MEET THE TEAM – LEE JONES

What is your favourite thing about being a therapist?

Being gifted with the privileged position to listen to someone’s story, and be invited into their most difficult, private, and intimate parts of their lives.  I’m consistently amazed at the uniqueness of each person.

 

What is the most common/frequent issue people are bringing to therapy?

I think at the heart of most difficulties is the attempt to avoid particular feelings and emotions.  We, as humans, have developed complex ways of thinking and behaving to keep these challenging emotions at a distance, which ends up causing us a whole lot of trouble in the process.  I think this is furthered by Western discourses that encourage us to pursue a state of perpetual happiness and end up problematising any negative feelings as a by-product.

 

Is therapy an art or a science?

This is a foundational dichotomy that counselling psychology often concerns itself with.  Rather than framing it as “either/or”, counselling psychology aims to hold the “and/both” position.  This is particularly relevant for counselling psychologists as we are both ‘scientist-practitioner’ and ‘reflective-practitioner’.  Straddling both locations can be trying when knowledge and paradigms are contrary.  But then I’m not surprised it’s difficult because humans and the world they inhabit are ridiculously complex systems.

 

What do you do for your own self-care?

I’m trying to develop and re-discover my self-care practices which went askew during the pandemic.   Re-connecting with good friends over food or coffee, snuggling under my duvet listening to a podcast, trying to be present for the simple pleasures.  I’ve realised my life lacks some creative outlet so currently exploring what to pursue: Piano? Dance? Carpentry?

 

What is the book/movie that comforts you?

Anything written by David Sedaris!  He’s lived an astonishing life and his particular perspective on his experiences has me captivated.  Luckily, he enjoys reading his work aloud and has narrated all of his books, and loves the podcast circuit so there’s always something available to get my Sedaris fix.

 

What’s in a joke?

This is a timely question.  Jokes have again come up for scrutiny and cultural analysis.  I’m definitely for punching up, rather than down. However, I’m still musing on what makes a joke funny.  Part of me is concerned that over-analysis will destroy the funny.  If you want to understand my funny:  Classic Simpsons, Season 6 – Marge’s Fear of Flying.

 

Tell us one:

Urgh – I’m terrible at telling jokes. Just ask my friends.

Helvetica and Times New Roman walk into a bar.

“Get out of here!” shouts the bartender.  “We don’t serve your type”