Sue Starnes
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am on leave from April 8th 2024 returning on Monday April 29th. Any messages left during that time will be dealt with on my return.
I have been working from my home in a peaceful rural setting near Blackboys since I qualified in 2008. I gained my accreditation with BACP in 2012.
I offer a free introductory half hour session. This is an opportunity for you to ask me any questions you may have, maybe tell me a little of what's going on for you, and begin to get a sense of who I am, how I work, and whether you feel comfortable with me.
I have experience of working with many different issues including:
- depression
- anxiety
- sexual abuse including childhood sexual abuse
- trauma
- self esteem
- bereavement
- general counselling
- relationship issues
At your introductory session we can also talk about frequency and cost of sessions. I usually suggest that we meet weekly, at least at the beginning - we would talk about how the work is going at regular intervals throughout our time together, and you can decide to finish whenever you feel ready.
At the end of the introductory session you can either make an appointment for a first counselling session or you can go away and think about it.
There is plenty of free parking at my home.
You can find more information about me and the way I work on my website.
The photo of me is an old one - I now have longer hair and more wrinkles!
Training, qualifications & experience
Professional qualifications:
BACP Counsellor/Psychotherapist Accreditation
Foundation Degree in Person-Centred Counselling
Advanced Award in Intermediate Counselling Skills
Introduction to Counselling
Diploma in Individual and Group Supervision
Continuing professional development - some of the workshops I have attended since qualifying:
- Self-harm and its meanings
- Working with survivors of sexual violence
- Working with trauma
- Sandtray work
- Garry Prouty's Pre-therapy
- Dreams workshop
- Creative Art Therapy
- Mental Health First Aid
- Ethical dilemmas in supervision
- LGBT workshop
- MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy)
- Working with Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
- Transgender awareness training day
- Working with Trauma: The Role of the Supervisor
Relevant work experience:
2007 - 2011: Bereavement counsellor, St Peter & St James Hospice, Chailey
2007 - 2008: School counsellor, Eastbourne
2008 - present: Private practice
2010 - 2017: Counselling Coordinator, Sussex Community Counselling, Newhaven
2011 - 2012: Counsellor at Chapel Street Surgery, Newhaven
Member organisations
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Free initial in-person or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Initial session:
No charge (30 minutes)
Subsequent sessions:
Individual counselling: £60 per session (50 minutes)
Supervision:
£60 per hour
£85 per hour and a half (to provide BACP minimum monthly requirements)
Group rates for supervision on request
I offer reduced fees, both counselling and supervision, for counsellors in training - contact me to find out more
When I work
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Daytime and evening appointments available
Further information
Until December 2017 I worked as Counselling Coordinator for Sussex Community Counselling which offered low-cost short-term counselling to people in the Newhaven, Lewes and Hailsham areas (www.sussexcommunity.org.uk). As part of this role I supervised the counsellors working in the specialised areas of the service which offer counselling and support to people who have been sexually abused, and to people affected by suicide. I also provided face to face assessment sessions for everyone referred into the service.
In my previous life (before training as a counsellor/psychotherapist) I worked as a zoo keeper, a medical receptionist and a full-time housewife.
