April Lowe

Verified Professional Verified Professional
Verified Professional

Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.

M.A. Counselling, BACP (Accredited), DIT practitioner
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B73
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

I have practised as a counsellor for over twenty years.  In addition to offering private counselling I currently work for NHS IAPT organisations under contract.

I can accept referrals from individuals over the age of 18. I regret I am not trained to work with those under 18 or with couples

People who work with me present with all kinds of difficulties.  Sometimes they are consciously affected by an experience they need to process; other times there is a chronic low mood or anxiety which seems to have been present for as long as the individual can recall and which they are at a loss to understand.  Through the counselling process clients gain relief and insight, create new meaning and perspective and benefit from support whilst taking stock of their problems and objectives.

Central to my work is the counselling relationship and using this as a vehicle to make changes, move on from trauma, negotiate relationship problems and arrive at a better relationship to life and the self.

Respect and empathy are vital and I aim to work at your pace and facilitate your gaining the most from the counselling experience.  Counselling with me pays attention to past experience and the significance of unconscious feeling whilst being very focussed on the present and committed to enhancing future prospects.  I prize attunement between counsellor and client and use a range of therapeutic techniques depending on the needs and circumstances of the client.

I offer both short term and open ended counselling and usually work on a one session per week basis.

Training, qualifications & experience

I began training as a counsellor in 2001 and practised specifically in the area of bereavement during that time.I acquired a Masters degree in counselling from the University of Birmingham in 2007.  I have subsequently completed a training in Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy,  accredited by the BPC.    DIT is a time-limited therapy for individuals suffering from depression or anxiety and it is one of a small number of  therapies approved by NICE for the treatment of these.

I have a qualification in the delivery of online counselling which is something I have offered for over ten years.I    am a BACP Accredited counsellor and have worked for many years  in University Counselling Services but have other counselling experience within the NHS and various charitable settings.

I have an eclectic counselling background with knowledge of CBT, humanistic and solution-focussed counselling, which I draw on particularly in time-limited work.

Member organisations

Registered / Accredited

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.

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

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

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Other areas of counselling I deal with

Covid-19 stress or trauma

Fees

£49.00 per session

Additional information

My fee from October  2022 is £49 per session.

Fees are subject to review on an annual basis.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

Evening sessions available

Further information

Getting Started: just phone or email me if you would like to discuss having a first session.    I am happy to respond to queries and if it seems the right way forward we can then arrange a first meeting .    A first session is a chance to get things off your chest,  obtain support, evaluate your needs and for us to decide whether we should continue to work together.    Following on from this we can agree further sessions as appropriate.

Sessions last for 50 minutes and are offered on a remote basis via Zoom whilst social distancing restrictions are in place due to Covid 19 factors.  As this is a fast changing and unpredictable scenario please feel free to enquire for the most up to date information on this.

Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B73

Type of session

In person
Online

Types of client

Young people
Adults
Older adults
Employee Assistance Programme

Key details

DBS check

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

One step access into ground floor level consulting room. On site parking available in quiet and private residential road Online sessions via Zoom

Additional languages

French
April Lowe
April Lowe