What does ‘Human Givens’ mean?

The Human Givens are the needs and resources that we are all born with.  They include our essential biological and emotional needs and all the innate resources that have evolved in humans to help us fulfil these needs.  Using our innate resources properly to get our needs met allows us to thrive rather than just survive.

Our emotional needs include:

• the need for security
• the need for intimacy and friendship
• the need to give and receive attention
• the need for a sense of autonomy and control
• the need to feel competent
• the need to feel connected to others and be part of a wider community
• the need for privacy
• the need for a sense of meaning and purpose

Our resources include:

• a rational as well as an emotional brain
• imagination
• curiosity
• the ability to learn
• memory and the ability to forget
• our ability to problem solve
• understanding through metaphor and stories
• self awareness
• resilience
• empathy

What have the Human Givens got to do with Psychotherapy and Counselling?

Any one of us can find ourselves emotionally distressed if our essential needs are not being met and/or the innate resources we possess have been damaged or are being misused.

Emotional distress can manifest itself in many different ways, such as depression, addictive and compulsive behaviour, eating disorders, anxieties and phobias.

All of us have the ability to heal, given the right type of help.  It is becoming increasingly apparent that the correct type of psychotherapy and counselling can be far more effective than drug therapy.  Human Givens therapists are trained to deal effectively and quickly with all types of mental distress.

What is different about Human Givens Counselling?

Human Givens therapy is effective because it draws on the findings from psychology and neurobiology about how people really function and on international research studies that have established which counselling techniques are most effective.

As Human Givens Therapists we do not waste time endlessly asking you to go over and analyse the past, or attempting to dredge up real or imagined miserable memories. Research now shows this tends to confuse and upset vulnerable people.
However, we DO listen to your story carefully to understand what has happened and what you want to change. We offer practical help that deals with mental and emotional distress in the here and now.

For more information on what you can expect from us in a session, click on the Sessions page.