Pauline Mitchell, UKCP (Accred.), HPC, MBACP

Garden Flat 13 Broomy Hill Whitecross Hereford Herefordshire HR4 0LJ View map
01432 271627 Click here to Email me

Profile

I have worked as a counsellor and psychotherapist for over 25 years and believe that most people have the capacity to change.  My main experience has been working in a mental health setting and running a small private practice. I am a qualified and registered psychoanalytic psychotherapist, as well as an occupational therapist and I have experience of working with people who have both physical and mental health difficulties. I have also offered supervision and training to other professionals for many years as well as run both psychotherapy groups and supervision groups. I also offer integrative counselling to those individuals who would benefit more from this approach.

I work with whatever issues the person wishes to address and offer both short and long term work. I have been involved in working with people who have themselves been training as counsellors, as well as working with many health professionals who work in  very stressful environments, I also have experience of working with people with relationship difficulties and with people who have suffered different types of loss, including being bereaved by a loved one dying, marital breakdown, loss of job/role.

Training, Qualifications & Experience

Diploma in Occupational Therapy (HPC Registered)
BSc (Hons) Health Sciences
UKCP Registered Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist

I qualified in 1982 as an Occupational Therapist and have worked as a Counsellor since 1985. I qualified as a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist in 2006.

As an Occupational Therapist, I was trained to use a person centred approach, I have also completed some modules of a bodywork training and draw on these to inform my integrative practice. I also work as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with people who wish to work at a deeper level.

Areas of counselling I deal with

• Abortion
• Abuse
• Addiction(s)
• Affairs and Betrayals
• Alcoholism
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Bereavement
• Bipolar Disorder/Manic Depression
• Bullying
• Cancer
• Child Related Issues
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME
• Depression
• Disabilities
• Domestic Violence
• Eating Disorders
• Emotional Abuse
• Family Issues
• Gender Identity
• Generalised Anxiety
• Low Self-Confidence
• Low Self-Esteem
• Physical Abuse
• Postnatal Depression
• Pre-nuptial Counselling
• Pregnancy and Childbirth
• Relationship Issues
• Self Harm
• Separation and Divorce
• Sexual Abuse
• Sexual Issues
• Sexuality
• Spirituality
• Stress
• Trauma
• Work Related Issues

Other areas of counselling I deal with

I have experience of working with people with cancer and chronic illnesses. I also have experience of working with people who have a physical disability where there are concurrent emotional issues such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. I have worked also with people who are struggling with life transitions such as becoming a parent, children leaving home, menopause, retirement and coping with the loss of a life long partner, either through death or through progressive illness that affects the personality, such as dementia.

Therapies Offered

• Psychoanalytical and Psychodynamic
  - Psychoanalytic Therapy
  - Psychodynamic Therapy

• Other Therapies
  - Integrative

Fees

Initial assessment session is one and a half hours and costs £68.00.
Fees being paid by third parties, i.e. employer health scheme, are higher due to increased administration.
If someone is on a low income or wishes to come into psychotherapy more than once a week, I may consider offering a concessional rate.
My fee is £45 per 50 minute session.

Further Information

My practice and way of working have developed organically through my own life experience. I believe that I work with a sense of curiosity and with compassion and continue to try to incorporate these into my own life.

My work stems from the belief that the way we cope with life and how we relate to others is strongly related to our early relationships and life experiences. This does not mean to say that we blame others for how we behave, but instead seek to understand how we have become the person that we are.

In childhood, when feelings threaten to overwhelm us or feel too much to cope with, we develop coping strategies to protect ourselves. These defences, which were initially beneficial, can inhibit our functioning in adult life and stop us from developing our full potential. Throughout life, we develop ways of managing difficult situations and, if we have not learned how to express our feelings in a healthy way, they can be blocked off and may lead to physical symptoms.

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy is about developing a deeper self knowledge, as well as learning how to cope with painful feelings and experiences. It aims to help the person to identify when feelings are being blocked off, to recognise what those feelings are and to express them in a more healthy way.

Equally, it can help to identify unhelpful patterns of behaviour and self defeating ways of coping. It is a non-directive form of therapy which means that you are not told what to do or given advice. Instead, you will be encouraged to deal with things differently, practice this and make changes both in yourself and your life situation if this is appropriate. If you continually find yourself in destructive relationships or situations, for example, the therapist will encourage you to look into what this pattern of behaviour is about for you and gradually work to enable you to develop different types of experiences.

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