Alison Walker
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hi, my name is Alison and as your therapist I am here to offer you a safe space where you can freely share your thoughts and feelings. I am a Humanistic counsellor and am registered and accredited with the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy). I believe that when life feels overwhelming, the opportunity to share and reflect upon your emotions in a supportive and caring setting can greatly benefit your mind, body and soul. My main approaches are Person Centred, Gestalt, Mindfulness and Psychotherapeutic Reiki. If you would like to get a feel of who I am, please read my blog articles at the end of this page.
I have a wealth of life experience which I feel has led me to the path I am currently on. My professional background was in management and throughout that time I was always drawn to the relationships between myself and my colleagues. I would credit that time as a part of my life where I learnt to respect the uniqueness of each individual; something I continue to recognise as vital when building a therapeutic relationship in my counselling practice. I work to the ethics of the BACP and will treat you with respect, openness and acceptance of who you are.
When I turned 40 years old, I began to realise there could be something more to me than management work. My two children were of an age where they were more independent and so I began to focus on myself and my future. I returned to a part of my life which had, for many reasons, fallen by the wayside. I found the time and space to open myself up to my spirituality and spent some years focusing on holistic healing practices and meditation. This reconnection was a very positive time in my life and I found a new sense of balance and peace. I learnt to trust in the process and accept the outcome as being right for me. This spiritual journey, along with my own positive experiences of personal counselling, led me to the realisation that my future lay in becoming a counsellor myself.
At Centred Counselling I will offer you a confidential service with time in a nurturing and safe space to explore who you are and how you can be the person you would like to become. You will be at the centre of each session and I will be there to walk alongside you with every step you take as I believe change can occur through a positive and caring relationship. I work with compassion and acceptance and, where necessary, will gently challenge you to help you discover your innate abilities and inner worth. Much of my practice involves open and honest two-way dialogue. However, when the need arises, I offer creative working to help you explore themes, thoughts and feelings in a different way.
I also offer clinical supervision and hold a Certificate in Creative Supervision, which is accredited by the British Psychodrama Association, a member organisation of the UKCP.
Training, qualifications & experience
My qualifications are listed below:
- BA (Hons) Counselling (Sunderland University)
- Diploma in Meditation Teaching
- Reiki and Seichem Master
- Certificate in Creative Supervision
- Diploma in Autism Awareness
I have undergone various training courses during the past 8 years including:
- Cultural Diversity
- Suicide Assist
- A Life Worth Living (Suicide Awareness)
- Self-Harm Awareness
- Creative Working
- Mental Health Awareness
- Creative Supervision
- Autism Awareness
My experience in therapeutic working is as follows:
- Samaritans - volunteer with Samaritans for 2 years
- Mental Health Matters - telephone support for 1 year
- Washington Mind - volunteer working with adults for 3 years and currently working with Young People as a counsellor and on a project to raise awareness and understanding of self-harm
- The Clearing - Counselling Associate for 3 years and 6 months working with adults on an individual and couples basis
- Mental Health Concern - telephone counselling and helpline/assessments for suitability of short-term work
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
I am qualified in Creative Supervision which is accredited by the British Psychodrama Association, a member organisation of the UKCP.
Therapies offered
Fees
£50.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
My fees are as follows:
- First session £25
- Individual session £50
- Couples session £70
Reduced rates are available as follows:
- Students £35
- Low income £35 (to be discussed at first session)
My fees for clinical supervision are as follows:
- £40 per 60 min session for qualified counsellors
- £70 per 90 min session for qualified counsellors
- £30 per session for student counsellors
When I work
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I have various availabilities so please contact me to see what works for both of us
Further information
How do I get started?
If you have read through my profile and would like to arrange an initial session, please call or email me and we will find a time that suits us both. In this initial session, we will talk about what you want from counselling but most importantly, it will give us the opportunity to meet each other. If you are happy to continue, we will set up our next session together; sessions can be held either weekly or fortnightly, whichever works for you.
If you would like to meet with me to discuss your clinical supervision needs, please call or email me and we will find a time that suits us both.
