Brenda Mcauliffe
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
-I am a BACP accredited Holistic and Integrative counsellor/psychotherapist. Integrative means that I can work with different models to suit my client.
MODELS I WORK WITH;
CBT - PSYCHODYNAMIC - PSYCHOANALYSIS - PERSON CENTRED - HOLISTIC APPROACH
Located in Blackheath I am available 5 days a week. I offer the full counselling hour of 60 minutes sessions and concessions are available for those unable to pay the full fee. I endeavour to meet the financial needs of clients. I have over 20 years experience as a counsellor/psychotherapist. I work with clients: one-to-one. Counselling takes place in a warm, friendly confidential space.
The foundation of my counselling work is empathy, a compassionate enquiry. Creating a positive and empathic relationship with my client in my experience engenders an energy for healing and transformation of the issues they bring to counselling.
CBT : I work integratively incorporating (CBT) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which works on changing external patterns of behaviour and identifying them which has its place in therapy as often a client's stuckness needs to be shifted by an outer change in behaviour. The client will then be encouraged to identify their response to a certain problem and given a suggested change of behaviour to bring about a positive rather than a negative result in a given situation. Such external changes are helpful if at the same time the client's deep underlying unconscious pattern is brought to consciousness with psychoanalysis (exploration) then there can be a life long shift in the client's orientation to their problem.
PSYCHOANALYSIS: I have found working with Psychoanalysis is the most helpful approach for those clients that have long term anxiety, depression and relationship issues. Many clients come to counselling with a sense of guilt and a feeling of shame. Psychoanalysis works in depth uncovering through the relationship of counsellor and client that which lies buried within the client because of this sense of guilt and shame.
WHAT LIES HIDDEN - THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPLORATION: As an in depth counsellor I work with a Jungian model. Bringing to consciousness that which lies hidden is a way to freedom which means to be confident in who you are.
DEPRESSION - ANXIETY - TRAUMA - NEURODIVERSITY - AUTISM - ADHD
DEPRESSION: When painful experiences are suppressed because we are not ready to face these experiences we become depressed. It takes a lot of energy to suppress feelings and this suppression of energy leads to depression. During counselling it is possible to open the door to these experiences which cause us suffering and face them in the here and now. We can then understand them in a new meaningful way and find in our hidden grief there is a release of energy a freedom from depression.
ANXIETY - FREEDOM FROM CHILDHOOD TRAUMA: Exploring the memories of childhood trauma frees us from old negative patterns of behaviour so that we can now live our true nature released from anxiety and feelings of shame or guilt rooted in childhood. To be confident in who we are is living our true nature.
NEGATIVE PATTERNS OF CHILDHOOD: anxiety, trauma, abuse, shame and abandonment originate from childhood. Bringing to consciousness through sharing through talk, dreams and symbols the client begins to uncover their unconscious fears and desires. When experiences from the unconscious come to consciousness the client is able to see more clearly past negative patterns of childhood which were formerly hidden and are no longer subjected to their power. They are released and begin to live more fully who they are.
LETTING GO OF THE PAST: Exploring past patterns together happens in many ways. Dreams often give us great insight into our unconscious thoughts and when explored are a very powerful means of shining light on to areas of our life which have been hidden from our consciousness. When memories are brought to the session or more immediate life events the client can understand and feel from where their present problems originate and there is a release from their hold. They can let go of past anxiety and stress. Together we can sensitively unravel at my client's pace the root cause of their immediate problem. The freedom of releasing from childhood negative patterns can awaken the intuitive and instinctual nature and most importantly the love for themselves which was formerly buried in childhood. Now the client's power and self confidence begins to come alive.
PATTERNS OF CONDITIONING AND PHYSICAL AILMENTS: Our childhood conditioning can often result in negative behavioural patterns which can also have physical symptoms e.g. headaches, skin disorders and more severe symptoms. These disruptive patterns of which we have no awareness can spill into our every day life disturbing and breaking down our relationships with our loved ones, friends and work colleagues. As an experienced counsellor I have found it is quite possible to change these negative patterns when they are explored in a non-judgemental therapeutic relationship.
