Anne-Marie Alger

Face-to-Face, online and telephone counselling. Relationship Issues, Individual and Couples Counselling, Anxiety, Depression, Grief and Loss. Working with Couples, Adults, Children & Young People. 

One in four of us experience mental health problems at some time in our lives. If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, low in mood, having difficulty coping, having relationship issues, not knowing who you are anymore, then help is available. Anxiety and depression are common, but talking about it, building coping strategies and dealing with the underlying problems will make a huge difference to the way that you feel. I can help with health anxiety which may be heightened in response to the coronavirus. If your confidence and self-esteem is shattered, it takes time to rebuild them, make changes, accept the things you cannot change and become the person that you want to be for a more positive future.

As a registered Psychotherapist I will help you to make sense of your own emotions, changing the way that you think, feel and behave. I can help you to resolve, accept or adapt to issues you are facing from the past or present, and move forward towards a positive future. Make that first step towards a better future; contact me to see if I am the therapist for you.

I can help with a wide range of emotional needs such as  low confidence and self-esteem, stress and anxiety, low mood and depression, bereavement and loss, relationship issues, separation and divorce, betrayal and infidelity, trust issues, abuse, family challenges, postnatal depression. 

I can offer short and longer-term psychotherapy and counselling to individual clients and couples from my private practice in Heaton, Bolton, just outside the town centre. I offer face-to-face counselling, on-line therapy and telephone sessions, so you can choose the option that helps to meet your current lifestyle. Some clients, especially young people, would prefer to access psychotherapy and counselling from the privacy of their own home, perhaps finding this less daunting than coming to an office for direct face-to-face contact. On-line counselling can be offered through Zoom, skype or email.

I work in a way that is empathic, respectful, genuine and ethical. By building trust, I use our relationship within the therapy session to create the possibility of positive, long-term change. I have a background as a registered nurse, and will draw on my experiences working in health and social care to enhance the quality of my work with you.

I work using an integrative approach which means I can be flexible in how I work with you. Integrative Psychotherapy incorporates a range of therapeutic approaches and interventions. These may vary depending on whether we are working together on current issues and the present ‘here and now’ feelings and emotions, or looking at past experiences, and will help to create a sense of who you are, how you function and how you feel in different circumstances.

Using a relational base, I may draw upon influences and techniques from a range established models of psychology and related therapeutic approaches. This means we may explore in more depth how your current difficulties may stem from earlier adulthood or childhood experiences, held in the hidden unconscious, and help to reveal and resolve the discomfort these bring. Other interventions may help to increase your level of self-awareness and emotional well-being, or help to manage problems in a more positive, practical and mindful way. Some clients prefer to work in a more problem-focused, structured way, and this can assist in positively changing the way you think and behave on a daily basis.

The way we work together will be transparent at all times, and you will never be ‘made’ to do anything that you are uncomfortable or unhappy with. All therapy is always at your pace and within your control. Sessions are safe and confidential. I am an Accredited Professional with the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society and a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy. 

As an integrative psychotherapist I use approaches used in CBT, Person-Centred Counselling, Transactional Analysis, Psychodynamic Counselling and Creative-Expressive Therapy amongst others, so that I have a range of skills and tools that I can draw upon to help you in all aspects of your emotional well-being.

At times, dependent on your needs, I may also introduce creative-expressive interventions as an alternative way for you to express feelings or emotions about painful experiences that you may find difficult to verbally put into words. This may include the use of visualisation, art, letter-writing and narrative, object-referencing or modelling. Embracing creativity helps you to explore your imagination, acting as a bridge to your unconscious thoughts and feelings and gain fresh insight to old and challenging difficulties.

All individual sessions are 50 minutes in duration, couples/relationship counselling sessions take 1 hour. I offer daytime and early evening appointments.

Individual psychotherapy/counselling appointments charged at £60 per session

Couples/Relationship counselling charged at £70 per session. 

NB the number of sessions you may require varies from individual to individual. This may range from an average of 6-10 counselling sessions, to some clients needing only 2-4 sessions, and yet other clients may require a longer term approach. This will always be your decision and remains in your control, and I will always discuss your requirements in depth with you as flexibility may be important. Honesty and integrity is essential in the way that I work.

Clinical Supervision for counsellors and psychotherapists and student counsellors and student psychotherapists: please contact me for further information

My therapy room is based just outside Bolton town centre, at the start of Chorley New Road, BL1 4QR with good public transport links. The location is also easily accessible, within 10 minutes from the M61 junction 6 and the A666 from the M61/M60 junction 15.

Please feel free to ring me if you are unsure of anything or have any questions.

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