Gilly Chapell

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SENIOR ACCRED. TRAUMA & EMDR Therapist & Supervisor 12yrs+
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

Swindon SN1 & SN25
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

*Offer for WC 12th Feb free 30min assessment for anyone wanting to start therapy with our placements offering weekly therapy at £20 per session.*

I am a Senior Accredited NCS, BACP member Counsellor, Psychotherapist & Supervisor trained in Neuroscience which informs the way I work which includes: trauma stabilisation & EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing). I'm qualified to Degree level with over a decade of extensive experience addressing a wide breadth of emotional concerns.

We currently have 1 x Monday evening slot, 1 x Thursday morning slot available with one of my placement £25 per session, and 3 new placements starting in March. 

I imagine you are here because there is something going on in your head which you are struggling to fathom or navigate through alone. Let me reassure you, you have come to the right place.

I currently have a team of six therapists within my clinic, with VACANCIES & ROOM HIRE for more, we all have a keen interest in Neuroscience, which is the mechanics of the brain and central nervous system. Our placements offer much lower fees but they get a lot of mentoring and external support so its excellent value for your therapy.

I bring to my face-to-face private practice some of the most up to date and proven treatment applications for complex trauma, PTSD, Disassociation, Borderline Peraonality Disorder and similar diagnosis alongside, anxiety, depression and complications of grief.  I trained under Janina Fisher one of our world leading experts and worked at her private clinic as one of her primary therapists gaining valuable hands-on experience. 

In my experience counselling has helped clients, presenting with all sorts of difficulties, such as: emotional overwhelm, hopelessness, shame, worthlessness, lack of memories, mistrust, anxiety, panic attacks, stress, depression, chronic pain, irritability, loss of interest, decreased concentration, insomnia, alcohol, addiction, lack of self care or confidence, disordered eating, comfort eating, legacy of abuse or neglect, self destructive behaviour, parenting and relationship issues. Along side clients who come because they want to make sense of a life event such as problems related to affairs, betrayal, separation and divorce, abusive relationship, bereavement and loss of long term relationships.

For example... a client may report feeling a loss of interest in things, in life, in relationships. Sometimes this is a subtle way of our emotional well being telling us that we have had a tough time digesting when something really important and meaningful was taken away from us. We cope with the loss by not getting too attached to anything again in the future. The logic being if we are not too attached we don't get hurt when or if it is taken away from us. There tends to be an underlying message hidden within the symptoms clients present. So a good place to start in counselling is to explain what isn't working in life at the minute.

Sometimes clients report sudden, intense and lasting 'moments' of emotional overwhelm which after the 'moment' has past seems out of proportion to the situation. This is very common in unresolved trauma. But often clients are too scared to bring it to counselling and instead battle with 'if I could just keep it under control, do better, stop over reacting or similar...' again this is all very common when there is an underlying situation that has not been resolved properly and you'd be surprised just how it can be unravelled. I also often here clients report feeling like they are a fraud, carrying a sense of I am going to get found out, like they are not good enough and it is only a matter of time before people will discover it.  This again is a symptom of trauma. Also see:

which explains how trauma can impact us.

Take a look at the additional images uploaded for further symptoms of this.

Counselling is a talking therapy which helps clients understand that the symptoms (whatever they may be e.g. emotional overwhelm, hopelessness, shame, worthlessness, lack of memories, mistrust, anxiety, panic attacks, stress, depression, chronic pain, irritability, loss of interest, decreased concentration, insomnia, alcohol, addiction, lack of self care or confidence, disordered eating, comfort eating, self destructive behaviour). When a client can understand the symptoms it is easier to see what the symptoms is telling them and for us to work on restoring emotional well being, improve low self-esteem, unravel things like anger management, rage, bereavement, phobias and post natal depression etc. By providing a unique perspective it can assist in evaluating and changing how life is being experienced. This can improve relationships, how we communicate with our children, family issues and help us digest affairs and betrayals, separation and divorce.


My approach combines Person-Centred and Psychodynamic theories with Neuroscience providing clients with options of short term or open ended therapy. I am trained to offer face to face and online therapy, however I do find that trauma work lends itself better to face to face work.  I do offer online but only once I have a good foundational relationship with the client as the technical interruptions that can interrupt online work can make the work of therapy unnecessarily challenging.  I am trained and experienced in dealing with all of the mentioned symptoms. One of the areas I don't have training in and therefore I do not work with clients who's main presenting symptom falls within sexual addiction or dysfunction, however there are many therapists trained specifically in this area.  We also do not work with people who present with the common narcissistic characteristics which include an over inflated sense of entitlement alongside an inability to respect basic boundaries.  We operate a zero tolerance for anyone who can not respect basic boundaries because it disrupts our services for those who desperately need it.

I do work a lot with clients who appear to get a sudden, intense and long lasting, emotional overwhelm. These clients when triggered often report feeling like there is something seriously wrong with them, like this just is not normal... this is often a very common symptom of a previous trauma (trauma can mean anything which scares us, so from a car accident to growing up with a scary parent). I use a very effective approach under the direction of Janina Fisher, PhD who is recognised in our field for the understanding and treatment of the legacy of trauma: attachment failure, neglect, physical or sexual abuse in childhood, sexual assault, medical trauma, and domestic or community violence.

