About me
I am an experienced therapist and have spent my last 27 years working with people in need of emotional help and support. I am currently working online for you to talk about your presenting issues from the comfort of your own space.
If you are struggling with uncertainty or anxiety, you are not alone. My approach as a Feminist and Existential Therapist enables me to assist you in navigating your life's ups and downs for overcoming any challenges you may face, such as unconscious bias towards you or your loved ones or feelings of isolation and exclusion because you are different.
We live in a more volatile circumstances than ever before, and we all need a solid and consistent support and solidarity to overcome those challenges - therapy is a form of platform to take issues at hart and make sense of them proactively and with an intentional approach. I have extensive knowledge and considerable experience working in Mental Health within the NHS - Voluntary Sector and Privately. I have been working under the BACP guidelines with regular supervision and I adhere to their code of ethics which means I offer my clients a high standard of care at all times.
The issues I have worked with, may present themselves in the form of:
- depression
- Identity
- anxiety
- uncertainty
- bereavement
- anger
- You might be experiencing relationship issues with your loved ones, work relationships from distant working or any form of discrimination because you are a woman or trans or non-binary, or you are part of an ethnic minority community.
I work with utmost care, which means you are fully in control of your sessions and your therapy is self-directed to work on your issues and the meanings that you attach to them. As I work with a Humanistic model, in particular Existential and Feminist Therapy, I focus on self-development, growth and responsibilities. I seek to help individuals recognize their strengths, creativity and choices in the 'here and now' and I facilitate your therapeutic process with utmost care and professionalism.
My therapy is politically informed model that observes human experience within the framework of societal and cultural realities and through the dynamics of power informing those realities of race, gender, identity and most importantly as a Feminist therapist I attempt to make the marginalised viewpoint central. I believe that modern-day therapy and theory which often addresses the concerns of people of colour, people with special needs; lesbians, gay, trans, immigrants; refugees; and intersectionality, are essential and should be pivotal to the therapeutic change to attain a better mental health, not only for just self but as a community, collective care can be a drive for a happier culture. I work with the below techniques in particular.
Humanistic Therapy (Person Centred and Existential)
Humanistic Therapies focus on self-development, growth, and responsibilities. I help individuals recognize their own strengths, creativity, and choices in the ‘here and now’. Within the person-centred framework, every individual has vast resources within themselves to grow and become the person they want to become for creating a better world around them. The Person Centred Therapy recognizes the deeper core self to be encouraged for self-actualisation, so you become a proactive and creative person in your community, whereas Existential Therapy gives you a chance to explore a particular situation to clarify your meanings, values and your priorities in your life for a positive and empowering change with the sense of freedom and choice that you have within yourself.
CBT
I also work with Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) techniques, where we examine the role of your thoughts (cognitions) on your emotions and behaviour. In becoming more aware of your thinking patterns, we can begin to make sense of which are more and less helpful and start to replace the less helpful ones with thoughts that are empowering and move you forward towards positive change for yourself and in your community. The end result is, helping you overcome a particular issue or issues which you may be experiencing like, Identity questions, phobia, addiction, insomnia or in particular judgement from others just because you are from one of the minority groups such as trans, none-binary or a woman who feels trapped in an abusive relationship who would like to find a way out.
Feminist Therapy
In addition to conventional therapy and making sense of what it all means, as a feminist therapist, I may employ tools and techniques such as role-playing and assertiveness explorations to help clients build their identity and self-esteem to the point that they feel they can make a difference by being empowered to help themselves and others. A core aspect of feminist therapy is power analysis, which examines how differences in power and privilege between none-binary identities or various social or demographic groups can affect feelings of self-worth, mental health symptoms, routine behaviours, and life choices. Together, we will unravel what role the dynamics of how you identify yourself and how it plays in your relationships including work, relationships towards making sense of who you are and how you feel so that you are in control of what is going on and what is coming up for you on a day-to-day basis.
Internal Family Systems Therapy – (IFS)
This model has always been close to my heart, and I am happy to work with the techniques to help you, as this is all about connectedness – internal connectivity helps you to stay in touch and hold them dear to your heart so you can stay in tune with self and with your loved ones
Couples
If you have a problem or are experiencing difficulties in your relationship, and you feel ready to start counselling, we can as you do not need to wait for your partner to get to a place of readiness to start the therapy. Waiting can delay the 'here and now matters', and sometimes it might become too late to benefit from therapy to repair your relationship or find a way forward. Sometimes individuals are at a different stage in their emotional places. I will provide you a neutral space where feelings may be openly expressed and heard, and a safe place to find out what your problems are to better understand so you can make a decision.
Supervision
I offer clinical supervision to Counsellors, trainee Counsellors and other Practitioners working in the helping profession. I am available via ZOOM and Microsoft TEAM, etc. I work with a collaborative approach to strengthen your skills and help you to reinforce who you are. My approach as a feminist therapist can meet your requirements in our cultural and political climate to meet your client's needs. Client is always at the heart of our work in supervision. Please check the supervision page on my website:
https://hattieocal.co.uk/
Training, qualifications & experience
I have co-initiated and co-run a BACP Nationwide Counsellors Networking Group for three years
Post Graduate Training in Person Centred and Existential Counselling.
Trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Trained in Group Therapy
Post Graduate Training (MA) in Mental Health
Experienced in running an Anxiety Management Workshop.
Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling Supervision.
Set up and run therapeutic group workshop in 1997.
Extensive work experience in the NHS.
I have worked for number of EAP providers such as, AXA -PPP, Care First, Workplace Options and Health Assured for number of years before in the past.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
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.
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Mental Health issues in general
Insomnia
Social fear
Complex personal and social issues in general.
Cultural and identity issues.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£65.00 - £80.00
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
Individual: £65 - £80
Couple: £75 - £90
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When we meet for the first time, it is important that you feel relaxed and are able to express and explore what brings you to the counselling room.
My sessions are for 50 minutes and at the end of the session, we will discuss how you have found the initial meeting. There is no obligation to book further sessions - you are free to go away to reflect on the first session and let me know if you would like to book further sessions.
When I work
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I work Monday to Sunday from 8am to 4pm - I arrange sessions day/times based on individual circumstances.
Further information
Please note that the day/ time of appointments are on different rate and can be negotiated when you contact me.
