Bev Gold BA (hons). MA PGCE UKCP MBACP

About me

I am a warm, supportive and very experienced UKCP and BACP therapist and counsellor in a thriving private practice in West Cambridge, working with individuals and couples.

When you are anxious or depressed, at difficult or distressing times, I recognise that taking the first step to finding a therapist or counsellor takes courage; however, it is a crucial step on the road to feeling a bit more in control of your life. If you wish to, please email me with your contact details and good times to speak. I will call you for a free, preliminary chat on the phone to assess your needs and make contact with you. Then we can set up an initial consultation whiich will take about an hour.This gives you a chance to say something about what is troubling you and to ask any questions you might have about the process of therapy and about me and how I work. We can discuss at this meeting whether we feel we could work well together and I can offer you the psychological support you need. This will depend partly on expertise and also on the intuitive connections we make with one another. If you are happy to proceed we will book regular sessions, usually once a week. Further sessions last for fifty minutes.

I offer professional support with mental health, relationship or emotional issues in a safe, confidential space where you can talk about your concerns - whether depression, anxiety, low self esteem, bullying, post-natal depression, loss, grief, separation or divorce, or any other troubling concerns - or perhaps you simply want a reflective space to find a way through life's challenges - counselling or psychotherapy may be able to help.

if you are a young adult struggling with anxiety or trying to work out which path to take, I may be able to help since my years in college and university counselling services have taught me a great deal about working with young people.

I have also worked extensively with women individually or in groups struggling with making changes in their lives; and with depression and anxiety.

I first began my clinical experience as a counsellor over twenty five years ago in a further education college in Essex and then at The Whittington Hospital, London, as an honorary psychotherapist, working in psychiatry,having undertaken rigorous psychotherapy courses in between, which culminated in formal training at The Guild of Psychotherapists. I have also worked as a college lecturer, staff trainer in mental health awareness, supervisor and counsellor in a range of settings including GP surgeries, psychological treatment services at Addenbrooke's and private practice.

Most recently, I headed up the Counselling and Wellbeing services at Anglia Ruskin University for a number of years, offering short term , solution focused counselling as well as some long term support for staff and students, before returning to full-time private practice.

Psychotherapy or counselling can be very helpful in bringing about change in your life, help you deal with stress and anxiety and improve your emotional wellbeing.

My background and Experience

My background in the field of psychotherapy, counselling, education and training, as well as supervision means I have gained considerable expertise in understanding individuals and offering psychological support.

As well as extensive work with young people and women individually or in groups, I have worked with women and men in mid-life crisis and wellbeing groups in the voluntary (Charity) sector.

I am currently establishing a new group for women suffering post-natal depression, or simply struggling with motherhood.This is open for self-referrals as well as individual work. Please get in touch if interested in this or any other support you need.I offer help in a crisis or long term work, if that is what you need.

Supervision

I also offer clinical supervision for trainees or qualified counsellors and therapists - I am a registered supervisor with UKCP -see supervision link below.

Approach

My approach is psychodynamic, since I think psychotherapy can help us understand the unconscious processes that influence our lives, relationships and choices. Understanding the impact of past experiences can help us take more control of our lives to make the changes we need.

I work long term or short term for brief, focused work, where I can also offer CBT techniques, if appropriate, although my style and training means that I am more interested in understanding you as a whole person than CBT would allow.

And I work within the BACP ethical framework and UKCP's Ethical Principles and code of professional conduct, both of which help to establish best practice in the field of counselling and psychotherapy for clients.

Couple Work

Couples seek counselling for many reasons.

Sometimes, after years of marriage, couples grow apart, or kids leave home and individual partners find they are strangers who have lost touch with one another's needs; or perhaps you have got stuck in negative ways of relating to each other, or one of you might have strayed off the path of fidelity; or perhaps you simply feel misunderstood by your partner.

These are some of the issues couples bring to couple work. As long as you each bring a commitment to explore the issues as you see them, couple work can be very helpful with a compassionate therapist, able to hear your dilemmas, reflect back, facilitate your processes and help you both find a way through to some clarity, whatever that might be.

I have found, over the years, that one and a half hours of structured time works best for each session, to allow adequate exploration of whatever emerges in order to fully appreciate the complexity of couple work, and find ways towards resolution of difficulties.