Counselling

06 44 27 94 72 Joanna

Counselling is a confidential relationship, developing over time, based upon trust and respect. Although the reasons which bring people to counselling are varied, what is common is that people seeking help often feel distressed, confused, unhappy and sometimes blocked by the negative emotions of anger, resentments or fears.
Counselling aims to investigate the problems of your life in a non-judgmental and confidential way; explore your needs and concerns; and enables you to live in a more satisfying and resourceful way. Our relationship will help you to feel ‘contained’ and therefore safe to confront the difficulties that have brought you to this place in your life now. You determine the content of the work.
In entering into a counselling relationship, you are acknowledging the desire for a different and more enriched life. In the initial session, we will be able to clarify the areas that you want us to cover together. All sessions are on a one to one basis.

Joanna Benfield provides individual counselling, couples counselling and sex therapy to clients in Monaco. She has a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and a Diploma in Psychosexual and Relationship Counselling. Joanna is a Registered Member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT), and works according to their codes of ethics.

Individual Counselling

There are sometimes occasions when we feel that emotionally and mentally we are not functioning as well as we would like. It may seem as though everything has got on top of us and perhaps we feel unable to cope. At times like these it is often useful to talk about how we are feeling with someone who is professionally trained in supporting people to deal with such issues. Counselling provides clients with the opportunity to explore any difficulties they are facing in a non-judgemental and accepting environment. It can offer the opportunity for new insights, deeper understanding and greater self-acceptance.

Clients come to counselling with a wide range of issues. These might include depression, anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, negative body image, grief or addictions. Talking therapy can help clients to gain a new perspective on the difficulty that they are facing, to understand what is behind it and to find a new way to approach the problem.

Couples Counselling

Couples come to counselling for a wide range of reasons. These might include improving an existing relationship, addressing sexual problems, or dealing with divorce or the breakdown of a relationship.

Joanna works with couples to help them to identify joint long-term relationship goals and any obstacles that may be preventing them from attaining them. Couples learn new communication and conflict resolution skills and discover how to improve intimacy and trust in their relationship.

Some couples find that, despite having a loving and well-functioning relationship in other respects, sexually they are not fulfilled. This may be due to different sexual preferences or different levels of sexual desire. Joanna works with couples to help them to approach sex in a new way and to communicate more effectively in the bedroom.

When couples have decided to end a relationship, Joanna helps them to make the transition to life apart in a way that is as supportive as possible for both parties. Joanna works with them to identify the key issues that need to be addressed for an amicable separation and to set new boundaries for the relationship between the two individuals. Communication and conflict resolution skills learnt in the counselling sessions can help clients to tackle the difficult separation process in a constructive way.

Sex Therapy

Sex therapy involves the treatment of sexual dysfunction using psychological techniques and talking therapies. It is available to individual clients and to couples of all sexual orientations. In addition to counselling, sex therapy can include aspects of sex education, as well as the development of psychosexual skills and the improvement of communication skills.

Joanna assists clients in overcoming problems such as low desire, inability to orgasm, painful sex, premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction. Many of these issues have psychological roots, and Joanna works to uncover and heal the mental and emotional wounds underlying these problems. She also provides clients with a series of practical exercises to complete at home to help them to overcome the physical problems.

About Joanna

Joanna is a native English speaker, originally from London. She also speaks French and German, therapy sessions are generally conducted in English. Prior to becoming a Counsellor and Psychosexual Therapist, Joanna had a long career in international politics. After completing an MPhil in European Politics, she worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the British Council and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). In these roles, Joanna lived in France, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Joanna now divides her time between London and the South of France.

Joanna is often approached by the media for advice on sex and relationships and has been featured in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Top Sante, Look and Woman magazines, as well as BBC Radio Five Live’s ‘Men’s Hour’. Her first book, ‘Three in a Bed: Conversations with a Sex Therapist’, is being published by Harper Collins in October 2015. Joanna is also co-editor of the International Handbook on Sex Addiction, which will be published by Routledge in early 2017nes.

Fees:

€80 per 50-minute session

Further Information

For more information about counseling with Joanna, please see: www.rivieratherapy.net

Tel: 06 44 27 94 72

Email: info@rivieratherapy.net