Mova Wigmore

I have been a qualified counsellor for over 25 years, working with couples, individuals, children and adolescents.

I initially trained in Marital and Couples Counselling with the charity Relate and have since undertaken additional training in numerous areas including treating anxiety and depression; children and adolescents; cognitive behavioural therapy;

As a testament to the success of my counselling relationships, I am proud that many of my clients come to me as referrals or by word-of-mouth.

How I work:

Sessions take place in my private counselling room in my house in Ascot or by video link. I can offer appointments (usually within one week) during the day.

Typically my counselling relationships last between 6-12 sessions. However, sometimes one or two sessions is enough to create the shift that clients are looking for. And occasionally my clients stay with me for long-term therapy. Every relationship varies depending on the needs of the individual or couple.

My sessions last for 50 minutes. In our first meeting, I will help you to identify and articulate the issues that are causing you concern. Throughout our relationship I will draw on the range of skills and tools that I have acquired over my 20+ years of experience, tailoring my approach to your needs.

My experience and training tells me that difficulties can be resolved. Clients come to me with a range of issues; most will have tried to work things out for themselves and may have feelings of hopelessness about making changes for the better.

Approach and Impact:

Approachable and down to earth, I will work with you to understand more fully the root cause of your problems or challenges. Through developing your self-awareness and ability to self-reflect we will explore your thoughts and feelings and learn new ways of talking about them. In doing so, we will bring about change in your relationships or circumstances.

Greater self-awareness and understanding will help you to uncover new ways expressing yourself. We all yearn for connection, I will help you to communicate well making it much more possible to have better relationships.

Many of my client's lives and relationships are transformed through counselling. For others, I will bring help to solve a specific problem, allowing them to move forward with greater confidence and less anxiety.

WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

While many of us can seek support from friends and family, it’s not always possible. Even as adults, it can be scary to ask for help, especially for our own mental health. So, consider how daunting it can be for a child. A child experiencing a mental health problem, or experiencing something they don’t understand; how can they possibly know where to turn?


If their behaviour has changed, consider what’s happening in their life - is there anything that may have triggered their distress? Situations like moving house, divorce, bullying and bereavement can affect a child greatly, and stress can build when they don’t know how to cope. Try talking to them by asking questions, and show your support. Even if they’re not ready to talk, ensure they know you’re there for them.

If you’re worried about your child and things seem to be affecting their health, it may be time to consider further help.

How is child counselling different?
Counselling gives the child the opportunity to talk about how they feel without the fear of judgement. Speaking to a counsellor, away from their home and school life, can take away some of the pressure. Counselling offers a safe environment for children to express their feelings and understand what may have caused them to feel this way.

The methods used in sessions will depend on the child’s age, situation and their development. There are a number of methods that may be used to encourage children to express their feelings better, such as through play and art. Reading stories and talking about the feelings of a specific character can help them understand the emotion and, in turn, encourage them to discuss their own feelings, while drawing, painting or drama can help the child express themselves better.

Older children may prefer talking therapy, or a mixture of both. This is down to the child and the counsellor, we will discuss the situation together to learn what method will be most beneficial. Although different methods may be used for child counselling, the aim of counselling for both children and adults is the same; to help the individual cope better with their feelings and to enjoy life again.

Benefits of child counselling
A few examples of how counselling can help children include; coping with everyday worries, such as exam stress, and relationship issues with friends, family members and teachers. Counselling can also help with self-harm concerns, grief, depression and anxiety, and learning difficulties, to name a few.

Really, if something is making your child unhappy, however small you or they feel it is, it’s important. Know that help is available - counselling allows your child to talk to someone about what’s on their mind safely and confidently, without fear of judgement.

There is no right or wrong reason to why someone may consider counselling. Sometimes it’s just good to talk to someone objective, other times more guidance may be needed. Common child-related issues that can be managed with the support of a counsellor include:

bullying
learning difficulties
behavioural problems
depression and anxiety
bereavement/loss
attachment disorder
separation anxiety

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

"Mova came into my life highly recommended by a friend, at a time when I was completely overwhelmed with feelings of absolute hopelessness.  Mova’s encouragement, kind words, straight talking, teaching and tireless support was without a doubt, the VERY BEST investment in myself that I could ever have made.

