Maggie Hargreaves
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
Online and phone available. Integrative Psychotherapist(UKCP),postgrad diploma. Supervisor. Private practice 15 yrs. NHS 3 yrs (IAPT), private sector(Tuke, York) + vol sector. 9 yrs in statutory(crisis) mental health services. Diploma in Supervision.
Counselling offers a safe, private and non-judgmental place where we can take the time, with support, to understand how and where we are stuck in our lives, and find a way to live more happily. My therapy room is comfortable, private and relaxing.
Sometimes we know why we are struggling:- a life changing event, a traumatic/abusive childhood, relationship breakdown, disabling anxiety/panic attacks, depression, dependence on alcohol/food, compulsive behaviour patterns, intrusive thoughts.
Sometimes we've been feeling generally down, lonely, dispirited, unmotivated over months or years, don't know why and can't seem to lift ourselves whatever we try. Sometimes a problem we thought we'd resolved might have come round to hit us for six again.
Many of us feel we must be independent and 'cope alone'. Some of us have grown up to believe it's 'weak' or 'pathetic' to need support. Some of us have never had support. Life can throw up some intolerable situations, however, that none of us would be able to cope with - it helps to find a space to share the load in case we spiral downwards.
Therapy with a qualified and experienced therapist can help you understand where and how you are stuck, and offer a safe and non-judgmental place to be while we find your way through at your own pace. As you become more aware, you start to find different perspectives on your situation and you begin to understand yourself and your own needs better.
Anxiety
Anxiety can be chronic, and manageable up to a point. But it can sometimes feel intense and overwhelming with strong physical sensations, when daily life feels like a battle against disabling panic, fear and despair. Life in the UK in 2023 is stressful, a 24 hour society, work pressure, family breakdown, financial difficulties, pandemic.
We are all faced with stress from time to time, it's a natural reaction to adverse events, but if it threatens to overwhelm us we need support and understanding, and cannot always find this amongst our friends and family.
With the support of a therapist you can start to understand your anxiety, what might underlie it, what your particular triggers might be, whether there are any unresolved issues. Then you can learn how to handle your anxiety and bring your life back to a place where you feel happier and more in control.
Depression
Depression doesn't have to be a life sentence. One of the most unpleasant features of depression is that it feels as though it might last for ever. Yes, it can be difficult to break through the fog and gloom, low motivation and hopelessness, but it is possible and it's more likely to happen if we have intelligent and sensitive support and encouragement.
Some symptoms of depression:-
Repetitively thinking about past events, regret at our own actions, resentment towards others, belief that nothing can be done ('there's no point'), low mood in the morning with brighter mood in the evening, feeling that no-one can or wants to really understand, low motivation, inability to express our feelings, lack of perspective.
OCD
We all need some sort of order in our lives, most people have some routines and rituals in their daily lives. They give continuity and a feeling of safety. If these routines become over rigid, however, (for various reasons) and we cannot manage without them, then they might start to control our behaviour and our lives. The extreme version of this is OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). The routine becomes everything, yet somehow is never enough to alleviate our underlying anxiety.
Therapy can help, by showing us how to understand our behaviour, how we became like this, and how to change. It can take time, and you'll need support and encouragement, but it works.
Ways of coping that don't work
When we have feelings we don't like, negative and unpleasant ones, we might start to look for escape and happiness somewhere else. We could move towards any of the following - alcohol; drugs (prescribed and illegal); overeating; undereating; working excessive hours; overspending on credit cards ( 'retail therapy'!); gambling; overexercise; specific self-harm. And others. These are all ways of coping. Any of these might feel like a solution to start with, and it might keep us going for a while, but these aren't healthy, and they can take over our lives.
Sexual abuse and complex trauma
I have long experience of working with clients who have survived childhood sexual abuse (this often comprises physical and emotional abuse, as well as neglect). Abuse (and the neglect that often co-occurs) in childhood can throw a long shadow over our adult lives, and this can be manageable for years, then suddenly become unbearable if triggered unexpectedly. Calm, consistent and empathic support can help us to get through.
Training, qualifications & experience
I'm registered with the UKCP as an Integrative Psychotherapist. Postgraduate diploma. Re-accredited.
I have an advanced Diploma in Supervision
I have a Class 1 Honours degree in Applied Social Studies.
I'm a member of Scarborough Counselling and Psychotherapy Training Institute.
I've worked for four years as a therapist in IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) within the NHS.
I've worked for several years in the mental health services, within a statutory service linked with local CMHT and Crisis teams.
I'm an Associate Counsellor at the Tuke Centre, York.
I undertake insurance work for IQED (BCPC) and TICCS Integrated Care Clinics
I've been a private practitioner for 15 years.
I've delivered training in Brief and Focal therapy
I'm up to date with Continuing Professional Development.
I'm registered with the Information Commission - ICO (Data Protection)
DBS registered
I've also worked as an Advocate, a parliamentary case-worker, in debt management and as a company director.
I speak French, German and some Italian.
