About me
Gain perspective about your process so you can make informed, mindful choices about the life you want to live. I help people move away from old, unhelpful patterns towards a flourishing life - in whatever way that is meaningful for you.
Perhaps some of these sound familiar...
- You feel stuck in the same patterns and can’t work out how to shift this
- You struggle to make sense of your dynamics with others
- You don't feel good enough
- You want to process some childhood or other experiences
- You notice shame holds you back
- You’ve been feeling anxious or stressed a lot of the time
- Maybe you feel overwhelmed by life’s challenges
- You're facing a big change and you're struggling to get your bearings
- Life feels empty and without meaning or purpose
- You’re not thriving
💚 It can feel hard to face things alone or make sense of the challenges life can present. It’s probably not more willpower you need – perhaps it’s more insight in a safe, empathic space to figure out who you are and how you want to live your life.
🌿 I have an ecologically-minded practice which means that I consider place, planet and the non-human in my work. If this is important to you, I welcome discussion around this in my therapy work.
What sort of issues do I help clients with?
Some of the sorts of areas I work with include:
- Repeated patterns of thinking or behaving where you feel stuck
- Overwhelm and anxiety including social anxiety, and stress
- Processing earlier experiences
- Life changes and transitions such as children leaving home, menopause, coming out, relationship break-up, bereavement, changing career or city, redundancy, retirement or something else
- Low self-esteem and self-confidence including a sense of being an imposter
- Relationship challenges such as difficulties with partners, friends or families, affairs and betrayals, separation and divorce
- Work issues including people facing disciplinary or redundancy
- Attachment difficulties
- Bereavement, grief and loss
- End-of-life including caring for another with an illness
- Exploring meaning and purpose in life
You can expect a safe, non-judgemental and confidential space. My approach is warm and compassionate. Deep listening is important to me and I believe psychotherapy work goes beyond empathic listening - I do ask questions, challenge and support you in a journey of greater self-understanding.
🏳️🌈 I am an LGBTQ+ affirmative, sex and fat positive counsellor. I have specific training in gender, sexuality and relationship (GSRD) therapy.
More information
You can find more information on my website, including my current availability: www.carinabadgerwellbeing.com
I see most clients weekly at the same day and time each week. I have some availability on Mondays (Chorlton), Tuesdays and Thursdays (Didsbury). I also have some outdoor therapy sessions in Urmston on Wednesday mornings.
I am a fully qualified BACP therapist and counsellor also in Advanced Training in Psychotherapy towards UKCP accreditation. I see clients in Manchester (Didsbury, Chorlton or Urmston).
Assessment session - half price
I appreciate taking the first step and making contact with a counsellor or therapist can be daunting. It’s natural to feel uncomfortable or hesitant as it is a big commitment.
I offer the first assessment session at half price, which is an opportunity for you to get a feel for how I work, and for us both to see if we would be a good fit to work together.
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications and Training (highlights)
- Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (accredited by BACP)
- Diploma in Integrative Transactional Analysis (Level 7)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Counselling and Psychotherapy (Distinction)
- Couples Institute in a Developmental Model of Couples Therapy: Integrating Attachment, Differentiation, and Neuroscience in Couples Therapy
- Certificate in Diversity within Contemporary Relationship Therapy: Working Alongside Trans, Non-Binary and Questioning Clients; Other Loves: Polyamory, Polygamy and Arranged Marriages; Kink; Bisexuality and Sexual Fluidity; Neurodivergence, Sex and Relationships
- Certificate in Interpersonal Neurobiology: Polyvagal Theory and Beyond
- Diploma in Mindfulness Teacher Training
- Certificate in online counselling and therapy
- Certificate in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
- Postgraduate training in counselling and psychotherapy with children and young people
- Gender, sexuality and relationship diversity training
- Weight Stigma and Fatphobia in the Therapy Room
- Counselling and psychotherapy for grief and loss
- Transactional Analysis 101
- ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring
- BA (Hons) and MA (Cantab) in Philosophy (University of Cambridge)
- MEd in Education (UCL)
I undergo regular training to support my practice. Workshops I have taken include managing anxiety including social anxiety, mindfulness and integrating the breath, trauma-informed practice, equity, diversity and inclusion, existential psychotherapy, walk and talk therapy, menopause, working with suicidal ideation, imposter syndrome.
Experience
- Over 15 years' experience working as a Solicitor before my change of career
- LGBT+ helpline volunteer
- Volunteer and freelance youth worker
- College counsellor
- Volunteering in adult counselling and psychotherapy services
- Workshop facilitator in secondary schools
Additional information
- Registered member of BACP
- Insured
- Enhanced DBS
Member organisations
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£45.00 - £60.00
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
For details about group therapy, including fees, please get in touch.
In addition to counselling, I am able to work with organisations on a consultation basis to deliver psychological wellbeing programmes. I am also a therapeutic executive coach. Please contact me for further details.
When I work
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On Mondays my therapy room is in Chorlton (M21)
On Tuesdays and Thursday morning my therapy room is in Didsbury (M20)
On Wednesdays I work in Urmston (M41)
