Nicole Marais
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Welcome...... Searching for a psychotherapist, counsellor or life-coach can be a pretty overwhelming and sometimes scary experience. You may question many things such as; Who shall I choose? Who can help me? How do I take the first step?
I agree it can be a daunting task, even trigger off anxiety or stress, to call or email someone you don't know to talk about something so private that you may have indeed never shared with anyone else. So, I gently invite people to have a brief chat over the phone with me to see if it feels right for the person and that I can help them. Then if it does feel right - we arrange an initial session at no charge in which I take a few details and spend the rest of the session exploring what you want to explore - at your pace.
I am also frequently asked ‘How do I do therapy, counselling or coaching' what are the ‘rules’.
I usually respond with something like – “Whilst humanity is our ‘glue’, each person is an individual so how one person talks about an issue may be different to another, and it is those differences that make us who we are”. Some people are introvert, some extrovert and so on – so there is no one way to ‘do therapy, counselling or coaching’.
To help you make a decision as to whether to contact me - below are more details about me and the way I work.
I am a fully qualified psychotherapist, counsellor and life coach. I have worked with people for many years now. People I work with often feel that life is getting on top of them - they may be in a relationship that no longer feels the same or 'right'. They may be anxious, bereaved, depressed, highly stressed or suffering low self esteem, are highly self critical, feel lost and lonely, or caught up in an addictive cycle. They may be in a crisis or indeed something else which comes with the sometimes complex difficulties of ‘just’ being a person, which means they are not living the life they want - they have lost confidence, often feeling blocked, afraid, frustrated, - experiencing a range of issues in relation to themselves, others, their working lives and the world. They may be in a job they don’t like but don’t know what they want or how to get out of it. They may have experienced deep trauma. I can help with general life guidance through to depth psychotherapy.
You and Ways of Working........
Feelings, Thoughts, Behaviours, Choices - we connect our feelings with our thoughts and behave accordingly. Feelings are potent. They can lead to impulsive action. Self awareness can lead to more varied and wiser choices, a greater sense of personal fulfilment and wellbeing. Indeed, more businesses are learning that it is not just IQ but also EQ - emotional intelligence - self awareness, that helps people to build bridges with clients and flourish in the workplace. So, it is becoming more and more widely accepted for people to undertake personal development for both personal and professional reasons.
Together we can explore feelings, thoughts, behaviours and their connections to your choices - to become who you are meant to be and get the life you want.
As well as talking, I work with body awareness (body language), body symptoms (illnesses, unexplained pains), breath-work, creative visualisation, dreams, drawing, meditation and others. I listen to what the person is saying and to the silences. I honour the person's pace and work with them to find the ways which they find most helpful.
I also provide Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), as well as Havening and Hypnosis.
What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy commonly known as CBT can help you change how you think (‘Cognitive’) and what you do (‘Behaviour’). It looks in detail at your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, identifying the patterns and teaches you ways of dealing with and overcoming the problems with the aim of breaking negative cycles.
What is Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP)?
Neuro-linguistic Programming commonly known as NLP is a method of re-framing our thoughts and turning positive thinking into positive action. Neuro – your neurological (nervous) system, Linguistic – communication skills, Programming – to recode or re-programme your thinking to a more positive way of being.
What is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)?
Emotional Freedom Technique commonly known as EFT is an energy therapy which is used to rebalance the flow of energy that gets blocked in the system for emotional reasons. Emotional Freedom can be experienced through tapping on acupuncture points on the body whilst focusing on a statement of personal belief.
What is Havening?
Havening is a psychosensory & energy therapy which gently uses touch (either by the therapist or by the client) and simple statements to help release blockages with the purpose of releasing psychological, physiological and emotional blockages. To create a safe Haven within.
Hypnosis
Whilst in science there is a debate as to whether hypnosis truly exists or works – it is growing in popularity.
In a hypnosis therapy session – the person usually experiences a deep sense of relaxation with their attention narrowed down and focused on appropriate suggestions made by the therapist – which have been jointly agreed. The aim of the suggestions are to help people make positive changes within themselves and their lives. Hypnotism is ultimately about self empowerment. It would take an initial session to establish whether hypnotism is suitable or whether another approach is required. Further, sometimes hypnotism can be used in conjunction with other methods of therapy again, if a person wants understand themselves on a deeper level.
Training, qualifications & experience
Member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
Member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) - International Committee (IC)
Member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (MBACP)
Member of the British Association for Counselling &
Psychotherapy (MBACP) - Coaching Division
Master of Arts in Transpersonal Counselling & Psychotherapy 2007 Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education (CCPE) & De Montfort University
Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy 2006
(Degree Equivalent)(CCPE)
Certificate in Fundamentals of Counselling and Psychotherapy 2002
(CCPE)
As of 2024 I have been working in the field for over 20 years.
Diploma in Anatomy Physiology & Body Massage 1999
(International Therapy Examination Council (ITEC))
I undertake on-going regular Continuing Professional Development in accordance with the BACP and UKCP codes of ethics.
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.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
Career Change
Confusion
Dissociation
Distress
Fear
Life Crisis
Loneliness
Loss of Purpose
Mental Health
Redundancy
Spiritual Matters
Therapies offered
Fees
Free initial online session
Additional information
First session is free.
I work on-line and I operate a sliding scale for fees based on the individual's circumstances. They are payable at each session by bank transfer or monthly in advance. Please call for further details.
Fees are revised every two years.
Times
Individual sessions are 50 minutes and usually on a weekly basis, and occasionally twice weekly if required - usually at the same time and place. Couples sessions are 100 mins.
Payment for absences
Clinic days are Monday to Thursday. 7 days notice is needed for any date/time changes or cancellations. Otherwise the full fee will be charged. If I am contacted at late notice and I have diary availability within the same week then the fee will only be charged for the session used - the session cannot be transferred to another week.
Shorter term counselling can be mutually agreed for varying times, i.e. 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and so on. This can be renewed as often as required.
A minimum of 4 sessions notice is required before ending longer-term therapy.
For full details please see my website
www.nicolemarais.co.uk
When I work
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
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Mondays 12:30pm - 6pm
Tuesdays 9am - 8:30pm
Wednesdays 1pm - 6pm
Thursdays 9am - 7:30pm
Further information
I work integratively which means I use a fusion of therapies to enable a fuller picture of the person to unfold. The sessions work with the person and their way of being rather than fitting the person into a particular theory. So as well as talking, I work with body awareness (body language), body symptoms (illnesses, unexplained pains), breathwork, meditation, dreams, creative visualisation, drawing and others. I listen to what the person is saying and to the silences. I honour the person's pace and work with them to find the ways which they find most helpful.
I also provide Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as well as Hypnosis, and Emotional Freedom Technique.