Sally Hastings BA (Couns), Dip Sup, MBACP (Accred)

About me

Hello,is life getting you down?  I am an experienced general counselor but also  specialise in relationship and couple counselling, having worked for many years as a Relate relationship therapist with psychosexual training. When the pace of life is hectic I  offer a tranquil  space where couples can come , find time for one another, and explore their difficulties. Individuals can  find a caring space to step aside for an hour and start to get to the heart of what is troubling them. I sometimes think we are often our harshest critics, full of self blame, even if we do put on a pretty good mask infront of other people! Let me help you take off that mask and feel good about the person you truly are, underneath it all.

Couples counselling can help  couples communicate with each other and understand how each other feels. The sexual relationship often reflects what is happening in the rest of the relationship. Sexual difficulties are frequently the most difficult to talk about and create a painful but pretty impenetrable barrier .Some of them are surprisingly easy to resolve when talked about in a neutral but  caring and  constructive environment.

The pace of life, pressures of work and family life all bring their own challenges.

As  general counsellor I can help  you find ways of managing stress,anxiety,generalised anxiety disorder, OCD, post traumatic stress disorder,  panic attacks and depression.  I can also help you trace the root of your low self esteem and negative self belief,  often caused by past trauma, abuse or bullying and encourage you to find a positive self belief and ways of being more assertive. Sometimes CBT or EMDR assists with this , and I can offer both.

Life is all about change, but some changes are harder to cope with than others. The loss of a loved one through death or possibly dementia;the break up of a relationship or the loss of a job can bring heart ache, grief , sadness and depression. I am a trained bereavement counsellor and can journey with you as you find your way through to a new life path. I have a particular interest in working with Carers.

I have  worked  in a hospice and can walk beside people who are facing end of life issues. Having been a Carer myself of someone suffering from a chronic terminal illness I have a particular interest in supporting Carers through an often hard and lonely journey in a landscape which is entirely new, and where there are no sign posts.

I am a qualified counselling supervisor. I am a retired lecturer in counselling at a College of Technology, having taught the diploma course. I have also worked as a Secondary School counsellor and a bereavement counsellor.  I work integratively, integrating Person Centred, Psychodynamic and CBT approaches. I am an accredited member of BACP and work to their ethical framework.

I have EMDR practitioner skills.