About me

Hello and welcome to my profile.

I have been working for the last 15 years within the Education sector alongside running a successful private practice. I have a great deal of experience working across the age ranges with adults and young people. As a school counsellor I fully understand the pressures and difficulties facing young people, parents/carers, teaching and non-teaching staff. During this time I have received extensive in-house training and external professional development in areas such as:

Stress, anxiety and depression
Exam stress
Self worth and confidence
Bereavement, loss, divorce and separation
Anger or aggressive behaviour
Trauma
Self-identity, sexuality, transitions and change
Self-harm or suicidal thoughts
Relationship issues

My approach

I offer a client-centred approach based on respect, empathy and honesty. Counselling is an opportunity for people to explore problems they maybe experiencing or to talk through traumatic or distressing events in their lives. Talking to someone can be an extremely powerful and healing experience that can help you to feel less isolated and more able to make sense of your life circumstances. I believe they the key to success in counselling lies in developing a trusting, caring relationship with my aim being to support you to make your own choices in finding positive ways to move forward and reach your potential. I consider myself warm accepting and easy to engage with.

Sometimes people come with a very clear focus of what they want to explore, for others there may be a range of issues, or just a generalised sense of dissatisfaction or unhappiness. I will work hard to understand your unique world and support you with any issues which you may be experiencing as having an impact on your day to day life.

Counselling is usually shorter term work that focuses on one particular problem and isn't so in-depth. Psychotherapy involves working on longer-term concerns looking at how past experiences might be affecting the present. This new awareness provides hope, self-development and growth. We can decide together what might be more helpful for you.

Making contact

It can be daunting considering counselling for the first time. Don't worry; counsellors are trained to listen
thoughtfully and carefully to people's problems without judging or criticising. Counsellors won't tell you what to do, but will try to understand and support you manage your feelings. It is important that you find the right counsellor, and I am always happy to talk by phone or email and you can be assured of a warm response. I offer a free 30 minute initial meeting to give us the opportunity to talk about what brings you to counselling and for me to explain the way I work. I guarantee a confidential and discreet service.

Couples Counselling

When our closest relationships stop working we are affected deeply and our health and happiness suffer. Pressures including work, family, money and health can all contribute towards our relationship suffering.

The benefits of working with an experienced Counsellor or Psychotherapist on relationships issues is that there is a person able to stand back from what is being experienced by both partners to provide a different perspective and insight. It is not about taking sides or favouring one partner over the other but it is about finding ways to help both partners understand each other better in the relationship which can enable change.

Patterns of behaviour we learned as children often re-emerge in our adult relationships. Partners and family members will all have differing coping styles and it can feel almost impossible to work through our relationship difficulties when our styles of coping clash and our needs feel so different.

The relationship rather than the two individuals is the client and my work focuses on creating an environment where you can talk openly and honestly with each other.

*Please note I do not offer a free assessment for couples.

Training, qualifications & experience

Experience

Through my work in a Comprehensive School I have an extensive range of experience improving the well-being of Young People by providing Counselling and therapeutic interventions to improve mental health and resilience, supporting Young People to reach their potential. Key issues bringing Young People to counselling are:
Difficult relationships with family; anxiety stress and depression and emotional abuse.

I worked at Nottingham Counselling Service 2008-2014 (one of the most respected and established providers of counselling services and therapy in the East Midlands) providing both short and long-term counselling and psychotherapy. I have experience of working and living alongside someone who experiences mental health problems or distress and carers wanting to better support them including ASD, ADHD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Anxiety and Depression. Living with a mental health problem can have a huge impact on day to day life making things others might not think about more difficult.

I volunteered at Cruse 2011-2014 (the leading national charity for bereaved people in England). I experienced specific training and the opportunity to work with bereaved people and the complex and extensive range of emotions and challenges which may occur with loss.

Having worked for a Weight-management company for over ten year I am particularly experienced in supporting clients with emotional eating. I currently work as a Weight-wise Academy associate running interactive courses. We provide therapeutic intervention for clients with emotional eating behaviours aiming to develop skills and techniques to change they way they think about food and eating including:

Identifying hunger for something else other than food
Recognising when you have had enough to eating
Treating without eating
Improving mood and self-esteem
Tolerating feelings better rather than using food as a comfort
Early messages about food and eating

Training/qualifications

Honours Degree in Humanistic and Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy; training at the Sherwood Psychotherapy Training Institute in Nottingham.

I am an accredited registered member of the BACP, and am guided by and adhere to their ethical framework.

I attend regular supervision to ensure my professional practice is monitored.

I have worked with clients across a diverse spectrum in terms of background, faith, culture, race, sexuality and gender identity, as well as living with a range of disabilities.

Post training I have completed professional training workshops in:
Attachment Theory
Anxiety, Depression and Young People
MBCT Foundation in Mindfulness
Self Harm and suicide
Anger, Rage and the Relationship
Emotional Eating Behaviours
Relational Trauma
Mental Health
Supporting LGBT Young People
Creative Therapy

Member organisations

Accredited register membership

Areas of counselling I deal with

Therapies offered

Photos & videos

Fees

Additional information

From £45 per session (50 minutes)

Couples £50 (1 hour)

Concessionary rates are available

Free 30 minute consultation (not applicable for couples counselling).

When I work

Mon-Thursday evenings from 4:00pm. Fridays and Weekends.

Further information

I am based in NG6 Nottingham just off Junction 26 of the M1, making me easily assessable from all areas of Nottingham Ilkeston, Mansfield and Derby. I am within walking distance of the Pheonix Park Tram Park and the Rainbow 1 bus service.

My practice is based at home in a purpose designed room that is separate from the living accommodation and has its own access, toilet and plentiful street parking facilities. While there isn't specific access for wheelchair users, it is on the ground floor.

I have evening and weekend appointments available, and offer short and long-term counselling.

I offer a free 30 minutes consultation to all potential clients. I understand finding the right counsellor to work with is essential. If you need further information about counselling/psychotherapy or have any questions please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to talk it through with you.

It takes courage to admit you need some help or support. Don't worry, counsellors are dedicated and trained to make this as easy as possible for you.

Anita Hart