About your Counsellor
Megan Thomas started Inspire Change Counselling in 2014. Her vision is to assist others to learn about themselves, how they think, explore their past experiences and to understand their current behaviour and feelings. Megan's approach as a counsellor is one of caring, empathy, kindness, understanding in an environment that is positive, confidential and non-judgemental.
Qualifications
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Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Counselling). Australian College of Applied Psychology
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Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology). Swinburne University of Technology
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Graduate Certificate in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). Flinders University
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Level 2 - The Gottman Institute Couples Therapy.
The Gottman Institute
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EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing.
Therapy Training Australia
Counselling and the Non-Judgemental Approach
When training to become a counsellor one of the very first things we learn about is the importance of developing and practicing a non-judgemental approach. A non-judgemental approach means that we do not judge or criticise our clients for what is discussed within the counselling session. An important role of the counsellor is to stay non-judgemental so that our clients feel comfortable and safe to discuss their problems and how they are feeling. Counsellors must be prepared to support their client as best as possible regardless of what content they choose to discuss. If you believe that you would like to be listened to without judgement then counselling could be for you.
Counselling Involves Active Listening
One of the most important skills that counsellors are trained in is called active listening.
Active listening involves the counsellor intentionally concentrating on you and what you are saying. An essential aspect of active listening involves us reflecting back to you what you have said in our own words. This allows us to confirm to you that we have understood correctly what you have said. It is my role as the counsellor to assist you to hear what 'you' are saying and then to help you further explore the issue. The idea is that when your emotions are identified and you feel listened to and understood the intensity of your emotions decreases. As a counsellor I understand how important active listening is within the counselling space. Do you ever find that you are not really being listened to? Would you like to speak to someone who will not judge you? Would you like to speak to someone who is uninvolved in the issue and can be objective? Then counselling could be beneficial for you.
The Importance of Empathy
Empathy is a word you will hear often in the counselling environment and it is integral towards the successful outcome of therapy. Empathy means my ability to 'step in to your shoes' and understand your feelings and perspectives and being sensitive towards your thoughts and experiences. Empathy allows me to build a strong relationship with you where you feel listened to and understood. It is sad but unfortunately not everyone has empathic people in their lives and this could be a good reason to attend counselling with someone like me.