Human Givens Psychotherapy and Counselling

Human Givens is a brief, solution focused talking therapy offering effective, practical and fast help for all forms of emotional distress.  This includes people who are depressed, anxious, phobic or suffering from trauma, addictions, bereavement, relationship difficulties, eating disorders, self-harming, low self-esteem, poor sleep or anger problems.

What can you expect from a Human Givens Therapist?

Human Givens Therapy will normally make a difference quickly.  Often, real benefits will be felt after the first session, invariably by the third session and rarely more than six /eight are necessary.

It is effective because it draws on both findings from psychology and neurobiology about how people really function.  Human Givens psychotherapists do not waste time by just endlessly listening to you or attempting to dredge up real or imagined miserable memories from the past. Instead they offer practical help in the here and now.

A typical session lasts for 60 to 75 minutes and at all times your wishes and values will be respected.  There will be no jargon or psychobabble.  Nor will the past be unduly dwelt on, unless there are particular issues or traumas which need to be considered and dealt with.

An explanation in plain English will be given as to why you are feeling as you do and in a way which will make sense to you. You may also be taught specific skills and techniques to help you to relax and feel calm and ‘in control.’

Typically, specific and concrete goals are agreed.  These goals are set at a pace with which you feel comfortable.  Goals give us all a focus and are a means by which the effectiveness of the therapy can be judged.

What are Human Givens?

Human Givens are what we are all born with.  They are our essential biological and emotional needs and the innate resources that we have evolved in order to fulfil these needs.  They are what we all need in order to thrive rather than just survive.

Our emotional needs include:

• the need for security
• the need for intimacy and friendship
• the need to give and receive attention
• the need for a sense of autonomy and control
• the need to feel connected to others and be part of a wider community
• the need for privacy
• the need for a sense of meaning and purpose

 

Our resources include:

• imagination
• curiosity
• memory and the ability to forget
• our ability to problem solve
• understanding through metaphor and stories
• self awareness
• resilience
• empathy
• a rational as well as an emotional brain

 

When emotional needs are not being met in balance or when our resources are being used incorrectly, we can suffer considerable distress, as can those people around us, who care for us.

Any one of us could find ourselves emotionally distressed if our essential needs were not being met and/or the innate resources we possess had been damaged or were being misused.  Emotional distress can manifest itself in many different ways, such as depression, addictive and compulsive behaviour, eating disorders, anxieties and phobias.  All of us have the ability to heal, given the right type of help.  It is becoming increasingly apparent that the correct type of psychotherapy and counselling can be far more effective than drug therapy.  Human Givens therapists are trained to deal effectively and quickly with these types of mental distress.

For more Information about Human Givens Therapy please visit:
www.hgi.org.uk