Since being on my journey of self-discovery, with Mova by my side, I have grown from strength to strength and I just keep growing!

I don't think I will ever be able to thank Mova enough".

“From the word go, via my initial email to her, Mova just ‘got’ me.  She gave me the words, space and guidance to recover from a betrayal that I didn’t think I could recover from, and helped guide my husband and I onto the road to repairing our marriage.  I’d highly recommend both Mova and counselling to anyone that believes their relationship is worth fighting for.”


"I sought help from Mova a couple of years ago when I was in a very low state in my personal and professional life. With Mova's gentle guidance I managed to make sense of my situation. Week after week Mova guided me empathetically to find my own solutions and to focus on the positives in my life.
Today I feel strong and ready to embrace my life and this is thanks to Mova's invaluable help."

"New to counselling, I was sceptical on if it would work for me but had reached a point in my life where I knew I needed external support. Mova came highly recommended by a previous client. I found Mova incredibly easy to talk to and she helped me to discuss and open up to find the root cause to some issues. By gaining an awareness of my patterns of thought and behaviour, as well as the reasons for it, I was able to consciously analyse them and remove those which were no longer relevant or serving good purpose in my life. I felt an enormous growth and change in me within a relatively short period of time and increased confidence. I noticed changes within 2 sessions. I highly recommend Mova for anyone seeking a great counsellor".

"Mova has been so supportive to my daughter and has encouraged her to look at situations in a new way and gave her coping strategies, to assist her in dealing with very unpleasant situations at school.  My daughter's life has been changed so much for the better, as she can now cope and feels confident in her actions.  My daughters self esteem has grown and she is so much happier in herself.  I am so thankful to have met Mova as she is a wonderful therapist who really knows her stuff.  Mova put everything back into perspective for the both of us, as being the Mother, I was too emotionally involved.  I would highly recommend Mova to anyone who has a child who needs help, as she has given me back an even better and stronger version of my daughter who is now loving life to the max."

“I just wanted to write a quick email to really thank you for everything the counselling you have provided has brought me… Your sessions have changed my life and the way I perceive things. You really did help me get through the darkest period of my life and I will forever be grateful for that. Just having someone to sit there, listen and most importantly help me understand everything definitely has changed the way I think. Of course I still go through my ups and downs but I feel more positive about everything now and I know that if I go back to feeling low I can always go back and see you to clear my head.”

“I just wanted to write you a quick note to say thank you for our last session which was a real ‘eye- Opener’ for me. After reflecting on our discussions, I can really see how the loss of my mother and the ‘wounds’ I carry inside because of it indeed launches this huge tidal wave of pain when I now am confronted with difficulties. Since Saturday I have already had two incidents with this whole divorce hell where I felt the familiar reaction of overwhelming pain and worthlessness creeping up and I did manage to stop myself getting into this awful state by focusing on the actual matter and taking
actions to deal with it immediately rather than seeing myself as a victim and powerless of changing the life around me.”

"From the minute we met with Mova we both felt relaxed, even my husband who was not sure how this was all going to work. Mova really listened to us and just gets it, life, family, relationships and talked to us like real people. Not like a typical counsellor and made us feel this is normal. We did work things out which feels great again and we know her door is always open, cannot thank Mova enough."

“Just wanted to thank you for all your help and support over the last few months. I’m not being complacent or thinking that I’m totally out of the woods but I’ve definitely made huge progress.”

"Mova is a wonderful mix of compassion, insightfulness, wisdom, warmth, and very importantly, well-judged humour! She had the ability to understand and clarify our seemingly complicated personal issues and worked with us to steadily unravel many layers of confusion and sadness, resulting in deeper mutual understanding and a hope for the future through clearly defined and agreed life goals. She never judges - she just understands and her calm, yet dedicated approach to us meant that we could relax and talk, knowing that her expert guidance and support would move us in the right direction."

"My 13 year old son had been suffering from anxiety for 2-3 years before I brought him to see Mova. He had been through the traditional CAHMS programme to no avail. All I can say is that his treatment with Mova was transformational. I saw an anxious child with low self-esteem blossom into a more assured, happier and relaxed boy within a matter of a few weeks. When I have asked him what made the difference, he told me that Mova just understood him and enabled him to face his fears and address them, rather than hiding them away and (unsuccessfully) trying to forget them. Mova was always calm and kind with my son, but also gave him the courage to think and feel differently about his fears and himself, with amazing results."

