Nora Larimar

My core training (2012-2016) was in the person-centred approach of Carl Rogers, which underpins all my work, where my priority is to provide a space where you are not judged or evaluated, rather your experience is valued and precious, unique to you and honoured. A counselling session can be a special place where you can be you, and can bring what is important to you – the good the bad and the ugly (it feels that way). A place where you don’t have to present or mask in order to feel accepted. I have really valued this as a client myself, a space where I can just be, however I am. A space to be the messy, inarticulate, all-over-the-place-today person. A safe place when you're hopeless or hurting or overwhelmed by anxiety. AND..… I also offer a way of working together that I find really helpful for bringing change, for new possibilities. That approach combines 'Clean Language' - developed by David Grove - with the Focusing approach of Gene Gendlin. This is about discovering what your experience is, what it is like (Focusing) but with really helpful questions, or prompts – the clean language questions – that helpfully send you on a little quest or journey for important information about what you would like to have happen – in your life and/or within you - and which is very personal and unique to you. If you’re overwhelmed….maybe you would like to feel some kind of “able to deal with” things. Further prompts and this ‘able to deal with’ becomes – surprisingly – an image of a mountain goat that can cope with steep slopes with confidence. (You think, yes weirdly this does match my experience and what I would like, if I could be more mountain goat here). And there is something more – there is a lightness about this goat and it’s friends - something a bit carefree in this steep terrain…. That’s important too. You realise that things have felt heavy, weighty, the decisions and tasks in your life feel exhausting. There is more to explore about this confidence and lightness…. You’d like that in your life… Or take indecision…. Maybe an image of seven dials comes to mind…. 7 streets… which one to go up or down? On the one hand that is difficult – how to choose… but then one leads down to the station… something about going on a train, a journey, to somewhere is more appealing than the others…. Further exploration brings out that you do want to follow your feeling of what is right, but it’s been self-doubt or what others think that’s stopped you. That’s good to know, it’s not solved yet, but you now know this – that route does feel right. So it is now less about indecision and more about how to take that route – what might need to happen so that you can? This is an approach that needs to be experienced to see how it works, but I’ve tried here to give some examples. I also work with images and objects. It can be helpful to do a little sketch (honestly, no art skills needed - stick people and squiggles are good) of your situation or what you want to have happen. Or you can choose an object to represent something that's important, perhaps the experience isn't in words - or select a card that has an image that resonates. We can also use the space in the room, using post-it notes to map out an issue. Online we can use a canva whiteboard (via a link, no download needed) to put images on or do simple sketches and scribbles or map out an issue.

Over the 12 years I've been a counsellor, clients have given me consistent feedback that they've felt understood, cared about and were able to share things with me that had felt difficult before. I offer ways of exploring your experience and ways forward that are very individual and personal to you. Clean Language is a set of pared down questions that are designed to prompt you into discovering what your experience is, what is happening when you're anxious or stuck or overhwhelmed, and what you would like to have happen that is different. The prompts send you on a little journey to what is needed to have change happen. It starts with the question: And what would you like to have happen? Your answer to that, along with what you're struggling with sets the stage, or opens a little doorway into things changing and new possibilities emerging. All the ways of working I offer have been deeply helpful for me in my life, they are tried and tested. I identify as neurodivergent (ADHD) and have always felt different. I've been through a long process of trusting my experience about childhood trauma, what happened to me and the effects it had on me. I offer that to you - helping and supporting you to trust your experience - both of what has harmed you as well as what unique qualities you have that are a resource for you. I've been seeing clients since 2014, and focusing myself and with others since 2011. I came across clean language in 2020, and have been training in it since 2023.