Anne Durnall

Who I am and my approach

In my life I’ve always been drawn to helping others – being a good listener. Having worked for many years in both counselling and non-counselling professions I feel that I’m able to use all the life and human skills which I believe are my best; those of hearing a person (not just the words but what might lie behind them), not judging and being empathic and then of course, being present in a very real way for others whilst they navigate their own path. I offer an open and creative approach and am always curious about what might work best for you.

My approach and the way I trained is person-centred which means that I won’t give you advice or tell you what to do which might seem strange if you haven’t had counselling before. But I’ll aim to be alongside you, attentively whilst you make your own discoveries – I believe that you're the expert on your own life. However, the way in which we work is always open to negotiation.  I sometimes find that there can be an overlap between counselling and coaching and clients sometimes need and want a goal to work towards and so that might include some advice or guidance; I’d describe this way of working as “personal consultancy” which is a model that integrates counselling and coaching. We’ll always agree how we’re going to work at the beginning of our relationship and then keep an eye on how the work develops.

I also have an MA in Developing Professional Practice in Management and have spent the last 20 years working within senior management, with executive and non-executive teams.  I use my counselling and coaching skills to help managers and management professionals find their way.

I’ve also worked very successfully with a number of senior leaders as a coach, counsellor and mentor – this might be close to the Personal Consultancy I've described earlier.  Working in this way enables me to bring all my experience to the table. I love the diversity of my work and the people who I meet along the way.

I am currently a part time lecturer at the University of Cumbria on the Counselling and Psychotherapy Post Graduate Diploma/MA course term time and find that working with students enhances my practice and vice versa! 

Personal consultancy - which is a way of working and helping that enables me to offer all of my experience and to be there for you as fully as possible.

It combines counselling with coaching. There’s space to work on the present, your job or your relationships, but also on the past, for example your childhood or a past traumatic event. It means we can work together in a coaching way - developing your strength, confidence and achieving a particular goal or in more of a counselling context - helping you to understand your past and “fix your foundations”; bringing into awareness things which have previously been denied or distorted and now might be getting in your way.    There is a considerable overlapping of the two disciplines, and I feel privileged to be able to work in such an inclusive way.

Outdoor counselling/coaching

Outdoor counselling or coaching, simply put, is talking outside. It can be as simple as sitting on a bench in the outdoors or it can be a gentle woodland walk. It’s similar to standard counselling, but instead of being in a room, you’ll be outside. It doesn’t have to involve walking if you don’t feel that you need to. Being outside rather than in a room can change things quite significantly. We might start your counselling journey inside and then you may decide you’d like to try outdoors. We will be able to negotiate this over time.

Online Counselling

Online counselling provides an opportunity to explore a personal difficulty in a confidential and supportive environment.  Online counselling gives you the opportunity to access counselling support at a time and in a place, which is convenient to you.

I can offer online counselling via Zoom or Skype, email, telephone or via any other secure provider that we can mutually agree.

• Initial Chat - Free (up to 1 hour)
• Subsequent sessions - £60 (1 hour)
• Outdoor session - £60 (1 hour)

Why Counselling and how can it help?

Most people, at some point in their lives, have setbacks and struggles which are, of course, part of what it is to be human. It’s just that sometimes we could do with some help with those struggles from someone that isn’t your partner, family or friend; a person who is completely there with you. At times like this, I can offer you an accepting, warm and understanding place for you to talk about your concerns or worries. This might be about relationships in your life, career worries, stress, anxiety, depression or crisis points in your life-cycle when there seem to be more questions than answers.

Counselling can give you the opportunity to make sense of those current and pressing issues in your life but also your experiences over time so that you develop a greater sense of awareness – who are you in the world and what has shaped you?

I want to offer what’s best for you, not what’s best for me, that’s why I offer face to face counselling, outdoor and online counselling and why I also offer what can be classed as Personal Consultancy. For example, Personal Consultancy can be a very effective way or resolving what might start off as a work-related problem but then shifts into a deeper exploration of how and why the issue (or issues similar to this particular one) crop up regularly in your life.   The way in which I can offer both counselling and coaching are borne out of my desire to offer clients what they need in a way that makes sense to them – a way of accessing help and support which has the right “fit”. I don’t care what label we attach to what we do, as long as it helps you, that’s the most important thing.

Counselling can create a space with an attentive companion which will give you the opportunity to reflect – something we don’t often make time for because we’re so busy and life is lived at breakneck speed. I can help you to look behind the obvious with openness and interest. I’m endlessly curious about the people I meet. Our mutual curiosity makes it possible for you to discover our own truth and inner resources, and to develop trust in your ability to meet future challenges in life. The space which I can offer allows you a freedom to explore your thoughts and feelings without fear of being judged. I believe that the relationship between client and counsellor is pivotal in helping to facilitate this and has the potential to allow a person the freedom to make choices that are right for them.