Sohail Nasar Butt (Sam)

Education:   BA in Psychology, BA in Counselling and  Psychometric Testing,

MA (CBT), Diploma in Community Education.

 

Continuing education: PhD candidate at the NUIG

Accredited member of The Association of Professional Counsellors and Psychotherapists in Ireland
Certified as Mediator by Mediators Institute of Ireland 

Philosophy of counselling:

‘We may be more effective counsellors if we can adequately understand human nature’. The cornerstone of my counselling philosophy is the uniqueness of a client and my job to try and understand a client’s frame of reference through understanding, true empathy and reflection. Each client has different needs and one model does not fit all. I work in collaboration with clients to draw on their strengths and resources in order to enhance the quality of their lives. I strive to be understanding, non judgmental, empathic, flexible, compassionate and upfront about my limitations. I am committed to continuing education, continuous professional development and ongoing research'.

Introduction

My philosophical approach is strongly influenced by Rogerian principles of congruence, unconditional positive regard and true empathy while I am deeply interested in the psychoanalytic principles of early psychosocial and psychosexual development. I believe that humans are impacted by their early conditioning and the past continues to influence present day emotional or behavioural difficulties. My interest in cognitive behavioural therapy stems from the study of our thinking processes that impact the way we feel and behave. If the assessment suggests need for homework and its monitoring then with a client’s consent, work on development of reasonable goals and tasks to guide the therapeutic process.  This collaborative relationship, coupled with teaching clients ways to use what they learn in therapy in their everyday lives, empowers clients to take an active stance in their world. 

I strongly believe that we can exercise increasing freedom to create our future which involves accepting responsibility even through the limitations of societal demands and its constraints. It is crucial to learn, re evaluate, assess and evolve our coping mechanisms for dealing with internal and external forces that impact our decisions and behaviours throughout our natural life. 

I agree with post modern approaches which are grounded on the assumption that people have both internal and external resources to draw upon when seeking solutions to their problems.  

I believe that psychotherapy is a collaborative process of engagement between two people who are bound to evolve through the therapeutic engagement. I tend to focus on the client’s competency to resolve their problems rather than their pathologies. I strongly believe that a therapist’s personality has the biggest impact in therapeutic practice. 

It is my belief that a practitioner with wide knowledge base in theory and practice but lacking in human qualities of compassion, caring, good faith, honesty, presence, realness and sensitivity becomes more a technician than therapist and cannot make significant difference to the lives of his clients.   

It is essential for me to explore my own values, attitudes and beliefs in depth to increase my sense of awareness and personal growth. Regularly I tend to apply various theories to my own life and try and relate to life’s daily experiences. It seems to provide a sense of reflection and helps keep reality to the fore. 

As a therapist, my personal characteristics are of primary importance but merely being me, as a good person with good intentions is simply not enough. Clinical supervision helps me keep clarity in mind and in practice while pursuing further education and professional development, in theory and in practice.