I have an advanced Diploma in Supervision - fee for supervisees, £50 per hour
some recent training (all certificated):
September 2023 'Shame, Compassion & Curiosity in the Embodied Therapeutic Relationship' Lydia Noor at NESTT 12 hours
September 2023 'Somatic Therapy:Interventions to enhance embodiment in trauma treatment' 3 hours Dr Arielle Schwartz, Nscience, 3 hours
September 2023: 'Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, an introduction' Dr Pat Ogden, Nscience, 3 hours
August 2022 'Withdrawal, Silence and Loneliness: psychotherapy of the schizoid process' Dr Richard Erskine, Nscience, 10 hours
April 2022 'The Narcissistic Dilemma, a perspective from Relational and Integrative psychotherapy' DrRichard Erskine, Nscience, 9 hours
28th October 2021 'Working with Transgender, Non-binary and Gender-Questioning clients' 3 hours, Laura Scaronne Bonhomme.
July 2nd 2021 'exploratory goal-corrected psychotherapy' (adult attachment) 3 hours Una McCluskey and Mark Linington
September 27th 2021 'Chronic Pain and Disrupted Early Attachments' 6 hours Nick Straiton, Frances Sommer Anderson, Georgie Oldfield
September 9th,10th,11th,12th, 18th 2020. 5 day online conference, 35 hours . 'Experiencing the body keeps the score' Bessel van der Kolk. Suncrest Counselling USA
August 2020. The Inflammatory Response: Understanding inflammation and the immune system in states of mind- Antony Haynes and Dr Elisabeth Philipps (Confer) 5 hours
July 2020 Virtual conference (7 hours) - international and multidisciplinary perspectives on complex trauma and its treatment. University of York, Prof Tom Stoneham, Dzmitry Karpuk, CTI and CTTN
July 2020 'understanding reactions to the Covid-19 pandemic - insights from the polyvagal theory and the oxytocin hypothesis' - Stephen Porges PhD, Sue Carter PhD - webinar. (Confer)
July 2020 'developing resilience for clinical work in challenging times' - Linda Graham MFT - webinar (Confer)
June 2020 'Working online at psychological depth - a critical approach addressing the challenges and opportunities ' - Dr Aaron Balick - webinar (Confer)
June 2020 'UKCP lockdown: Sexual and Domestic Violence' - webinar
May 2020 'UKCP remote working seminar'. - webinar
March 2020 - Covid 19 - after this date all 'in person' training sessions cancelled, and training reverted to online certificated webinars
Feb 2020. 'shamanism and psychotherapy' - Leeds
June 29th 2019 'interpreting the meaning of dreams, a gestalt approach' - Bridlington, Alan Leach
April 13th 2019 'Advanced training, Working with Nightmares and Dreams' - Complex Trauma Therapists Network, Dzmitry Karpuk in collaboration with University of York Graduate Research School
Nov 24th 2018 'Exploring the Dynamics of Attachments in Adult Life' - the McCluskey model, Eliane Meyer and Fran Guilding, York
July 2nd and 9th 2018 'Working with couples', Affinity Centre, Ian Tomlinson, Manchester
May 12th 2018 PCSR annual conference (Psychotherapists and Counsellors for Social Responsibility). 'Change Transition, Transformation, is another world possible?' York St John's University. Full day
Oct- Dec 2017 Principles of Systemic Therapy for Counsellors and Psychotherapists - 35 hours. Trainer/facilitator, Hugh Palmer (UKCP) E. Yorkshire
13th-15th Oct 2017 Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy, 4th conference (3 days) 'Childhood to Adulthood - A Development Perspective''
September 2017 lecture by Richard Hycner, at ScPTI. ''Therapeutic artistry between client and therapist'
July 2017 Birmingham, Julianne AppelOpper 'Developing embodied interventions and experiment within the co-created embodied field'
May 2017 Sheffield, Christiane Sanderson BsC, MsC, 'The Web of Shame in the Therapeutic Space'
March 2017 Gail Myhr, Associate Professor of psychiatry, McGill University, webinar 'Attachment informed interventions in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy'
September 2016 Health Minds, Leeds. 'Working with nightmares and dreams'
January 2016. Tuke Centre, York 'Resource development for internal resilience and ego strengthening'
November 2015 PODS, Rotherham 'Trauma and the body: somatisation and dissociation'
Member organisations
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.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£50.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Additional information
I charge £50 per one hour session. I charge a reduced fee (£30) for the initial assessment session.
I charge £50 per hour for clinical supervision
Concessions: I offer discretionary reduced fee sessions for trainees and in recognition of individual circumstances.
I offer a limited number of evening sessions during the week
When I work
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Tues, Weds, Thurs. Some early evening sessions available
Further information
I have specialised experience working with those who have survived sexual abuse and complex trauma
I also have a particular interest in, and experience working with
bereavement/loss/unresolved grief
depression
anxiety
agoraphobia
those who have had only patchy success with standard treatment (including medication)
for long-term anxiety/depression, and are now considering talking therapy