Gwen Govan

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BA, COUNSELLING DIPLOMA, MBACP (Snr Accred)
Limited availability
Limited availability

This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.

Ormskirk, Lancashire, L40
Limited availability
Limited availability

This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.

About me

My name is Gwen Govan and I have been a counsellor since 1994.

In 2003 I achieved accreditation with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, (B.A.C.P) one of the leading therapy organisations in the U.K. In 2009 I became a senior accredited counsellor and am listed on their professional website. Their policy on ethical standards guides my practice including the requirement for me to receive regular supervision.

I offer both Counselling which tends to be more focused and time limited and Psychotherapy which is open ended and more rooted in the past.

I would describe myself as a psychodynamic counsellor. I am particularly interested in your past experiences, especially those shaped in childhood. It is often possible to discern a particular pattern in the way each of us manages our different relationships. This sometimes gets played out within the counselling itself, thus providing important clues in helping to understand your emotional world.
I would also combine a variety of knowledge and theories to respond to the unique set of problems each individual brings for counselling help. The goal of therapy as a whole and each session in particular is to enable you to face and better manage your pain and emotional suffering without resorting to avoidance strategies or inappropriate acting out.

The first appointment will be an assessment to determine:
  - Your suitability for this type of therapy.
  - Whether we can work together.
  - To begin to determine a central focus of the therapy
Therefore I begin by looking at the current issues which have prompted you to seek out therapy at this time.

Counselling will hopefully be stimulating, challenging and freeing. It is, however, essentially about change and recognising that changes can sometimes be painful and unsettling and require patience and practice.
It's also about knowing that you're not in this alone. Maybe for a time, you need a place to rest, receive and be nurtured but this is only ever a stopgap. The goal of counselling is always to lead you towards healthier relationships and emotional independence.

Training, qualifications & experience

                                             
Training &Qualifications
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* 1976 Bachelor of Arts Degree
* 1978 Diploma in Applied Social Studies
* 1994 Counselling Diploma
* 1996 Foundation Course in Family Therapy (12 months)
* 2006 Foundation Course in Cognitive & Behavioural Therapy (12 months)
* 2011 Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) at the Tavistock Clinic in London

In addition to the above formal qualifications, I regularly attend training workshops and keep up to date with relevant reading to maintain my senior accreditation status.

Experience

I qualified as a counsellor in 1994 and my training was primarily psychodynamic and relationship based. From 2001 until 2019 I have worked as an NHS counsellor in GP surgeries and community centres. My clients are adults of varying ages who bring a wide range of emotional issues, including problematical relationships, childhood abuse, loss, bereavement, depression and anxiety.
Before training as a counsellor, I was employed in social care, working with families. Supporting families through the loss of their baby or in managing their child's disability has been the catalyst for my obtaining a professional counselling qualification in the early 1990's.
More recently, however, I have been drawn towards Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy in my counselling practice. While recognising the significance of early childhood attachments, it focuses on current difficulties and its impact on the therapeutic relationship. In particular it tracks significant relationship patterns within these three domains which can also be helpful in shorter term therapy.

Member organisations

Registered / Accredited

Registered / Accredited

Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.

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

Fees

£40.00 per session

Additional information

I see individual clients face to face in a private setting in my own home.

I'm located close to the centre of Burscough, with onsite parking and convenient for public transport.

Therapy appointments are available at a variety of times:

* during the week
* some midweek evenings
* Saturday mornings

I charge £40 for a 60 minute session.

Please email to check current availability and arrange your half price "taster session".

On-going therapy appointments are usually arranged for the same time, each week, but can be flexible to accommodate shift patterns.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

Ormskirk, Lancashire, L40

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Adults
Older Adults

Additional languages

None

Online platforms

Skype
Google Meet
Gwen Govan
Gwen Govan