Connecting Mindfully ?

I chose the name “Connecting Mindfully” for my counselling service.  It took me quite a while to settle on this name, but it really works for me.  I think this is because it captures two things that are important to me, particularly when it comes to working with individual clients, couples or groups.  Any good Counsellor or Psychotherapist will tell you that the relationship between client and counsellor is a key part of the counselling process.  We can call it the Therapeutic Relationship or the Therapeutic Alliance, but essentially we are talking about building and maintaining a connection between client and counsellor.  Connecting then is a process or activity that starts right from the first session and must be continually held in importance throughout the counselling process, whether it’s a few sessions or many.  So that takes care of the ‘Connecting’ part of the name, but what about the ‘Mindfully’ part?
 
Over the last number of years, I have become increasingly interested in mindfulness.  Throughout various trainings and experiences, I have come to see that mindfulness holds much in the way of helping to bring about many benefits in the areas of health and wellbeing.  Being mindful is something that I practice bringing to all aspects of my own life, and this includes how I practice as a Counsellor / Psychotherapist.  Of course, mindfulness is just one aspect of my practice and I am always mindful that each client is unique with their own needs, and this informs what therapy approach or mix of approaches that we might work with.  That said, one of the things about being mindful is that it can bring awareness, which is really useful for connecting with people.
 
Hopefully that gives a brief idea of where I’m coming from with Connecting Mindfully.