Practitioner Profile

 

HEATHER PORTEOUS

 

"We are the meaning makers - we create the meaning of our lives
by the thoughts we think and the stories we tell ourselves."  Michael Neill

 

"Happiness is not by chance but by choice."  Jim Rohn

 

Personal Profile

 

Personal Summary

I trained with CCUI (Corporate Coach University International) in the USA 22 years ago. I am an experienced coach and therapist with a holistic view of life and additional qualifications in brief solution-focussed Human Givens counselling & psychotherapy, NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), IEMT (integral eye movement therapy), and advanced hypnotherapy & hypno-healing.  I specialise in helping people to increase their personal effectiveness so that they can manage their emotions and beliefs, develop their gifts and talents, lead happy and fulfilling lives at home and at work, and successfully handle whatever major changes or challenges come their way.  

I am a sensitive and perceptive listener with an open and relaxed coaching style, and am able to develop strong rapport with my clients to help them make progress in the shortest possible time.  My approach is to trust in your powerful inner resources and encourage you to develop and use them effectively.  I have an intuitive sense of when to encourage and when to challenge, and keen insight which helps me to see into the heart of the matter.  An important part of my work with you will be to enable you to become aware of perceptions, beliefs and patterns of thought and behaviour that are holding you back from achieving your goals and becoming who you want to be.  This is the first step to meaningful change and self empowerment.

In addition to coaching I am qualified to use the Emotional Freedom & Healing Technique (known as EFT).  This is a psychological version of acupressure incorporating methods from Ancient Chinese medicine and modern-day applied kinesiology.  It fits well with coaching as it is a highly effective way of releasing negative emotion, and has the added benefit that it can be used with clients over the phone for telephone coaching sessions.

I also offer IEMT (integral eye movement therapy) as another highly effective and rapid change process that fits very well with coaching. It is particularly beneficial if you are challenged by persistent negative emotions, beliefs, memories or flashbacks that are keeping you stuck.  One of its many benefits is that it can be used with powerful effect as a content-free tool for dealing with any kind of trauma or distressing event, situation or emotion that you may prefer not to talk about in any detail.  It can also be used to change any unhelpful identity and self-perception issues you may have.  I consistently find that IEMT creates rapid change in clients where no other approach they have tried in the past has worked.

I am married to a teacher and have an adult son and daughter  We have two lively terriers who keep me fit and active ... regardless of the weather.  I love the outdoors and all kinds of physical and mental challenge, and balance it with a keen interest in spirituality, psychology, nutrition, holistic health and alternative/complementary therapies.  Meditation is an important part of my daily routine, giving me new insights and understanding and keeping me balanced and centred and in touch with what really matters in life.  



Professional Background

I graduated in Modern Languages and Law from Edinburgh University in 1976 and taught English as a Foreign Language abroad and in Edinburgh for a number of years, before then taking some time out to bring up my young family. 

During that time I trained in group leadership and worked in a voluntary capacity with young people and adults, exploring beliefs, self-awareness and personal development.

I subsequently spent six years in the medical sales and marketing division of the multinational Johnson & Johnson Corporation. I worked closely with top-level management through a time of major cultural change, relocation and restructuring, acquiring a sound understanding of today’s business needs with all the ongoing challenges of work/life balance, redundancy, changing working practices and staff morale.

On leaving Johnson & Johnson I trained as a coach and worked as a training consultant with Insights Training & Development, specialising in personal and team effectiveness, before establishing my own private practice 22 years ago.

 

Guiding Principles

 

"Dream what you dare to dream. Be where you want to go. Be what you want to be. Live!"
                                                                                                                                                       Richard Bach

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood."
                                                                                                               Stephen Covey

"As you think, so shall you be."
                                                                           Proverbs

 

"Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths.
It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it.
Once we truly know that life is difficult - once we truly understand and accept it -
then life is no longer difficult.
Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."
                                                                                                             
                                                                                                               Stephen Covey

 

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves:
"Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?"
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking 
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine as children do.
We are born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us. 
It is not just in some of us - it is in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, 
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. 
As we are liberated from our fear, 
our presence automatically liberates others.

                                                                         Nelson Mandela - Inaugural Speech - 1994

 

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfil it.
Life is a sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
                                                                            Mother Teresa