Human givens therapy
a new approach to counselling

The ‘human givens’ approach is an ‘organising idea’ - organising, and building on well-established theories, principles and what we know is effective in counselling.

Maybe counselling or therapy was the last thing you ever wanted.  Perhaps you don’t like talking about your problems or you think no one can help you anyway.  You have tried it and it did not work.

Is it becoming increasingly difficult to hide your distress?  Have run out of steam and are finally willing to consider counselling however reluctantly?  Just start with learning a little more about the human givens.  I'll be here when you come back.

The benefits of human givens therapy

Human givens therapy can help you to:

• feel happier, lighter and more energetic
• understand why you were depressed and how to prevent it
• feel calmer
• relief from (traumatic) stress symptoms
• Feel better - recover from fears and phobias or heal trauma
• relief from previously ‘bottled up’ feelings
• enhance your social skills if needed
• meet your essential emotional needs more in balance
• increase your awareness of your innate and acquired resources
• increase your confidence and self esteem

Many counsellors and therapists not trained in the human givens approach will want to use the first session as an assessment.  A human givens therapist will begin to help you feel better at the very first session.  You will find a list with practitioners further down this page.  Scroll down and read, or click here to go straight to the directory.

Who can become a human givens therapist? My hg colleagues come from a wide range of professional backgrounds: GPs, social workers, occupational therapists, psychiatrists, counsellors, medical specialists, physiotherapists, teachers, head teachers. For more information, see the Human Givens College

Treating you differently

A human givens therapist:

• makes counselling/therapy as painless as possible
• does not dwell on the past unnecessarily
• aims to help you to feel better after every consultation
• gives information and advice if needed
• can explain how your brain works with regards to emotion
• helps you to access the same relaxed state as when you dream
• increases your knowledge without jargon or ‘psychobabble’
• uses a variety of techniques as appropriate
• calms high levels of emotions as soon as possible
• encourages new understandings and solutions
• adapts the therapy flexibly and uniquely for you
• avoids using a ’preferred’ theory regardless of your problems
• supports you when difficult feelings emerge without dwelling on them
• is aware of research in psychology, neurobiology and counselling
• take as few sessions as possible
• considers the effects of counselling on the people close to you
• teaches you to relax deeply

Human givens therapists work in a solution-focused way.

Watch this fascinating video clip of holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Victor Frankl on the importance of meaning.

Now, almost 40 years later, human givens therapists also strongly believe in the need for meaning, and in your capacity to fulfill your potential.

Human givens therapy  Effective, practical and research-based

There are hundreds of different counselling/psychotherapy models.  The European Therapy Studies Institute (ETSI) was established to look into what makes counselling effective. The ideas that came from that have been condensed into the human givens postgraduate diploma course.

Counsellors/therapists may be trained by respectable schools and accredited by professional bodies, however, this unfortunately is not a guarantee that their work is effective.

Evidence for the Human Givens Approach

From the Human Givens College newsletter:

This year The British Psychological Society’s leading peer-reviewed journal, Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice published a 12-month evaluation of the Human Givens approach in primary care at a general medical practice showing that more than three out of four patients were either symptom-free or reliably changed as a result of HG therapy*. This was accomplished in an average of only 3.6 sessions, significantly better than the recovery rate published for the UK government’s flagship IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) programme, which uses therapists trained in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Andrews, W., Twigg, E., Minami, T. and Johnson, G. (11 February 2011) ‘Piloting a practice research network: A 12-month evaluation of the Human Givens approach in primary care at a general medical practice. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8341.2010.02004

Search for the many Human Givens books

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Directory

Human givens therapists/counsellors

The counsellors, or therapists, are either fully qualified Human Givens Therapists or they use the human givens approach as part of what they do - depending on their background and training.

They come from a variety of professional backgrounds and they often work in different settings, such as the NHS, private practice, schools (as counsellors or teachers), public services, complimentary clinics, etc.

(If you use the human givens approach - please fill in the form to be added to the list, or contact me for further information.)

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Directory

Click on a link below to view a counsellor/therapist's full profile.
Do contact the counsellor - he/she will be more than happy to talk with you about their approach without the need for commitment.

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