About me
My private counselling practice, based in Saffron Walden, Essex, is here to help individuals facing difficulties around loss (in all its forms), depression, anxiety and dysfunctional behaviour. These are things that many of us experience at some stage, often affecting our physical and mental health – and ultimately the quality of our lives.
And that’s where I believe counselling makes a positive difference. It can enable people to find a better quality of life for themselves.
Helpful counselling depends to a large extent on the relationship between counsellor and client, so it’s important to find the right counsellor for you. Easier said than done perhaps! There are many different approaches – each with benefits and limitations – so it’s worthwhile considering which works for you.
To keep it simple, I describe my approach as Person Centred and I occaisionally use Cognitive Behavioural techniques where appropriate for the client. My approach may appeal more to those looking for ways to understand and manage their current levels of distress or anxiety rather than explore the historical or unconscious causes.
Training, qualifications & experience
My introduction to talking therapies goes back to 1987, when I attended a counselling summer school at York University led by Professor Gerard Egan (author of ‘The Skilled Helper’). I was employed and sponsored at the time by British Telcom, who recognised the business benefit of providing work-place counselling – especially during times of considerable change and upheaval.
Much of my work has been with leaders, managers and employees, who for one reason or another, were experiencing high levels of stress, distress or anxiety at work. This invariably affected not only their performance, but also the overall quality of their life. For many, I believe counselling was a key factor in them taking back control of their lives and rediscovering that quality.
Between 2002 and 2015, I worked as a Cruse bereavement counsellor. I hold an MSc in Counselling from Bristol University and am an accredited Neuro Linguistic Programming practitioner (NLP). I am a Registered Member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
I meet in person with clients at from my consulting room in Saffron Walden or online over the ZOOM platform.
Member organisations
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
Additional information
Typically I suggest working with clients for a minimum of 4 and maximum of 12 sessions - each session being 60 minutes. However, it’s important to stress that the number of sessions will be discussed and agreed between the client and myself.
Sessions are held in my private consulting room and the fee is £60.00 per session. I also offer on-line sessions, using the ZOOM platform.
When I work
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I'm available Monday to Thurs 09.00 - 18.00.
Further information
I offer a free 45 minute introductory session - in person or on-line ( using the ZOOM platform). Subsequent sessions would then be charged at £60 for each 60 minute session.
In person sessions are conducted in my private consulting room within an ancillary building at the rear of my residence. At present, there is no wheelchair access to the room.
Free street parking is available - but limited - on West Road, CB11 3DS. Further parking is available on some surrounding streets and car parks at Saffron Walden Common , Swan Meadow and Waitrose ( all requiring payment).
If this would be of interest to you, please do contact me by email (andy@andy-clare.uk) to arrange a session.
