Gill Sweeting, psychotherapist with psychosexual specialism
About me
Even before we arrived in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic, you may have been struggling with past or current experiences that are difficult to deal with. Or you may have been coping before, but now have been tipped over the edge. Here's my pledge to you in these uncertain times: as long as I stay well myself, I am here to support you.
I have an established private practice at my home in Buxton, where I have worked with many grateful clients with complex issues and challenges. While I am not able to welcome clients and supervisees into my home in person, I am continuing to offer services of equally high quality using telephone and video-link appointments. My consulting room now resembles a television studio!
Through these difficult times, I will work with you so that you can safely explore your issues from the comfort of your own home. I will listen to you, understand you, and be there for you while you develop your own solutions. For more deep-seated issues, I will help you to discover the source of your problems, and support you through the choices and changes that you can make to heal old hurts and live a more fulfilled life.
I offer counselling/psychotherapy for many issues, including sexual ones, and clinical supervision to other counsellors and psychotherapists. Please click through to my own website for a lot more details of how I work. Whether or not you decide that I am the right person to help you, I wish you well.
And remember: if you need emotional support, I'm here for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
Honours degree in psychology from University of Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Diploma in integrative psychotherapeutic practice from Elan Training.
Professional Graduate Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector from the University of Derby.
Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Supervision from York St John University.
Diploma in Integrative Psychosexual Therapy from the Centre for Psychosexual Health (and also have been part of the teaching faculty for this course).
BACP Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist.
Established private practice in Buxton.
Previous experience includes:
Lecturer in Counselling at University of Derby.
Lead Counsellor at Blythe House Hospice in Derbyshire.
Counsellor at St. Luke's Hospice in Sheffield, North Derbyshire Alcohol Advice Service and Women's Aid.
Member organisations
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.
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
BACP is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Therapists registered with the Association fall into a number of different membership categories such as Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP and Registered Member MBACP (Accred), each standing for different levels of training and experience. MBACP (Accred) and MBACP (Snr Accred) members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association.
Registered members can be found on the BACP Register, which was the first register to achieve Accredited Voluntary Register status issued by the Professional Standards Authority. Individual Members will have completed an appropriate counselling and/or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but will not appear on the BACP Register until they've progressed to Registered Member MBACP status.
All members are bound by a Code of Ethics & Practice and a Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership
Accredited Register Scheme
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
In addition to many years of experience working with a wide range of issues, I have recently trained in psychosexual therapy (also known as sex therapy). This means I am knowledgeable, able and comfortable to work with your issues to do with sex and also with the effects of other issues (such as childhood abuse, cancer treatment, relationship, self-esteem, suppressed sexual identity) on your sex life.
Other areas of experience include working with:
- Coping with the effects of cancer (and treatment) and other life threatening illness: patient and family.
- Life transitions, e.g. becoming a parent, relocation, divorce, separation, redundancy, retirement.
- Unbearable loss, e.g. complicated bereavement from suicide, loss of a child, anticipatory grief.
- Destructive behaviour patterns, e.g. sexual compulsivity, anger issues, alcohol issues.
- Lack of purpose in life, e.g. exploring meaning, reviewing career choices.
- Losing touch with a sense of self, exploring identity - don't know who you are any more?
- Unexplained physical ailments - "it's all in the mind" - what does that mean?
Therapies offered
Fees
I charge £45 for a 1 hour session. This is recommended for individuals.
I charge £60 for a 1.5 hour session. This is recommended for couples and supervisees.
Volunteer counsellors who are not reimbursed for their supervision costs are offered a discount for supervision.
Further information
I have personal experience of clinical depression, which I have put behind me since I had psychotherapy, and I enjoy helping others to move past this terrible experience.
Whether I am working with you individually or as a couple, you can be assured that I will not judge or criticise you and I will respect your culture and background. I will also help you to take a creative approach to overcoming your difficulties. You might be married, in a civil partnership, or neither of these. You might be straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, or questioning your sexual identity. You might be young, middle-aged or older. You might be male, female, non-binary, or questioning your gender identity. You might be cisgender, transgender or genderqueer. Whoever you are and whatever the issues you bring, psychotherapy with me will provide a safe and supportive environment in which to make the decisions and changes you need to feel better about your life and the way you live it.
