Claire Marsden
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Healthy relationships are vital to our health, self-esteem, mental and emotional health. My practice therefore concentrates on communication and connectivity with partners, children, parents, siblings and significant others in order to resolve issues that might prevent you leading a fuller life.
This might include relationship problems which have reached a stalemate and can no longer be dealt with at home, together as a couple or as a family. A breach of trust such as an affair, loss and bereavement; life changes such as redundancy and retirement; the stresses of young families and the changes brought about when older children leave home; these and so many other challenges can leave us feeling horribly alone and unable to cope.
I work with what ever issues you are facing to provide a new perspective and find new ways of coping. I work with individuals, couples and young adults of all backgrounds and sexual orientation.
How I work
As an integrative therapist my work draws on different elements from a range of therapeutic orientations underpinned by Attachment theory. My 'tool box' includes Systemic and Psychodynamic theory as they are particularly helpful in relationship work.
Psychodynamic Counselling works on the premise that attachment issues and childhood experiences have a subconscious effect on our relationships. Identifying these thoughts, and understanding how they may be affecting behaviour, can help problems like depression, anxiety and anger.
Systemic Counselling looks at how individuals behave within groups or systems, such as families or couples with the aim of bringing out, sharing, and respecting the views and stories of all involved in order to develop a constructive way forward.
Other therapeutic disciplines such as Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy are very helpful in enabling clients to access their own strengths and possibilities to help them move forward. These disciplines also provide practical tools to challenge negative thoughts and behaviours. I have also undertaken specific training appropriate to counselling couples where aspergers might be an issue.
Relationship counselling draws on these theories within the context of the Couple or the Family. Couple counselling tends to work with immediate problems though the past is used to inform the present and place ‘presenting problems’ within the context of the whole relationship. I am trained to be impartial and non judgmental and do not take sides, as my responsibility is in equal measure to you both and to the relationship.
The aim of family therapy is to enable each member of the family to cope collaboratively with any misunderstanding and pain that is putting a strain on their relationships and the family unit. I explore each point of view within the family and this can be useful for children, young people and adults facing a wide range of difficulties and experiences. I can work alongside health professionals to address specific conditions such as ADHD, aspergers, addictions or depression that may be having a damaging effect on family life.
Where I work
If there are no covid-19 restrictions in place i prefer to see clients face to face.
My consulting room is in a comfortable airy studio by my home in Ashley. Ashley is a small hamlet near a village called Kings Somborne about 10 minutes drive out of Stockbridge.
Training, qualifications & experience
I hold a Masters in Relationship and Family Therapy (validated by the University of Hull and accredited by the BACP). I have experience of working with the suicidal and young people with specific learning difficulties and have a DipSpLD.
I am a registered member of the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) and the AFT (Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practise).
I have also trained and am registered as a Relate therapist offering individual, relationship and family counselling.
I have undergone extensive further training in areas such as mental health, adult attachment, grief and loss. Ongoing training and continuous professional development is fundamental to my practice.
Member organisations
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 - £70.00
Additional information
My current rates are:
Individual/Couple/Family therapy session (one hour) in range of £60-£70
Please note with reference to family and couple therapy i can only take on clients who can attend for some if not all sessions face to face.
An initial meeting is helpful for you can decide if i might be able to offer you the support you need. If you do decide to go ahead, counselling session are usually on a weekly basis. Counselling can be on an open-ended basis or for an agreed time period.
I believe counselling is a collaborative process; that you remain an expert of your own life and that your feedback is particularly valuable in the direction the therapy should take.
Payment is in advance by bank transfer, or by cash or cheque at the session. Cancellations with less than 48 hours notice will be charged 50% of the session fee.
When I work
i have flexible working hours and am offering telephone/Skype/FaceTime counselling over the current Coronavirus crisis. Please contact email address in the first instance to discuss.
Further information
I adhere to the BACP code of ethics; and my work is regularly supervised. The confidentiality and security of all client information is of upmost importance. My practice is fully insured.
