and consolidate memories.