Personal Image Therapy
Personal image is so much more than just about the clothes we wear….
Our outer appearance embodies all that we feel internally about ourselves. It is through these visual messages that we transmit information about who we are and how we perceive and value ourselves within the world we live.
Image therapy involves exploring and examining these visual messages to see if they align with our personal, professional and life goals. By making often very subtle changes we can adapt how we choose to present ourselves to the world, giving ourselves permission to ‘try on’ someone or something different that may in fact work better for us.
As a qualified counsellor and personal stylist I have come to believe that personal image and appearance can tell us an awful lot about each other. By gently examining these visual messages and the choice processes behind them, we can start to explore areas of our lives that may not be working optimally for us such as relationships or career paths. Once identified, we can then work towards developing a greater harmony between our inner and outer selves, enhancing our sense of well-being and creating a more authentic and fulfilling future for ourselves.
Personal Image Therapy May Include...
- Looking at how you make your current styling choices, the outfits you put together and the thought processes behind these. Do you dress to stand out or do you prefer to disappear in to the crowd? Why is this?
- Asking what your current image is portraying to the outside world about YOU now. Are these visual messages in alignment with who you feel you are and helping you work towards your life goals? If not, then maybe something needs changing.
- Exploring whether you feel pressured to look a certain way and where these pressures may be coming from. Social media, society, friends or family? Are these pressures really attainable? Are these goals really yours?
- How you judge yourself and your self - worth. Do you feel you are simply a sum total of your outer appearance? What about your inner qualities?
- Looking at your shopping and buying habits. What do your habits say about how you currently value yourself or feel about your life?
- Examining whether deciding what to wear or which clothes to buy is stressful or upsetting for you. Why this might be and where these emotional associations might have come from.
- Exploring whether your personal image may be a reflection of how you currently feel about your life in general. For example are you stuck in a rut both in your appearance and in life? What can be changed in one area that might influence another?
Combining personal image work with self-exploration and therapeutic methods is a creative, more holistic approach to examining the self which can be helpful when looking to enhance authenticity and well-being within our lives.
In addition to the above areas, work may take the form of wardrobe examination, detox and analysis, personality style development, colour, vision and mood board work as well as accompanied shopping sessions, body image, mirror work and future goal setting.
Styling Minds Image Therapy has been designed exclusively by Susannah for the purpose of her client work.
It is not counselling. If you wish to receive counselling please click here.
All work is strictly confidential.
