Joe Church

I am an integrative counsellor/psychotherapist with over 17 years experience. You can find out more on my website: www.counselling-norwich.co.uk.

Everyone experiences difficulty at one time or another. Whether you are dealing with a major life event, suffering anxiety or sadness, struggling with a relationship, or simply experiencing that something is not working in your life, this is an opportunity for you to step out of your everyday roles and usual ways of thinking and bring non-judgemental awareness to yourself, in order to get to the root of what is troubling you or holding you back in your life.

My first aim is to provide a safe, clear space in which you can be yourself in the knowledge that you will be fully accepted, however you are. It is surprising how this experience alone can awaken our energy, our aliveness, freeing us up from habitual responses which no longer serve us, and allowing new parts of ourselves to emerge.

Exploring yourself under these conditions can illuminate outdated beliefs that you hold about yourself and shed light on other ways in which you may be inhibiting your well-being. It can be very affirming and such a relief to realise that you no longer need to do so.

Through this fresh perspective, it is possible to be awakened to new possibilities. You may notice that your energy returns, your experience may be transformed into something more manageable and workable and you might begin to see new and more fulfilling ways forward in your life.

The way I work draws on many different therapeutic approaches and takes into account the whole person - body, mind and spirit - not just the thinking part of us.

Finding the right therapist for you is important, so please do get in touch if you'd like to get more of a sense of who I am and how I work. I offer a free 20 minute Zoom or telephone call, which gives me the opportunity to listen to what you would like to bring to therapy and for us to explore whether I might be a good match for your particular needs, or not, as the case may be.

Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling, 2008

Certificate in Zero Balancing, 2000

Certificate in Holistic Massage (Massage Training Institute), 1997

Meditation and Mindfulness training, on-going since 1996

On-going training in the Enneagram of Character Types

Post Graduate training in Couples Counselling

On-going training and supervision in Integrative Therapy since 2016

I have also consistently worked on my own issues in a diverse range of therapeutic contexts, including bodywork and psychotherapy, during the last thirty years, and consider this vital in terms of what I can offer you as a therapist.

Humanistic/Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy

Relationship Counselling (including couples therapy)

Zero Balancing bodywork

Some people come for talking therapy - either individual or couples work. Some come for Zero Balancing bodywork. And some come for a combination of both, as the two approaches work so well together.

With Counselling and Psychotherapy I work with individuals and couples (see my website for details: www.counselling-norwich.co.uk.

I use an Integrative approach when working with people: the way I practice combines a training in Humanistic Counselling with influences from other therapeutic approaches, including relational therapy, body awareness, psychodynamic theory, the Enneagram of Character Types, meditation and mindfulness, depending on what is most appropriate for you.

I also practice a mode of bodywork called Zero Balancing, which is optional. Zero Balancing releases tension from deep in the body. For some this can be an excellent complement to talking therapy. In Zero Balancing the recipient lies down, clothed, in a relaxed position. Using finger pressure and held stretches into key areas of the body, the practitioner allows tension around the bones and joints to be released.

As well as helping the body to heal from physical injury, letting go of bone-deep tension and reclaiming our energy at this core level addresses the underlying cause of a wide variety of stress-related conditions. These range from physical symptoms such as tiredness, headaches, body pain or frozen shoulder, to more overtly emotional issues such as stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, past trauma or regaining a lost spark for life.

If you are curious, take a look at www.zerobalancing-norwich.co.uk.