About me
People come to me because gritting their teeth and trying to keep it together has become unsustainable. I help them find clarity in their emotional confusion.
Clients often tell me our sessions help them join the dots, making sense of why they think, feel, relate and act in the ways which they do. This alone can be pivotal, and empowers people to make change.
Does tension and tightness crush your body and exhaust you? Are you responding explosively, leaving you confused and ashamed?
Are you stuck on repeat, cycling through damaging patterns which you can't find a way to shake off?
When we're paralysed by self-doubt and fear of the perceived dangers, we can be prevented from finding fulfillment and taking up new opportunities. It leaves us feeling resigned to accept life as it is.
If you feel disconnected from yourself and confused about what your needs and wants are, therapy with me can help you establish trust and security in yourself. Having this anchoring can support you to make decisions and choose ways of living which help you shake off shame, confusion and rumination.
I am well equipped to support those struggling with stress and workplace issues after over a decade working in demanding hospitality roles. I understand the eroding power of long-term pressure and high expectations. I recognise that sense of being unable to break free from painful cycles and find alternative ways to live so you can move beyond just existing.
Whether you’ve had counselling before or are looking for your first counsellor, I understand getting started can feel daunting. The benefits of attuned and empathic therapy has a place within all our lives, for whatever struggles we may be facing. Nothing is too minor or trivial to seek support for.
What can you expect from counselling with me?
Working with you I will bring together various therapeutic approaches to fit your specific needs. The influence of your earliest experiences will be considered as part of your present-day self. I will be curious about how life events have diverted you from a life which feels safe and fulfilling.
I will listen attentively and respectfully, giving you the space and time you need to sit with your thoughts and feelings in a way which might be impossible outside of your sessions. By discovering the root causes of the difficulties which have brought you to counselling you can untangle the binds of these and enjoy the relief and freedom this creates. It may seem unimaginable as you read this, but therapy lays the foundations for this.
Working intuitively enables me to offer thought-provoking challenge and questions to assist you to delve beyond your known sense of self and peer at what is beneath the surface, creating opportunities for enhanced self-awareness and self-empowerment.
I will never advise you but facilitate valuable self-reflection and an opportunity to reconsider your perceptions and patterns. Those parts of yourself which feel most vulnerable or shameful will be heard without judgement. I will take the steps with you, making sure you set the pace and feel in control.
What happens in the first session?
Within your first session we will flesh out an understanding of your hopes and expectations. It'll be a gentle introduction to our sessions, a chance for you to meet with me for the first time, to sit in my cosy therapy room and feel welcome and safe. I will gather a little more information from discussion with you about what has brought you to therapy, your background and your current circumstances. This process helps us shape our therapeutic alliance and get a sense of how this will develop.
Ready to talk? Have some questions?
If what you've sounds like the support you are seeking, please contact me. It's important that the counsellor you choose is the right fit for you. To help you decide this, I offer a free telephone call so we can have a brief chat. Then, if you feel happy to continue we can arrange your first session.
Feeling daunted and nervous? That's absolutely understandable. It's ok, we'll do this together.
For more information, including about counselling and how I work, please get in touch or see my website: www.kestrel-counselling.co.uk
Training, qualifications & experience
- Fully qualified. CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
- Working with Chronic Stress training
- Breathwork in Therapy training
- Training with The Foundation for Infant Loss:
Pregnancy and Infant Loss
Subsequent Pregnancies after Loss
Infertility - Creative Counsellors trained in Outdoors Therapy
- Enhanced DBS
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
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.
The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society This Not For Profit association of counsellors and psychotherapists aim to support the counselling profession, members and training organisations. In 2013 the NCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under the Accredited Voluntary Register Scheme. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£50.00 per session
Additional information
Sessions are 50 minutes and available either in-person or online.
A limited number of spaces are available at a concessional rate for those working within hospitality (hotels, pubs, bars, restaurants). If receiving this would enable you to begin your therapy, please get in touch.
In-person sessions are held in Rowde, near Devizes in a quiet and private setting with plentiful free parking. My therapy room is wheelchair accessible.
Getting the most out of your therapy relies on a good fit between you and your counsellor, so I invite you to schedule a free brief telephone chat ahead of booking sessions to see if I'm the right counsellor for you. I understand taking the first steps to embark on counselling may feel intimidating and will ensure you feel safe and supported during this process.
My emails can end up in spam folders so please check here if you are waiting more than a couple of days to receive a response from me.
When I work
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For online sessions, if you cannot see availability which matches your own, please get in touch. It may be possible to arrange a session time to suit.
Further information
For some clients, being able to have sessions in-person each week can be challenging, therefore I am happy to accommodate a hybrid approach by alternating between in-person and online sessions to meet the needs of clients.
