About Pauline
A few words about me, Pauline, as I am sometimes asked about my background. My work is inspired by my studies in Philosophy. Having left school at an early age, I took up my education later in life, enrolling as a mature age student at the University of Tasmania in the mid eighties to study for an Arts degree.
Learning and study enthralled me, such that 20 years later I emerged with a PhD in Philosophy. Personal Identity was the topic for my research thesis. The question of what makes me the person that I am when everything about me (thought, physical matter etc.) is constantly changing was the starting point. Hence, my doctorate is in Philosophy, not medicine or psychology.
My Work
Following university, I studied and qualified as an Enneagram teacher and FAPS teacher educator, opening Socratic Solutions in 2004. After working with the Enneagram and Philosophy for a few years, I trained and qualified as a mental health counsellor and Mindfulness (MiCBT) therapist, opening Hobart Counselling in 2010.
Since then, Counselling, Enneagram, Mindfulness and Philosophy have formed the core of my work. To simplify things, I combined these four strands under the present name of Radiance Hobart Counselling & Self-Development.
Socrates (4th century BC) recognised the need for ‘the examined life.’ When condemned to death for his teachings, he said in his defence that the ‘unexamined life was not worth living.’ Over the centuries since then, humans have continued to explore the inner life, with many disciplines branching from the original Philosophy (Science, Mathematics, Ethics, Medicine, Psychiatry, Psychology and countless more).
A Way of Life
For me, Philosophy is not just an academic enterprise, but a way of life (as it was originally). When we explore our thoughts and beliefs, we discover how we come to feel what we feel and do what we do. We are then in a better position to take charge of our lives and be pro-active on our own behalf.
Humans have the capacity to protect and enhance their emotional and mental lives. But we don’t know how to do this as a matter of course. Life throws up unexpected obstacles and difficulties. We each have special gifts that we can use for our wellbeing and that of others. But in amidst the fray, we can lose touch with them and instead become blocked and trapped. We become unhappy and unhealthy.
If we learn how to restore, protect and enhance our emotional and mental wellbeing, we are more likely to live happier, more fulfilled lives than if we drift mindlessly along. My work aims to help people to live at their best. In spite of what life throws up at us, we have all that we need within ourselves to do that.
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