Clare Allen

How I work
I offer a safe and confidential place for you to come and talk about anything in your life that may be causing you distress or confusion. I believe that counselling can benefit anyone; it can really help to talk to someone who is objective, professional and has no other involvement or role in your life. Often people come to counselling with no clear idea of what they want or how they feel. There is no expectation from me with regards to the issues you bring; counselling is your space and it is common for people to feel confused, lost or unsure. My aim is to support you through the process and help you to better understand yourself and your struggles, so that you can move forward with your life.

I believe that counselling is a journey of self-learning & exploration; I am interested in helping you to understand your behaviour and thought processes. I work with you to uncover unconscious behaviours and feelings which may be preventing you from reaching your full potential or blocking you from moving forward in some way.

I am a qualified integrative counsellor; this means that I am trained to use a wide variety of counselling techniques. I believe this is a beneficial way of working as it allows me to adapt my approach to suit the needs of the individual. The main theoretical approaches that I use in my work are; Psychodynamic, Person-centred and Transactional Analysis. My website provides more information about these different counselling approaches.

Below is a list of some of the areas I have experience of working with; it would be impossible to list all the different problems that I have come across over the years, so if you cannot relate to any of these issues, please know that I am open to working with any problem that you may bring.

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Neurodiversity 
• Panic attacks
• Disordered eating
• Bereavement
• Trauma
• Low self-esteem/lack of confidence
• Addiction
• Pregnancy related issues
• Abuse
• Stress
• Sex and sexuality
• Self-harm
• general life direction

My Experience
I have been working with individuals and groups for the past 18 years. I have worked in a wide range of environments including; educational settings, drug & alcohol projects & community services.  As a result, I have a wealth of experience in helping people to make positive life changes.

I have a successful private counselling practice based in Bristol which has been running for ten years. Prior to setting up my private practice I spent two years as a volunteer counsellor at Hope's Place, an agency that provides counselling for individuals who are struggling with pregnancy related issues, and I was also a volunteer counsellor at Bristol Drug's Project.

I have extensive experience of facilitating group therapy sessions, specifically for individuals suffering with mental health and/or addiction problems.

More recently, I provided group & individual supervision sessions for staff at St Mungos which is a homelessness charity based in Bristol & London.

Practice details
My practice is based in Horfield, Bristol; it is within easy reach from Gloucester Road, Henleaze and Westbury-on-Trym. There is free on-street parking & bus stops near by.

I provide open-ended counselling; this means that there is no set limit on the number of sessions that I offer. I offer sessions on a weekly basis, although I am able to meet fortnightly, depending on the circumstances. 

Contact details
You can either contact me by e-mail or phone and I aim to respond to all enquiries as soon as possible.

Please have a look at my website if you require further information or alternatively contact me directly.

The initial session is charged at £25 for 30 minutes; here you will have an opportunity to meet me, get a sense of whether you would like to work with me & time to ask any questions about the counselling process.

Further sessions are charged at £50 per 50 minute session.