Assertiveness Counselling

People come for counselling for a number of reasons. You might have a clear goal, such as to become more assertive, and be looking specifically for assertiveness counselling.

Whatever your reason is for having therapy, the experience will help you get to know yourself better. As that happens, new goals will probably come up. As you come to understand your relationships more, and think about how you can improve them, you might develop a desire to become more assertive.

Often I find in my counselling work that clients feel unclear or confused about where the boundaries lie between passivity, assertiveness and aggression.

I specialise in helping people to improve their relationships. This includes understanding their interactions with others, and thinking about how they might be able to do things differently to get on better. Sometimes that includes a focus on assertiveness.

 

What is Assertiveness?

Assertiveness means being able to stand up for yourself in a calm and positive way. It means expressing your opinions, feelings and needs directly and appropriately. Importantly, it includes doing so in a way that respects the feelings and beliefs of others.

It means being clear, open, and reasonable. You can stand up for your rights without denying anyone else theirs.

What Does Assertiveness Look Like?

Assertive people

  • talk openly about what they think and how they feel, and encourage others to do the same
  • listen to others and respond appropriately, whether they agree or disagree
  • are responsible, but also able to delegate tasks to others where appropriate
  • admit their mistakes and apologise when necessary (but don’t go around saying sorry all the time!)
  • feel in control of themselves, and don’t feel the need to control others
  • see themselves as equal to others and act accordingly
  • say thank you

The Passive – Assertive – Aggressive Continuum

Being assertive is the healthy middle ground between being passive and being aggressive.

Everyone acts in passive or aggressive ways sometimes. You might have learnt that way of being as a child and only now be becoming aware of it or realising that it is a problem. It could be causing problems for you, or others around you. For example if you are overly passive, you might not be speaking up and getting your needs met. On the other hand if you are aggressive, you might be upsetting people you care about.

If you have been behaving passively for a long time, you might feel unclear as to the difference between assertiveness and aggression, and worry that if you stand up for yourself more, people will find you aggressive.

If you have been behaving in aggressive or overbearing ways, you might worry that by stepping back and adjusting your behaviour, you will become a pushover.

Assertiveness counselling can help to clarify what is passive, what is aggressive, and what is assertive.

What Does Passivity Look Like?

When you behave passively, you put other people’s wants before your own needs.

This could be because you worry about other people not liking you. It could be because you had or have an aggressive or overbearing parent or partner, and it felt like the easiest – or only – way to be around them.

You might end up doing things you don’t want to or taking on more than you can handle. You might also have let others take the lead, take responsibility, or make decisions for you.

Passivity is often rooted in low self-esteem. Sadly the more you behave in this way, the more people are likely to take advantage of you. This will make your sense of self-worth even lower.

What does Aggression Look Like?

When you behave aggressively, you are not thinking about other people’s views or feelings.

The word aggression might make you think of shouting or physical violence. There are a wide range of other aggressive behaviours too. You might put someone down, manipulate them, or fail to show them any appreciation. You might rush them unnecessarily, tell them rather than ask them, ignore them, or act without considering their feelings.

If you are aggressive, you might find others being aggressive in return, or you might find them being passive in the hope of an easy life. It can be frightening or distressing to be treated aggressively. Sometimes the victim of the aggression will blame him or herself, especially if they are a child.

How Can Assertiveness Counselling Help?

If you decide to come for assertiveness counselling, we will take some time to understand your past. We will think together about the key figures in your background. Perhaps one of your parents was aggressive, and you became passive as a coping mechanism. Or maybe you learnt your way of being directly from one parent, because that’s where you learnt what it was to be a man or woman.

We will also take the time to get in touch with your feelings and see what we can learn from them. Only when you know how you feel can you really be clear about what you want. And only when you know what you want will you be able to communicate it directly and assertively to others.

Sometimes at the root of aggression, there is fear and hurt. Having the time and space to get to what is going on underneath can make a great difference to how you feel. This can be the first step to changing your behaviour.

We can combine our exploration with some Cognitive behavioural Therapy (CBT), to help you learn how to:

  • recognise assertive behaviour
  • think more assertively
  • behave more assertively
  • reduce physical tension
  • say “no”
  • deal with criticism
  • deal with disappointment
  • give and receive compliments

Finally, you might like to look at assertiveness counselling as a kind of experimental laboratory where you can try out new ways of behaving in a safe space with someone you trust. You can practice talking openly and taking responsibility. You might also like to think about how you see yourself in relation to others, and by understanding yourself better you should over time come to feel better about yourself.

What To Do Next

If you are in or near Brighton and Hove and you’re interested in booking a reduced-fee first session to see what assertiveness counselling could do for you, please get in touch.

Really good value for money

I felt that my session was really good value for money because Catherine shared models of relationships, gave me recommendations for further therapy, gave me the space to talk, challenged (in a positive way) my position so that I could reflect and she also got me thinking about the areas that I would benefit from working on. Overall, I felt that she held a very effective clinical space, whilst also creating feelings of warmth and understanding. 

One-off Coaching Session, November 2020

Definitely go for it

 

What would you tell someone else who was considering working with Catherine?

Definitely go for it; Catherine is very professional and very good at what she does.

One-off Coaching Session, November 2020

I got more out of that one hour than I expected

What would you tell someone else who was considering working with Catherine?

She'll help "calm the crazy" as I like to say. Motherhood and marriage is messy and amazing and hard. It's such a huge life transition and so little is discussed around it. Catherine really validated my experience and gave me some great advice.

