Vanessa Hedley

A very warm welcome to you.

I am currently available for face-to-face sessions.

I am a BACP accredited counsellor and psychotherapist with over a decade of experience.

My approach is humanistic, relational, embodied, and attachment -  and trauma - informed. It is rooted in my integrative training and a wide variety of other therapeutic influences, meditation, mindfulness practice, somatic movement, nature-based practices, IFS and Somatic Experiencing and ongoing professional development.

Elements of coaching and mentoring practice also inform my client work where appropriate.

Are you longing to connect more deeply with who you truly are, physically, emotionally, mentally (and if relevant to you, spiritually) and with what you need and want in order to shift towards increased wellbeing?

If you are in crisis, transition or having a challenging time generally; if you are longing to reconnect with your true purpose and your enjoyment of life; if you're experiencing repeating patterns of difficulty in your relationships; if you identify as 'highly sensitive' and struggle to sustain a sense of resilience; if you're feeling depressed, anxious, overwhelmed, angry or unable to see a way to move forward, my support could help.

It is my experience that when it's the right time to commit to giving ourselves the regular space and attention that therapy can offer, a sense of safety and resource is possible that can lead to profound shifts in our experience of ourselves, our relationships with others and to the wider world.

From a decade of psychotherapeutic practice and many years of therapeutic work prior to that, I am experienced in working in a creative, individual-focussed way to support you in shedding light on your relationships to each aspect of yourself, the people in your life and the wider world.

My perspective is informed by a deep understanding of trauma (shock -, developmental - , complex - ) and I have a specialist interest in working with early attachment issues; how they play out in our relationships in later life and also how they can be re-patterned within the therapeutic relationship to enable us to experience greater ease and enjoyment in all of our relationships in the here and now.

As well as offering support with anxiety, depression, low self-worth/confidence, loss of meaning/purpose, work-stress and relationship difficulties I have a lot of experience working with people who struggle with disordered eating and difficult relationships with food and their bodies, as well as with clients who suffer in relation to other forms of addiction.

I have been a mindfulness meditation and somatic movement and embodiment practitioner for over 20 years and this informs my client work.

As well as working with clients in indoor settings, I offer therapy in nature and run somatic movement groups in wild settings.

Respect and compassion for you and all you've been through to bring you to this point is core to my work.

You are very welcome to call me to get more of a sense of me and ask any questions you may have.


My Background

I was originally a community midwife and have experience of working in the charity sector supporting people with life-threatening / terminal illness. I also spent several years working with refugees and asylum seekers.

I work with clients suffering the effects of early attachment disorder, trauma, isolation, loneliness, addiction (I've worked as a counsellor in two drug and alcohol rehabs) fear, depression, anxiety and other mental health diagnoses, eating disorders, physical health problems and those who have spent much of their lives feeling generally overwhelmed, frightened or unsafe without ever really understanding why.

I have also worked as a bodywork therapist, and as a specialist mentor/coach for university students with a wide variety of needs and challenges.


How I Work

My way of working is tailored very specifically to each client's individual needs and is underpinned and inspired by:

• traditional person-centred and existential applied theory
• in-depth knowledge of attachment theory
• mindfulness
  
• family constellations
• neurobiology
• polyvagal theory
• somatic awareness and movement (indoors and on the land)
• other forms of creative self-expression
• ritual-making
• nature-based exploration

• insecure attachment
• childhood abuse
• addiction/substance misuse
• eating disorders and body-image
• relationship issues
• change and transition
• depression and/or anxiety
• birth-related trauma (relating to pre- peri- or post-natal period)
• parenting issues
• crisis of all kinds
• low self-worth
• health concerns
• suicidal feelings
• spiritual matters
• bereavement
• work- or study-stress
• loss of meaning
• trauma and many others.

£55 per session