How I help you

My approach is for you and I to work together through the challenges you are facing and to explore what’s best for you and or your loved one.

My view is that you are the expert in yourself, your situation and your loved one and I have a lot of expertise in dementia and counselling. Together we can help you get to a better place.

The thing about dementia is that everyone is different. Two people with the same diagnosis may have very different symptoms and therefore needs.

It follows then that the strategies and supports that may work well for one person with dementia may be completely unhelpful to someone else with the same diagnosis but with different symptoms.

It’s important to also be aware that everyone has their own personal history and relationship history that can influence their responses in their caring role. It’s not every carer who has had a good relationship with the person with dementia.

The relationship history of the carer and the person with dementia will influence the caring relationship.

Trying to figure out what helps when it comes to dementia is difficult and it’s not useful to have a cookie cutter approach.

In a very real sense, you and or your loved ones will need to develop specific and personal strategies that are appropriate to your circumstances.

Sometimes, however, even with good practical supports the caring role continues to be very difficult. At these times I help you by supporting you to come to terms with what’s happening in you.

I give you the time and a safe person to share your emotions, that are provoked by supporting a person with dementia, and help you connect to your internal resources to be better able to live with your situation.

In summary, I work to understand you and your specific situation as well as I can from your point of view so that together we can work on things in the way that suits you.

This means that the way I work with each person is different as I adjust my approach to meet each person’s needs by connecting with them in the way they need and want and by using counselling techniques that suit them. ‍‍

Email me to book a session: counsellorbernard@gmail.com