Ingrid Koehler

Hello, thank you for looking at my page and for the courage to seek support for what is troubling you.  I work in central Totnes, with easy access to car parks.  My therapy room is on the ground floor.

Talking to a counsellor can help us relieve a burden, anxiety and worry.  It can help us to make sense of things and join the dots so that we can discover, see and understand what we could not before and know ourselves better.  When we have made mistakes in life or there has been pain and suffering for different reasons, counselling can help to see what we need to do, can help us feel what we’ve been holding on to and can bring clarity and relief.

My approach is ‘talk therapy’ mainly, which aims to understand with compassion how your troubles have come about. Firstly, by exploring your story and whatever you choose to share and then by looking at ways of coping with or managing with your troubles.  Within a safe space of caring, trust and confidentiality I try to come alongside you, respecting your level of comfort, either in person or online.  Counselling can bring new insights to and awareness of our troubles and can help us understand our behaviour and that of others.  Talking to someone who appreciates the human condition can help to strengthen and heal parts of ourselves or to let go of painful feelings, like guilt, shame or remorse or distorted thinking that have arisen through trauma, abuse, loss, perceived mistakes and general fear and regain our confidence, trust, self-worth and self-belief by accessing our inner resources and coping strategies.

I encourage unpacking emotions related to feeling out of control; feeling overwhelmed or confused, depressed or sad, sometimes for no definable reason; feeling hurt or vulnerable, angry, frustrated, desperate, or needy because of particular circumstances, a relationship or our life history.  Other ways can be feeling emotional all the time or the opposite, numb or disconnected, or flat or pointless.  We can often feel rage, lack of trust, resentment and anger or that we’re a victim of injustice, abuse and discrimination.  We may have been told by others that we’ve had a ‘nervous breakdown’ or simply a ‘breakdown’.  Having physical pain, chronic ailments and poor health can also take their toll.  All forms of distress can affect our well-being and relationships.  

Relationship difficulties are commonly at the heart of our distress and affect how we feel about ourselves.  There is more general awareness in these days of the negative effect of being in a relationship with someone with narcissistic tendencies or personality disorders and the advice is usually ‘to see a therapist’ in order to process or move on from these relationships.

Counselling is very effective for trauma. I am 'trauma-informed' and not a specialist therapist in trauma.  More is known now about the long-term effects of both shock/terror trauma (PTSD) and developmental trauma, often called complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD).  Whether it be a specific shocking and frightening one-off event or emotional abuse, protracted neglect, abandonment, rejection and hurt which may even be in the distant past, the impact on our mental health can be marked.  Also, the effects of short- and long-term grief and loss and can take its toll.  In recent years, the effect of the Covid pandemic has had an impact in all areas of life and may need a safe space to process. 

I have worked as a counsellor in private counselling practice since 2011 and continue to practise in central Totnes and online through video platforms.  I have a background in nursing in the NHS, having worked in the specialty of cancer and cancer clinical trials for many years, though I am now retired from nursing.  I work exclusively with adult individuals.

Experience of abuse by a toxic or coercive controlling person.

Matters related to spirituality and soul

Spiritual abuse

Chronic PTSD (CPTSD)

COVID pandemic related mental/general health issues

Sliding scale fees between £35 and £60 per session.

I am happy to have a free online or phone chat, up to 30 minutes, before committing to a session.  If the session goes to a full hour, I would appreciate full payment.

• Find me at betterhelp.com/ingrid-koehler, an online platform for direct booking.
• I have full Professional Civil Liability Insurance.
• My counselling room is in a private house, not mine.  There is good sound insulation but an occasional sound may be heard in the house which may be occupied by the owner at times.  They are fully aware of respecting confidentiality.
• For parking in Totnes there are several on-street parking areas and car parks nearby.