I got more out of that one hour than I expected. I really appreciated it. It made me want to sign up with her as my therapist!

One-off Coaching Session, February 2021

Practical examples of things to try

What was most helpful about working with Catherine?

Normalising patterns and behaviour that I am experiencing within my relationship currently. Offering hope that things can improve, giving me practical examples of things to try and tweak over the next few weeks. Giving me the permission to continue on my growth journey without expecting my partner to be on the same path or feeling responsible for his growth and overall life satisfaction. Also being encouraged to write about some of the topics you wanted to cover on the call in as much detail as you wanted was really liberating. Catherine took great care in digesting my information and usefully played it back to me during out session. She also sent many useful resources afterwards which I have been able to digest at my own pace.

One-off Coaching Call, March 2021

So many things were helpful

So many things were helpful that it is hard to choose just one. Most helpful was probably how compassionate you were towards me. This slowly helped me shift the way that I relate to myself. Counselling felt like a very safe and warm space, in which I could  look at myself with more kindness and allow myself to express feelings and needs. This has helped me personally as well as making me more open in my relationships with other people, privately and at work. Thank you Catherine. The two years with you have meant a lot to me and have changed me in many ways.

Individual Therapy, October 2020

I could not have asked for a better independent witness to my story

I could not have asked for a better independent witness to my story than Catherine. As she joined me on my journey she was kind and supportive. Encouraging me to see things in a different light. I will probably return at some stage; Catherine's instinctive approach and skill of picking out key elements in my narrative helped me make sense of things at this difficult time for me. Thank you. Everything was clear & straight forward. Which is no mean feat when you are operating in a global pandemic!!

Individual Therapy, August 2020

Her manner was calm and comforting

What made you decide to book a call with Catherine?

Her content on Instagram really resonated with me in terms of what I was going through with my partner. On her stories her manner was calm and comforting. She had a sense of quiet confidence about her and pragmatism in the way she approached different topics.

One-off Coaching Call, March 2021

Catherine is pragmatic, considerate, practical

Catherine is pragmatic, considerate, practical. She puts you at ease, listens and is what she preaches curiously compassionate 😉 She takes all the potential shame or guilt around asking for help out of the equation and provides you with so many practical and theoretical (if you want that too) tips and advice.

One-off Coaching Call, March 2021

Catherine always remained calm and collected

Catherine always remained calm and collected even during times filled with conflict in couples therapy. She managed to bring back my then boyfriend to a calmer state and I felt like she was standing up for me when I couldn't. I felt like I had a good bond with her and trusted her so that I could open up in front of her.

Couples Therapy, August 2020

I feel I am in a very different place

One of the most useful things about going to counselling was learning so much about myself. I feel I am in a very different place from when I first started and I owe it to the support and help which Catherine offered. I will not rule out returning if I feel I need to, but for now I feel happy with the place I am in.

Individual Therapy, July 2019

Such a calming force

[Catherine] was such a calming force, I felt very supported, she pointed out a few things I should look at, gave a book recommendation, she reframed some of the issues I had swirling around in my head, and she was able to bring the conversation to really nice ending point.

One-off Coaching Session, February 2021

I really found the whole experience really helpful

What was most helpful about your counselling?

Having a different perspective on my situation and what I was going through. Talking through how I was feeling and then being directed by Catherine to look at things in a different way and make connections to other parts of my life and relationships helped to make sense of things. I really found the whole experience really helpful and exactly what I needed at the point I was at. Thank you for your help.

Individual Therapy, June 2018

You were excellent

Thanks for all your help. I will be in touch if I need to in the future. You were excellent.

Couples Therapy, November 2017

I felt extremely well heard and held

What was most helpful about working with Catherine?

The clarity of her questions, including when completing the questionnaire before the session. Catherine's style of covering the points that I raised in a direct but sensitive way; I felt extremely well heard and held.

One-off Coaching Session, November 2020

Catherine was wise and supportive

Catherine was wise and supportive, picking out elements of my story and helping me see things in a different way. I will probably return at some stage; Catherine has been very kind and helpful at a difficult time in my life.

Individual Therapy, August 2017

She helped me through the fog of self doubt

Catherine describes herself as a demystifier – and she is. But not just of psychobabble. She helped me through the fog of self doubt, delusion, depression that clouded me in a difficult period of my life. And in place of fog she helped install the ropes and tackle I needed to climb onto dry land, out from the cold, and find a seat back by the fire. But equally, she possesses a superpower (and a useful one for a therapist): she has an off-the-chart ability to listen. To make you hear her listening, to adjust the quality of silence you sometimes need to say what you didn’t know you were going to say, to make you feel heard. Her empathy is palpable; yet I’ve never once felt patronised. Most extraordinary is that she does all this without judgement or prejudice, but with sincerity and good humour. It’s pretty much the perfect combination and I can’t think of anybody who wouldn’t benefit from talking to Catherine. And I can’t thank her enough.

Individual Therapy, January 2018

The help you’ve given me has been invaluable

I just want to say a huge thank you for the past year. The help you’ve given me has been invaluable and I’ve learnt so much about myself, my past, and my relationship to the wider world. Your guidance and help will stand to me for the rest of my life and I’ve made so many positive changes in the past year, a lot of which I feel I owe to you. Thank you so much for everything.

Individual Therapy, May 2017