Everyone deserves to be heard and I believe from client feedback I can offer clients empathy, acceptance, understanding and place where they feel safe and capable of change. I believe with the right support you will find the resources you need to feel like your own expert in what you need to find your potential and continue self growth through what is a self empowering counselling relationship.

Counselling is an opportunity to unravel; thoughts which maybe tie us up in knots, decisions which could make us go round in circles and change habits which might make us cringe to the core. Counselling can also be a life sustaining therapy for the emotionally bruised.

Some clients know their limitations, spot trouble ahead or want to make changes and know they need to seek help to achieve this. Whilst at the other end of the spectrum others are right at their wits end before they get in touch. There is no right or wrong time to start counselling, you will be welcome whenever to choose to get in touch...day or night and I usually respond promptly to text messages and emails (although they are delivered when the phone syncs).

I also advocate awareness of the characteristics seen in therapeutic abusive relationships. Therapeutic abuse - https://therapyabuse.org is a useful website for anyone who is concerned about a therapeutic relationship.  Currently there is a significant back log of complaints about therapists sitting with ethical bodies. This means we know there are therapists who should not be working with vulnerable people, but because the complaints have not yet been processed the public are still at risk. If in doubt talk to friends, family and ring their ethical body.  

Training, qualifications & experience

These are some of the Certificates and Qualifications I have obtained which support my work:

Level 6 in Clinical Supervision

SENIOR ACCREDITATION STATUS NCS21 - 00932

EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing 

AMDR - Applied Memory Decinsolidation & Reprocessing 

Practical Brain-Focused Strategies for working with Depression   2017 (new research on natural antidepressants) with Elisha Goldstein

Brain Science, Neurobiologically Informed Neuroplasticity  2016 with Dan Seigel, Rich Hanson, Kelly McGonigal, Norman Doldge, Stephen Porges, Pat Ogden   

Working with the Neurobiological Legacy of Trauma lead by Janina Fisher
Level 1, 2 and 3 at Khiron House

Foundation Degree in Therapeutic Counselling - Merit
My training was undertaken face to face through the University of Gloucester

D171 Introduction to Counselling
equivalent to the CPCAB Level 3 in Counselling Theory

CPCAB Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills

CRUSE Awareness in Bereavement Care
A foundation course

NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Nutrition and Health
(emotional well being starts with good physical health)

Associate of the CIPD with Level 3 Certificate in Personnel Practice
(Being qualified in Human Resources & Employment Law helps clients with work related issues)

Btec National Diploma in Business & Finance

Be cautious of anyone offering private counselling with only a Level 4 diploma the syllabus doesn't cover working in private practice. 

Member organisations

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

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.

Accredited register membership

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Other areas of counselling I deal with

Privacy Statement:

Data collected via this website & my own website, is used for the sole purpose of establishing contact. Your personal details and/or information will not be retained for any other purpose, and is not shared with third party individuals or organisations.

As a client you are not required to disclose any of your personal data, such as your surname, address or GP details.

Photos & videos

Fees

£20.00 - £55.00

Concessions offered for

  • Low income
  • Keyworkers
  • Students
  • Unemployed

Additional information

My fees are £55 for day time assessment, sessions including EMDR 

Florence is our trauma informed couples therapist evenings/weekends online £60

See my website for more details.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

Sessions start as early as 8.30am and finish as late as 9pm in the evening.

I also have 4 volunteer counsellors who work are mentored by myself.

Further information

When looking for a counsellor:

Qualifications are important but experience in applying the theory is just as essential... always ask how long they have been practising... and ensure they are on the accredited counselling register.

I can be found on the BACP's Register of Counsellors & Psychotherapists, certificate number 054329.

I can also be found under the NCS as a senior accredited therapist.

The register was accredited under a Parliamentary Scheme in 2013 to protect clients and support best practice.

So you'll find I work ethically and I am a trusted pair of hands for clients. I also have a DBS certificate with ongoing monitoring held under our local school. Counselling is one of those therapies which really requires the professional to hold a great deal of integrity, so that clients stand a good chance of being able to open up and share their difficulties.   In order to prove our integrity to clients we do a great deal of training with other more experienced professionals and take a lot of personal counselling ourselves to ensure your sessions remain uncontaminated from anything other than what your bring.

We reserve the right to decide if a client is suitable for our services and we reserve the right to cease all communications when the focus no longer relates to progressing your therapeutic journey with us or hinders our work in helping others progress their therapeutic journey.  Ethically due to confidentiality, we are not able to respond to any third party communications without informed and agreed consent.

Counselling Wiltshire, Charnwood Court, Newport Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 3DX

Swindon, Wiltshire, SN25

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Adults
Older adults

Online platforms

Doxy

Supervision

In person
Online

I am a Senior Accredited NCS, BACP member Counsellor, Psychotherapist & Supervisor trained in Neuroscience, informing my Trauma work EMDR treatment

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Gilly Chapell
Gilly Chapell