AUTISM SPECTRUM CONDITIONS AND ADHD:
Autism, or autism spectrum disorders are helped by including the CBT approach. Changing the outward behaviour by creating a new relationship to every day life. Accepting yourself as you are and not comparing with others and identifying what changes you need to make when relating to everyday life, i.e. relationships, work and the home. Discovering yourself by accepting yourself is essential and the deep sharing experienced in counselling can bring you the confidence to be uniquely yourself. CBT can be a helpful approach when working with neurodiversity.
INDIVIDUATION - TO LIVE WITHOUT FEAR: When the client begins to live their creativity in whichever form it takes they are taking a step to freedom. Freedom from not having to fit in, to please, to have to be one of the crowd when they don't want to be. To be an individual means the client has the courage to follow their own path. To live your vices and your virtues because they belong to you and they are unique. When in the counselling process the client begins to trust their intuition and their instincts they have access to their powers of discrimination and integrity and a love of themselves.
CONFIDENCE - DISCRIMINATION AND INTEGRITY: It is a natural step of the client being themselves that they begin to trust their integrity, their judgement and discriminate as to what is and what is not acceptable, to discern one thing from another to begin to identify what they see, hear, smell and know. In fact the client begins to mature. Remember this is always a journey to love of self.
LOVE YOURSELF AND BE REAL: I am aware from my past experience as a yoga and Alexander Technique teacher it is necessary for my clients to feel centred in themselves, whole and aligned to their true nature - to their REAL SELF. When forming a positive relationship to feelings my client can feel and listen within to their deepest desires. When we learn to love who we truly are we can bring this love into our relationships and into life. My aim is to help my client to connect to their REAL SELF from where they can feel empowered to make the changes they wish to make and live the life they want to live.
Recovering and prizing the neglected aspects of ourselves buried in the unconscious can be a rich, rewarding and loving experience in our journey to wholeness and above all the love of self.
MY THERAPEUTIC AIM ABOVE ALL IS TO HELP YOU LIVE OUT WHO YOU TRULY ARE.
Some of the areas of therapy I work in:
- depression
- bereavement
- stress
- anxiety
- relationship problems
- couple counselling
- addiction
- low self-esteem
- self-harm
- phobias
- psychophysical disorders.
- neurodiversity (autism spectrum conditions and adhd)
Training, qualifications & experience
I am an experienced, qualified and accredited member of the BACP. I am a member of the Association for Pastoral and Spiritual Care and Counselling. I am also a qualified teacher of the Alexander Technique and trained in teaching Hatha Yoga.
I trained as an Integrative Counsellor/Psychotherapist and work sensitively with a variety of models to suit my clients.
My training spans over a period of 20 years. I have had counselling experience in the NHS as well as many years in private practice.
Qualified in Humanistic therapy - Person-Centred - Cognitive Behavioural - Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy - Gestalt - Psychodynamic - Transpersonal.
TRAINING COURSES:
Spiritual Care at RIGPA (Buddhist Foundation) - Bereavement Counselling (Eleanor Foundation) - Drug & Alcohol Abuse - Sex Abuse (Family Matters) - Couple Counselling - Stress Management (Alexander Technique) - Jungian Dreamwork (Jungian Dream Group) - Yoga and Meditation (Practising Yoga and Meditation teachers)
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.
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
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
Fees
£50.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Individual Counselling £40 concessions available
Couple Counselling £50 concessions available
The fees above are for the therapeutic hour.
Concessions are always available so that the clients financial situation is considered.
When I work
weekdays 9am to 8pm
Further information
No problem is too small or to big so please do not hesitate to contact me regarding booking an introductory session. You are only committed to the appointment you book.