Angela Dierks
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Individual Therapy
Whether you are an individual or couple right now you might be at your wit's end and not quite sure how best to address your issue of concern. You may be quite apprehensive at the idea of going into counselling. In the profile below I aim to give you some idea about my way of working as a counsellor/psychotherapist.
I trained as an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist and take as the starting point the needs of the individual, integrating psychotherapy theory in a way that best suits the person I am working with. I have 15 years experience working as a counsellor, psychotherapist and couple therapist. As a university lecturer on MA and MSc counselling courses I have regular opportunity to reflect on counselling approaches and to take this into my client work.
I work very closely with you, the client, in designing ways of addressing the issues that most concern you. These issues may be related to having difficulties in a relationship
- not being sure whether to continue with the relationship
- feeling low, depressed and without motivation
- feeling very anxious and worried or suffering from with panic attacks
- stress at work
- struggling to manage your anger
- struggling to make the right decision
- dealing with an affair
- the loss of a loved one
- a wish to explore yourself further
- your sexuality or sexual life
- lack of confidence and self-esteem
- getting used to big changes in life
- postnatal depression
- mild eating disorders
I am very dedicated to my work as a therapist and feel passionate about it. I witness my clients change through our work together and strongly belief that therapy has a profound effect on people's life.
My practice is based in Palmers Green/Southgate. I can see you either in person in my consulting room or online. I am also flexible to offer a mix where I see you both online and in person depending on your preferences.
Couples therapy
Being in a relationship can be hard work. Dealing with difference and conflict is a normal part of a relationship. You may currently feel stuck in conflict in your relationship and decide to explore this further together with your partner. Or you may wish to have a better understanding of how you are in your relationship with your partner aiming to deepen your commitment further. Whether you want to repair or maintain your relationship couples therapy offers you opportunities to consider different ways of being with each other and talking to each other. Couples therapy would also offer you the possibility of exploring how best to separate as a couple if that is what you wish to do.
In couples therapy the relationship is the client rather than two individuals. We will be exploring why you have chosen each other in the first place (the reasons can be quite surprising!), why you behave the way you do in your relationship and how you may be communicating more effectively with each other.
Clinical Supervision
I offer clinical supervision to counsellors, psychotherapists and couples therapists. As a clinical supervisor I work with therapists at different stages of their career, either just starting out or having had more extensive experience of working in private practice or an organisation. I regularly supervise groups of trainee counsellors during my work as lecturer on a MSc in Integrative Counselling and Coaching at the University of East London.
The Relationship Maze podcast and course
I have co-created and contribute to a popular weekly podcast, The Relationship Maze, which covers a wide range of topics with a focus on relationships as well as a wide range of mental health related presentations: dealing with depression and anxiety, managing conflict, improving communication, navigating through different stages and different relational styles, dealing with stress, anxiety and depression, finding the right partner, abusive relationships, love languages, rekindling your sex life and much more. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-relationship-maze/id1542526780.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and I abide by the BACP's ethical code of practice.
I have a Diploma and M.A. Integrative Counselling (with Distinction), London Metropolitan University and a Diploma in Couple Counselling and Psychotherapy (Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education).
I completed a BACP accredited Diploma in Clinical Supervision (CPPD) and am entitled to offer supervision to psychotherapists and counsellors.
I have previously studied for a BA Honours, King's College London and M.St. European Literature, St Cross College, University of Oxford.
I regularly engage in continuous professional development (CPD) to further my understanding and keep abreast of new developments in the therapy world. This includes for example training this year on working with anxiety and anxiety disorders and training on working with domestic abuse as well as trauma.
I have worked for most of my life in Higher Education as a student counsellor, lecturer on counselling courses and as a manager of services to students. Most recently I worked as a lecturer on the MSc Integrative Counselling and Coaching at the University of East London. As an experienced therapist I offer continuous professional training to counsellors, psychotherapists and clinical psychologists.
I have worked with a very wide range of presenting issues that clients bring to therapy and with a variety of adults of all ages. As an Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist I draw on different schools of counselling that include psychodynamic, person-centred and cognitive-behavioural models of counselling.
I have worked with a very diverse range of clients and am respectful and affirmative of difference and diversity related to race, culture, sexuality, gender, faith and physical ability.
Member organisations
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred).
Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision.
Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training.
All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- Issues related to identity (e.g. cultural, sexual, class)
- Issues related to oppression
- Issues related to parenting and families
- Issues related to difficulty at work
Therapies offered
Fees
£70.00 - £95.00
Free initial telephone session
Additional information
Individual clients
£70 per 50 min session
Couples
£95 per 50 min session
Counsellor and psychotherapist supervision
£70 per 60 min session
When I work
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Further information
Our sessions take 50 minutes each. In the first session we will discuss why you are seeking therapy and what you would like to get out it. You will have an opportunity to ask any question you like. I will ask you some questions about your present circumstances, your family and social network. We will then decide what works best for you in terms of short term or long term therapy.
Theoretical models for therapy in a nutshell:
Psychodynamic counselling is concerned with how your experiences from the past influence the way you feel, think and behave in the present. This is the 'classic' model of psychotherapy starting with Freud and Jung and including psychoanalysis, attachment theory, object relations theory and present day relational models.
The focus is on uncovering your unconscious ways of doing things, making your aware of them and ultimately to help you implement changes in your life.
Cognitive-behavioural theory (CBT) is most concerned with your thought patterns and how they affect your behaviour, which may occasionally seem irrational and come out of nowhere. CBT is a more practical approach to issues that trouble you, focusing on concrete, goal oriented exercises that help you to change your way of (negative) thinking.
Humanistic theory started off as a reaction to both classic psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioural models of counselling where the therapist was largely seen as the 'expert' and the client as the 'patient'. Humanistic models include person-centred counselling, Gestalt therapy and psychosynthesis. The belief is that the client knows best what choices to make and that the therapist helps by providing an environment where the client can flourish.
Integrative Therapy acknowledges that one theory cannot address everything and that every individual has different needs that demand different responses. As an Integrative Counsellor I believe that all of the three main theories referred to above are most effective when not dealt with in isolation but when used to address a specific need in the most holistic way.
