As we welcome April, I’ve got some really exciting news to share – I’ve been accepted into further study & will be completing a Masters of Counselling! While I don’t usually share personal life updates in my blogs I thought this was a pretty big one, and it made me want to write about what nervous system regulation is, how important it is & how it fits into my practice.
When I talk about nervous system regulation I’m referring to the ability for your nervous system to respond appropriately to stress, feel safe when appropriate, to wind down, to breathe, to rest – basically to feel safe within yourself and within the world around you, to not be wound up and stressed all the time & to respond appropriately to stimuli.
My current clients know how important nervous system regulation is on our wellness. It’s something that I harp on a lot about in our consultations.
Nervous system regulation is important for:
- Digestive function
- Immune system
- Hormonal health
- Mental health
- …. Pretty much affects all aspects of health
We use a mixture of the following to support nervous system regulation in clinic:
- breathing techniques
- mindfulness techniques
- humming
- nutritional medicine
- herbal medicines
I want to be able to delve deeper into this in more detail & where with clients where the causes of nervous system dysregulation are bigger than what we can address within a Naturopathic consultation. At the moment, many of my clients work with me alongside a mental health practitioner such as a counsellor, psychologist or mental health social worker. And I absolutely love this collaborative approach! It works so well within the clinic space.
Afterall, while counselling does form an important part of the therapeutic relationship within the Naturopathic space, it is quite different from working on past traumas, relationship issues, pain management techniques, forms of attachment & emotional regulation like you would with a counsellor. But working on these things alongside working on your health naturopathically is so powerful!
The truth is, it takes years to achieve nervous system regulation. Especially if you have a past history that has taught your mind & body that to feel unsafe. A lot of the people that I interact with have experienced some level of trauma and I want to cultivate a space where we can address this, alongside addressing physical health concerns (like we do currently).
So, how does this all fit in & what does it mean for my current clients?
- For the next 2 years I will be studying alongside working in my business. I will not be reducing my client-facing clinic hours, although they may change slightly term to term as my study timetable changes
- Our consultations will remain the same & I will not be offering counselling sessions until I have either completed my degree, or completed the graduate diploma of counselling embedded within the masters degree
- I will continue to offer a space where we can naturopathically address women’s health, hormonal health, preconception care, postpartum care, mental health, skin – and everything else!
- I will continue to offer Naturopathic consultations face to face in Croydon and Australia-wide online.
What does this mean in future?
- After completing my studies I aim to offer both naturopathic consultations & counselling consultations in my Naturopathic clinic in Croydon
- Clients will have access to both modalities, however will need to book in separate consultations for counselling & naturopathy
- Further updates on what this will look like will be released closer to the time
Exciting times are ahead, I can’t wait to share more of it with you!
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