Sylvia Young

Since 2003 I have been counselling in diverse settings such as hospice care, schools, colleges, charities working with abuse and trauma, and in the Mental Health Services working in collaboration with the NHS and the British Army, as well as private practice.

I believe that when life confronts us with emotional pain and difficulties it is important that we don’t have to carry these burdens or struggle on our own.

A trusting relationship with the therapist or counsellor is key to receiving effective help. I therefore seek to provide a safe, compassionate, non-judgmental and supportive space in which hope can grow and we can explore positive ways forward.

It can be daunting to consider reaching out for help, especially when we have managed on our own for – what seems like – forever. Perhaps we think, or are told, that we should be able sort ourselves out, but that’s a lot easier said than done.

Sometimes a crisis makes us realise our old ways of coping no longer work. Increased pressures may have reached the point where we know that something has to give. Maybe we can’t even put a finger on it – but we know something is definitely wrong. Perhaps we find that things we’ve always accepted as normal are having an intolerable impact on us; preventing us from living life fully, colouring it with shades of grey, swallowing up our energy, creating barriers to enjoying our close relationships or not allowing us to thrive at work or in education. Or maybe we end up in the same sorts of unfulfilling relationships that leave us depleted, lacking in self-worth and lonely.

If we’re at such a point in life it can make a real difference for someone, who is not otherwise closely connected, to come alongside us. Someone who creates room for the thoughts and feelings we’ve often kept hidden from others, and even sometimes ourselves. Someone who is supportive, sensitive, open, accepting and will bear with us, helping us to make sense of things, gain a different perspective, find new ways forward and, eventually, come to terms with the changes we have to face.

The Way I Work

As an Integrative Psychotherapist and Counsellor I draw from a range of approaches, tailoring them to suit your individual needs. You set the pace and direction as we work collaboratively towards your goals.

I am able to work both long and short term and with a more solution-focused outlook.

My person centered approach prioritizes your concerns and needs while I put other theories such as psychodynamic thought and Transactional Analysis (TA) at your disposal. Where appropriate, I include working with creative means associated with Gestalt Therapy and I use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness interventions where helpful.

I also use CRM (The Comprehensive Resource Model) which integrates a range of approaches including Internal Family System Therapy (IFS) based thinking and  is a particularly effective and safe method for working with trauma, both for more recent one-off events as well as long-term, historical relational trauma sometimes experienced in childhood or long-term relationships that may have occurred in an almost un-noticed, accumulative manner, often over many years, leaving behind invisible injuries to self-worth, anxiety disorders and sometimes addictions. (For more information please go to www.comprehensiveresourcemodel.com or find Lisa Schwarz commentaries on Youtube.

As an Integrative Psychotherapist and Counsellor I believe that we are – for better or worse – shaped by relationships. In order to preserve our essential connections to those closest to us, we sometimes make adjustments to our personality to preserve those close bonds. This can eventually lead to us feeling as if we’ve lost a sense of who we are or have become disconnected from important aspects of ourselves, or unsure of what we want or how to get it.

In Integrative Psychotherapy and Counselling we seek to connect again with those lost parts of ourselves so that once more our life energy can flow unhindered and we can live a richer fuller life in relationships with ourselves and others.

I have particular expertise in working with anxiety related problems, including psychosomatic disorders, depression, grief and loss, life changing illness, and historical childhood trauma and abuse and the related symptoms to Complex Trauma as experienced in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD.

I offer an initial half hour session which is free so that we can both get a feeling whether we would like to work together (please note that this does not apply to EAP or insurance work). Subsequent sessions are charged at £60 per 60 minute session. I have a limited number of spaces at concessionary rates which are negotiated individually depending on a client's circumstances and needs.

CRM (Comprehensive Resource Model) sessions often require 90 minutes appointments and are charged at £95.

Private practice online and/or in person hours:

Monday: afternoon and early evening

Tuesday: all day

Wednesday: all day

Thursday: mornings and early afternoon