I work in the evenings and a Friday and Saturday through the day in a private room in my home. I have parking and am usually able to offer an appointment within one week. I offer online face-to-face counselling via Skype for those who find travel prohibitive.

£75 per session

TESTIMONIALS

" From the minute we met with Mova we both felt relaxed, even my husband who was not sure how this was all going to work. Mova really listened to us and just gets it, life, family, relationships and talked to us like real people not like a typical counsellor and made us feel this is normal, we did work things out which feels great again and we know her door is always open, cannot thank Mova enough."

Hi Mova,

We saw Mova as a couple for around 8 sessions & always found her to be so easy to talk to, very impartial & full of helpful & practical advice that translated to our daily life. We both felt she was very insightful & somehow seemed to just 'get us' without the need on our part to go into in-depth explanations. We would recommend Mova without hesitation for someone looking for a welcoming, practical & straight-talking counsellor.

Many thanks again for all you did for us,

“From the word go, via my initial email to her, Mova just ‘got’ me.  She gave me the words, space and guidance to recover from a betrayal that I didn’t think I could recover from, and helped guide my husband and I onto the road to repairing our marriage.  I’d highly recommend both Mova and counselling to anyone that believes their relationship is worth fighting for.”

Hi Mova,

Just wanted to thank you for all your help and support over the last few months.

I’m not being complacent or thinking that I’m totally out of the woods but I’ve definitely made huge progress.

Your advice re. my “date” on Friday night was perfect. We already have the next two “dates” in the diary.

Thank you again and regards

E

New to counselling, I was sceptical on if it would work for me but had reached a point in my life where I knew I needed external support. Mova came highly recommended by a previous client. I found Mova incredibly easy to talk to and she helped me to discuss and open up to find the root cause to some issues. By gaining an awareness of my patterns of thought and behaviour, as well as the reasons for it, I was able to consciously analyse them and remove those which were no longer relevant or serving good purpose in my life. I felt an enormous growth and change in me within a relatively short period of time and increased confidence. I noticed changes within 2 sessions. I highly recommend Mova for anyone seeking a great counsellor.

Hi Mova,

I just wanted to write a quick email to really thank you for everything the counselling you have provided has brought me. I have been meaning to write a card but have forgotten every time and if I don't write an email I will never get round to saying my thanks!

Your sessions really have changed my life and the way I perceive things. You really did help me get through the darkest period of my life and I will forever be grateful for that. Just having someone to sit there, listen and most importantly help my understand everything definitely has changed the way I think.

Of course I still go through my ups and downs but I feel more positive about everything now and I know that if I go back to feeling low I can always go back and see you to clear my head (if you'll have me!!)

Thank you so much again,

MOVA WIGMORE
I sought help from Mova a couple of years ago when I was in a very low state in my personal and professional life. With Mova's gentle guidance I managed to make sense of my situation. Week after week Mova guided me empathetically to find my own solutions and to focus on the positives in my life.

Today I feel strong and ready to embrace my life and this is thanks to Mova's invaluable help.

Dear Mova,

I just wanted to write you a quick note to say thank you for our last session which was a real "eye-opener" for me.

After reflecting our discussions can really see how the loss of my mother and the "wounds" I carry inside because of it indeed launches this huge tidal wave of pain when I now am confronted with difficulties. Since Saturday have already had two incidents with this whole divorce hell where I felt the familiar reaction of overwhelming pain and worthlessness creeping up and I did manage to stop myself getting into this awful state by focusing on the actual matter and taking actions to deal with it immediately rather than seeing myself as a victim and powerless of changing the life around me.

So thank you again.

Kind regards,

"Mova has been so supportive to my daughter and has encouraged her to look at situations in a new way and gave her coping strategies, to assist her in dealing with very unpleasant situations at school.  My daughter's life has been changed so much for the better, as she can now cope and feels confident in her actions.  My daughters self esteem has grown and she is so much happier in herself.  I am so thankful to have met Mova as she is a wonderful therapist who really knows her stuff.  Mova put everything back into perspective for the both of us, as being the Mother, I was too emotionally involved.  I would highly recommend Mova to anyone who has a child who needs help, as she has given me back an even better and stronger version of my daughter who is now loving life to the max."