Audrey Cooper

Currently full - places may be available from beginning of May

***  Dartington in person on Mondays and Thursdays 

***  Zoom or Ashburton in person on Tuesdays and Wednesdays 

****Supervision Space available***

Do you feel stuck?  Do you have regular thoughts about not being good enough? Or do you feel that there's something wrong with you? Perhaps you have a need to be perfect.  These are all patterns which can be worked through in counselling... giving you a greater sense of ease, feeling more connected to your true self and reducing symptoms of anxiety, stress, depression.

I offer a holistic approach to therapy - taking into consideration the link between your thoughts, mind, body, emotion and your nervous system.   I believe in nurturing a client's sense of strength rather than focussing on feelings of weakness.  I am a calm, gentle and caring practitioner, and offer respect and integrity in my work. Bottling up emotions can work in the short term, but eventually it becomes time to process painful thoughts, feelings and experiences - in order to move on.

In my work as a psychotherapist I am influenced by the latest understandings from neuroscience - which includes Polyvagal theory, Parts theory (Internal Family Systems), Breathwork practices, creative practices eg sand tray and art along with other embodied work.  

Going to a counsellor at any time in life can feel daunting. Often the initial reaching out is the hardest step to take.  Clients frequently wonder why they waited for so long before having some counselling as it offers such valuable space to gain new perspectives and start to bring positive change to your life.

I offer a free phone conversation of up to 20 minutes and initial hour-long session for only £30.  Just send me an email, phone call or text to find out my availability.

I work with a wide range of life issues, such as:

managing anxiety, stress and panic attacks
depression and feelings of sadness
relationship issues
work / career related stress
issues of shame and blame
personal boundaries
family issues
low self-esteem
poor body image
lack of confidence
autonomic nervous system understanding                                                               plus much more

My psychotherapeutic training and interest can support you to:

• gain clarity with the issues you face
• gain new perspectives and understanding of your situation to help you move forward
• identify and change limiting thoughts and patterns that may be holding you back in life
• feel more empowered
• gain a greater sense of compassion towards yourself
• feel more knowledgeable about the link between body, mind and emotions
• become more aware of feelings and emotions and how to manage them
• explore how your past is impacting your present
• understand how your fight/flight/freeze responses impact your emotions (based on Dr Stephen Porges Polyvagal Theory work on the importance of the vagus nerve)
• learn more about your psychological processes to empower you to make change
• gain awareness of how to hold boundaries so you can more truly express who you are
• use breath work to calm, balance and energise

For me, the overarching aim of therapy is the feeling of safety.  It may seem simplistic, however, when we can feel safe enough in the present, we can begin to be with difficult experiences in a new way.  Feeling safe is a basic human need, but most of us have had experiences long ago or in recent past where we haven't felt safe - either because of the people around us, our environment, or from our own internal experiences (pain, fear etc).  These are all forms of trauma.  And because we are all brilliant surviving beings, we come up with any range of adaptations to help manage our lives - anxiety, depression, addictions, self judgement to name just a few.  These "symptoms" then start to cause us all kinds of problems, leading us to seek therapy.  In my therapy work, I see that the experience of present moment safety can be gently accessed and reinforced.  I do this through a combination of present moment experiential exercises and by psychological education, all within a compassionate, holding, therapeutic relationship.  This creates a dynamic where as safety is experienced and understood, difficult experiences can begin to be processed.  And as these difficult experiences are processed it releases the capacity for even more safety to be experienced.  This leads to change in people's perspectives of themselves and their lives, creating more space and freedom.  

I am a professional and experienced counsellor and hold an advanced Level 5 diploma in psychotherapeutic counselling. I have been in practice since 2013. In the summer of 2021 I trained as a breathwork coach.  Breathwork is a very effective tool for working with distress and offering support in everyday life.  (I also hold 1-2-1 and small group breathwork sessions.)

I work on a short term (6 sessions) or longer term which can be a year or more - or anywhere in between according to your needs.  I have a collaborative approach and openly discuss what type of therapy you feel may suit you best at any given time.

I am trained in:

• CBT
• person centred therapy
• Gestalt therapy
• mindfulness-based psychotherapy
• Breath Work
• Sand Tray therapy - a method to bring more awareness to life issues
• Walk and Talk therapy - taking clients into the great outdoors (after assessment for suitability)
• Food and mood - I can offer support with dietary changes to support mental health and wellbeing
• Rhythm of Regulation (Deb Dana - Polyvagal theory in Therapy) (fight, flight and freeze responses to threat) see
    for more info

Weight Issues
Weight Loss
Parenting

Sessions are:

£60 for 1 hour counselling/psychotherapy (often can include some breathwork)

£60 for 1 hour of Internal Family Systems

£60 for 1 hour of breath work only (4-6 weeks recommended)

£40 for 1 hour supervision (discounted rate whilst in training)

Longer sessions available by agreement - additional 15 minutes charged at £11

Please contact me for more information and availability.

Initial appointment:

A free 20 minute telephone conversation to discuss what you are looking for before starting working together.

A 1 hour in person or zoom meeting for £30 to allow more time to explore what you are seeking in counselling

I am a qualified adult education teacher with experience teaching counselling skills and personal development.

I am able to offer group work and classes in personal development / psychoeducation. Please contact me for further info.