Amanda Asserati

Who am I?

Hello

I am a BACP Senior Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist with 25 years experience. I work with Adult Individuals and Couples.  I am also an Approved Adoption Counsellor and a Clinical Counselling Supervisor.

I am covered by Professional Indemnity Insurance and have had an Enhanced Police Check.

Work Experience

NHS
Cruse Bereavement Care
Rape & Sexual Abuse Crisis
Relate
Barnardos
Trauma Support Service
Drug & Alcohol Addiction
Most well known Private Healthcare Insurance Providers (EAP's).

What is Counselling?

Counselling can be described as a space for you to meet yourself. An hour of your time where you do not need to think about anyone else but you. I am acutely aware of how daunting this may seem but by reading this you have taken the first step on your journey.

Initial contact

I offer a free 15 minute telephone conversation, in order that you can ask any questions prior to booking your Consultation/Assessment of Needs. Please note that this is not a therapy session. It is important that you feel comfortable working with me, otherwise you will not gain the most from your sessions.

Can I have Online Counselling?

Yes. I can speak to you on most platforms e.g. Teams, WhatsApp, Face Time.

Where do I come to see you?

We will meet in a calm, private, non-clinical, room on the side of my house, which I hope you will find a safe space for you to explore what is happening in your life.

There is plenty of parking space available and I have a toilet next to the room, which is only used by clients.

Confidentiality

I provide a highly professional, sensitive and confidential Counselling Service which is GDPR Compliant.

I will ask you to arrive at the allocated time and, if early, to wait in your car at a discrete distance away from my house. This is so that I can maintain your confidentiality and that of others that I may be seeing before you.

In accordance with the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy Code of Ethics, I will offer you the highest possible level of confidentiality, in order to respect your privacy and create the trust necessary for counselling. This means that anything you say to me is confidential and no information will be given to any other person without your permission.

However, there are exceptions to this policy and they are if I feel you to be at risk of causing harm to yourself or others or I am summoned by a Court of Law. These exceptions apply to all counselling agencies and counsellors and I will be happy to provide further information if required.

What days/times are you available?

Daytime and evening appointments.

Weekdays only (Monday to Thursday).

How many sessions will I need?

This is something only you will know and you will be in charge of when you feel you want to stop.

It is important to me that you gain the most from your sessions, so I will be checking out how things are going for you on a regular basis.

Why do I need a Consultation/Assessment of Needs?

This is an hour session where I can ask more detailed questions about what has brought you to counselling and we can decide how you would like to proceed. There will be no obligation to book another appointment.

My commitment to you

I will see you as a unique individual and I will endeavour not to form an opinion as to what kind of person you are or judge you in any way.

My interest is in helping you understand yourself and explore how your life can be satisfying, by taking responsibility for your own thoughts, feelings and behaviour. You know best even though it may not be apparent to you at the start.

How does Counselling work?

We will spend most of our time together talking, but it won't be like the conversations you are used to. You will be in charge of the 'agenda', and I will do my best to understand what you want to achieve and help you to do so.

You may find that there are times when you don't really know what to say or you might want to think about something before you say the words. You might even feel like saying nothing for a while which is fine by me. I will be happy to wait until you want to talk.

I will empathically listen to your story, to try and understand how you are experiencing your world. Consequently, I will often reflect back what I have understood you to be saying and how you might be feeling. You will then have an opportunity to check on how well I understood you.

If you change anything at all about yourself it will be because you want to, not because I think you ought to.

If you get upset during a session that is ok with me. Tears are a way of expressing emotion and it is better to cry outwardly than inwardly.

My Approach

I use an Integrative Humanistic Approach, making use of Person-Centred, Transactional Analysis and Gestalt Models. I have also integrated a Psychodynamic, Task Orientated and Cognitive Behavioural flavour to my work, which I find very useful.

My Approach provides me with the tools to offer my client(s) various ways of exploring their feelings and emotions. By looking at how they communicate with me, I can vary techniques according to the needs of my individual client(s), in order to avoid confusion/misunderstanding.

Equal Opportunities

I have made a serious commitment to working with issues of difference and equality. Therefore, I regularly attend workshops focussing on these issues, along with other regular training courses to inform my practice and enable me to provide a safe and highly professional service.

What is Supervision?

As do all Counsellors, I have ongoing formal consultative support (Supervision) for my work in accordance with professional requirements. This is so that I can regularly monitor and review my work to maintain good practice. During these meetings, I will only be discussing what my thoughts were in our sessions, therefore maintaining client confidentiality.

What next?

If you are ready to take the next step, please do not hesitate to contact me.

E'mail - amandaasseraticounselling@gmail.com

Telephone - 07790169235
This is a confidential phone. If I do not answer, please leave a message and the best time I can contact you. I will get back to you as soon as possible.

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

WHAT ABOUT CANCELLATIONS?

I ask for 24 hours notice of cancellation.

As I am unable to fill slots that are cancelled at short notice or missed,  I charge the full session fee. Obviously, there may be exceptional circumstances, which will be taken into consideration.