Bay Whitaker
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
I co-founded a successful private group practice in 2008, Sheffield Central Counselling. I love this job because I am genuinely interested in my clients' experiences, and I know that counselling can transform people's lives. It has been my privilege to be a small part of that process for hundreds of clients in Sheffield. My aim is to open the door to change for my clients, perhaps by helping them find a new perspective on their issues, perhaps by just listening, perhaps by offering a little bit of theory.
One of my specialisms is working with clients who have alternative sexualities, especially BDSM. I am a kink-knowledgeable counsellor and work in a non-pathologising way with varieties of sexual and gender difference.
In addition I am experienced in work with trauma and abuse, depression and relationship difficulties. Over the years, I've worked with most life problems, from work-related stress, mid-life crisis, infidelity, empty-nest syndrome to simple boredom and anger issues.
Here is what some of my recent clients have said about our work together:
'My goal for therapy was to feel safe being with myself again and I achieved that, which seemed impossible not that long ago. These sessions made me realize that I was carrying too many things that were not useful to me anymore. I couldn't have hoped for a better outcome when I accessed counselling and I know I will be eternally grateful.'
‘I sought counselling because my interest in kink had led me into real danger. I found that part of me an alien threat. Together Bay and I didn’t just eliminate a threat- we turned that part of me into an asset I now embrace. Our work also supported me successfully through one of the major battles of my life in my employment. I am very pleased with the work we did and it has helped me to enrich my life and my relationships.’
Training, qualifications & experience
Cert HE Counselling Skills, Dip HE Counselling, Sheffield Hallam University
MA Philosophy, BA (Hons) English Literature and Philosophy, Sheffield University
Certificate in Introduction to CBT, Manchester Centre for CBT
Certificate in Supervision, Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy
Participant in Advanced Clinical Discussion Group on Kink Issues in Therapy, Pink Therapy
In previous years I have worked as a befriender and advisor for Mental Health Charities and Trades Unions. My interest in philosophy informs my approach, which is integrative and humanistic, and I draw on both the analytic and existentialist philosophers to offer fresh perspectives to clients.
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
BDSM (more commonly known as S&M). I have experience and expertise in this area and offer sensitive counselling to those who wish to work with a BDSM-aware therapist. I take a non-pathologising view of BDSM, that is, I don't see it as any sort of emotional or developmental disorder. To find out more on this topic, you can read my article 'BDSM: a new sexual orientation?' on this website.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£50.00 - £60.00
Additional information
Standard fee = £50 per 50 minute session for individuals
When I work
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I have availability Tuesday to Friday (on Fridays I only work by video call)
Further information
Discreet premises near the centre of Sheffield, evening appointments available.
