Sarah Hamilton

Psychotherapist and Counsellor
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
PgDip (Psychotherapy)
https://haycounselling.co.uk
info@haycounselling.co.uk

Languages

English

Where

In person and Online

Types of Methods

• Psychology - Psychotherapy - Counseling
• Movement - Somatics - Embodied Practices

Working with

• One to one, personal

16 Castle Street, Hay-on-Wye, HR3 5DF

Grappling with the likelihood of societal and environmental collapse leaves us with little solid ground. Acknowledging it can lead people to a crisis-point in their life, or a slow and terrifying sense of unravelling. We may struggle with grief, guilt, anger, anxiety and despair. We may find ourselves undertaking what Francis Weller calls a “painful apprenticeship with sorrow”, as we consider the enormity of what we may lose, and the difficulties we or younger generations will face.

Deep Adaptation calls us both to navigate this inner crisis, and to consider our practical response. How can we dismantle the scaffolding of all we have known, and not collapse ourselves? Is it possible to avoid retreating in fear, and keep our hearts open to the world and to others? Can we ease the inevitable suffering of the world and our communities? How might we realign our values and our livelihood with changing realities?

Much of this work is best done in the company of others, in structured groups or workshops (such as Joanna Macy’s ‘Work That Reconnects’) where we know that our concerns will be held safely. The shared and reciprocated process of bearing witness to each other’s anxieties can be grounding and steadying. Hearing others express their grief can help us find words for our own. Seeing how others are finding their path can spark new ideas for our own next steps.

And yet, while these group environments can be hugely supportive and revitalising, sometimes they’re not quite enough. You may find this collective crisis intersects with your personal or ancestral history and experience in a more complex way. Old traumas may be re-triggered by new questions. You may hit a block that feels insurmountable, or find yourself repeating familiar, unhelpful patterns.

When this happens, individual counselling and psychotherapy can provide a space to untangle the knots. My role as a therapist is to walk alongside you, helping you to understand where you are on this journey, and how that may fit into your life as a whole. We will pay attention to your thoughts, your emotions, and your somatic responses. Together we can meet whatever arises, and discover what inner resources and wisdom you can draw upon. And we can begin to find a way through the dark and stuck places of the soul.

My work is informed not just by my professional training as a psychotherapist, but also by 25 years of meditation and mindfulness practice, and a deep personal interest in Buddhist philosophy. These approaches emphasise the importance of not turning away from, or exiling, what is difficult in our experience. They call on us to meet our deepest pain with curiosity, compassion and care. Since facing my own crisis of anxiety and despair, I have worked with many others traveling on this path. I recognise it takes enormous courage to face such outrageous loss and seismic change, and find a way forwards. But you don’t have to make the journey alone.

 

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Methods this Guide uses

Therapy

Therapy, Psychotherapy, Counselling

‘Therapy’ is a broad church with many academic and practical variations, and for this reason, any si …

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