Carola Luther

About me

Hello, and welcome.

My name is Carola. Here is some information about me,  my counselling experience and therapy practice.

My approach: When I first meet a client, I seek to understand at a deep level, exactly what is wanted and needed. I listen with attention and empathy, working collaboratively with you in a way and at a pace that I believe will be most helpful.

My way of working is to tailor our work to your specific concerns and to build a trusting relationship between us.  I give time and attention to your present experience, your inner life, your context, how the past may be influencing the present or affecting your personal relationships. 

For some of us it is important to acknowledge our experience of past trauma and develop our capacity to make changes in the present.

Others of us may need to acknowledge our own resourcefulness,  and to increase our ability to ‘be on our own side’.  

Some may be living in difficult or painful situations right now, or feeling at risk.

Some of us may feel restricted by anxiety or depression, and wish to understand aspects of the self more deeply and find greater meaning in our lives.

Others may be experiencing a time of  sorrow, loss or grief.

Others may be needing to come to terms with aging, a change of role, or honouring our true selves in the second half of life.

All of these are themes that I work with. Therapy  can  help to develop our resilience, insight, and our capacity for present-moment attention. It can increase our abilities to care for ourselves, to make sense of our lives,  and to nurture our relationships with those who are important to us. 

Accessing different or unrecognised parts of ourselves can help develop our sense of wellbeing and wholeness. Energy-work, reverie, creativity and metaphor are helpful tools in bringing us to a deeper understanding of our rich inner lives. And increasing our awareness of embodied experience,  is particularly  helpful in keeping us connected with ourselves,  and the world.

Counselling Outdoors: I am trained to work outside for people who’d like to have therapy or counselling outdoors. If this way of working may be of interest to you, please let me know when you contact me.

Training and Experience: Before setting up my own practice in Calderdale several years ago, I worked in the public sector for 10 years  counselling people who found themselves in a time of crisis.  

My training and approach is primarily Integrative. That means instead of working from a single perspective, I do my best to tailor and integrate the approaches I have experience of, to your specific needs. I have worked with a wide range of clients over the years and my own therapy has been both Psychodynamic and Integrative, and my supervisors have been from integrative, psychoanalytic and TA backgrounds. 

I am currently doing a 12 month clinical training course in Energy Psychotherapy. Over the years I have also had training in and experience of several other theoretical approaches including the Psychodynamic Interpersonal Therapy,  embodied Trauma work, and the Crisis model. Increasingly these days, I am drawn to approaches which attend to energy, the body and spirit, as well as to the mind. 

If you decide to contact me about the possibility of working together, I will suggest an initial appointment where we can meet if this is possible and comfortable for you. (If not, a zoom meeting can be arranged). This appointment will be a chance for you to discover whether working with me feels right for you, and is what you want. It will also give me a chance to check that the way I work could be helpful to you and is appropriate for your needs.

What happens at the initial appointment? I will greet you at the door, and we will go together to the therapy room. Once we are settled I will ask you in your own time and in your own words to tell me what has brought you to seek counselling.

I may ask you some questions – for example about your hopes and expectations of counselling, or any previous periods of difficulty you may have experienced. I may ask you to tell me a little about your childhood, significant events or important relationships. But mostly I will be listening, and supporting you to describe in your own words, what might be troubling or preoccupying you.

You may also have questions to ask me about how I work or the therapeutic process, and I will do my best to answer these as clearly as possible.

Towards the end of the initial session, we will come to an agreement about whether we are going to continue working together, and whether you hope to work indoors or outdoors. If you do wish to go on to work with me, we will arrange when we will meet to begin our regular and agreed period of counselling.


Where I work:

The Wharf Practice is in Sowerby Bridge. I also offer clients the option of working outdoors.

The Wharf Practice is located at The Wharf, Sowerby Bridge. This area is a small, thriving complex that includes other therapeutic practices, NGO's, small businesses, a couple of cafes, and a pub.

The practice is located in an attractive old canal-side building. The room overlooks the canal, and is airy, light and comfortable. It has a large window and a warm and welcoming atmosphere. There is a yoga studio next door, and toilets and a washroom just down the corridor.

The practice room is on the first floor, so I am afraid it is not currently wheelchair accessible. However, if access to the venue is difficult or impossible for a client, I'd be happy to discuss the possibility of making more suitable arrangements.

As the building is shared by various organisations, there is a buzzer system at the front door to say you've arrived, and a green button on the wall beside the front door to let yourself out.

The Wharf Practice is close to a bus stop and about 10 minutes walk from the train station. There is generally parking nearby. Often there will be a couple of spaces in the carpark opposite our building and the Moorings Pub, or down by the canal. Otherwise there are parking lots elsewhere close by.

Other options: Zoom is also an option where necessary.

I charge £25 for an initial appointment, and for subsequent counselling sessions I charge £53 per counselling session.