Carolyn Costello
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
When life gets troubling or messy, I offer a safe space for you to share and explore your life experiences. I aim to offer an initial appointment within a week of your enquiry, so you won't have to endure a lengthy wait when you seek help.
How will counselling help?
In counselling you will:
- experience a professional, honest, safe, deliberate relationship that is for you, and enables you to understand yourself.
- get help with any areas of confusion, distress and difficulty, to make more sense of your reactions & feelings, gain the opportunity to consider how you would like to respond and explore how to put that into practice.
- be supported to build your resilience and journey towards wellbeing - even when your circumstances can't be changed.
- no longer have to cope on your own. If you don't know where to turn, worry about burdening others with your problems or fear judgment based on your experiences, thoughts or feelings, counselling offers a confidential space for you to talk freely.
Whatever is troubling you, please click on the 'book an intro call' button or email me to arrange an initial appointment.
Your counselling will be tailored to You:
I build a warm, confidential, trusting relationship with my clients, providing a space where you can talk and truly be heard without judgement. I have a range of counselling techniques and tools that will be tailored to support you, empowering you to develop the self-awareness, skills and confidence needed to move towards your therapy goals. Along the way I seek to equip you with approaches that you have practiced and can continue to use yourself when you are ready to move on.
My focus is to help you safely approach, understand and overcome any difficulties, to develop resilience and move into increasing fulfilment and satisfaction in your life.
If you have a disability or situation that is stopping you from accessing counselling, please let me know and we can consider together if I can make practical adaptations that work for you.
If it's hard to put things into words:
Sometimes talking about your problems or trying to find the right words can be difficult. If this is where you are, I will work to put you at ease and can draw on visual and creative techniques to help you.
In person, online or a bit of both?
I offer both online and face to face counselling and part of tailoring counselling to you is to help you work out the best way to meet. I will explain the differences, and help you decide what will work best for you.
When faith and spirituality help or hinder:
I make no assumptions or requirements about your beliefs and values but seek to encourage you towards constructive change and growth in any or every aspect of your life. If you would like to explore issues of faith, belief or spirituality as part of your counselling I am open to that and follow a professional framework to boundary that work which you can find at https://www.acc-uk.org/public/docs/The_Churchill_Framework.pdf. I have 35 years of pastoral care experience, supporting individuals who struggle with beliefs, doubts or overwhelming life circumstances.
Keeping you safe:
Explaining confidentiality, maintaining your privacy, belonging to a registered professional body are just part of my work to make counselling safe for you.
I have professional indemnity and public liability insurance, am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office, and am a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme (Scotland).
Training, qualifications & experience
Diploma in Integrative Counselling
Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling
Advanced Certificate in Christian Counselling
I am supported in my work by an experienced clinical supervisor and am committed to continuous professional development. This means I keep my professional skills current to benefit my clients.
Recent trainings include:
Trauma Treatment Certification
Counselling Couples Certificate
Working with diversity
Prior to training as a counsellor, I have worked in special needs education, carer support and IT project management.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Life Transitions
Photos & videos
Fees
£45.00 - £60.00
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Free Initial Chat
You might be feeling nervous about counselling or about meeting a counsellor. To help you get started, I offer a free, informal telephone or online conversation (up to 20 minutes) to give you the opportunity to meet me and ask questions you may have.
What Happens in the First Session?
If you would like to begin counselling with me, our first session will help you to work out if counselling is what you are looking for, and if I am the right counsellor for you.
We will explore together what you are looking for support with and what you hope to gain. You will find out what it is like to have someone really give their full attention to you in a kind, safe, professional space.
Couples Counselling: Depending on your reasons for coming to counselling, the couples assessment may involve more than one session. We would meet first as a couple and then, if useful to your needs, individually before meeting as a couple again. I would this discuss the approach with you at the first appointment.
How is ongoing counselling arranged?
- Following the first session, if you want to proceed, we will work out a pattern of counselling that fits the rhythm of your life and then form a contract. This will be open ended and include regular reviews to check if counselling is helping you progress. You can have as many or as few sessions as you would like.
- Your sessions will be focussed on you and your needs. I will respond to whatever you bring each time. Together we will agree how to keep your goals in mind if you find that difficult.
- Sessions are normally for one hour, however I am happy to discuss alternative arrangements depending on your needs.
- For individual counselling my standard fee is £50/ hour for daytime sessions. Evening (from 5pm) sessions are £60/ hour.
- For couples counselling my standard fee is £60/ hour for daytime sessions. Evening (from 5pm) sessions are £70/ hour.
- I offer concessions as listed on evidence of status.
Payment of Fees:
Fees for all appointments are payable by bank transfer 24 hours before the session. Fees for face-to-face appointments can also be paid in cash at the start of each session.
Cancellation Policy:
There is no charge for sessions cancelled more than 48 hours in advance. Sessions cancelled with less notice, or not attended, are charged at the full session rate.
When I work
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I will respond to enquiries Mon-Fri.
Earliest appointment: 08:00
Latest appointment: 18:30
Please get in touch to discuss your appointment needs
Further information
Counselling can be accessed in person, online or in a blended approach to suit your preference and circumstances. If you would like, I can send you some information to support you in deciding if online or in-person counselling would be best for you or we can include that within the initial chat.
In-person counselling is carried out in a comfortable, private room within my home. There are two steps from the drive into this room.
Free parking on the street is available and there is a bus service from Falkirk.
Online counselling is carried out on Zoom or WhatsApp. I can help with setup instructions if you need that. There is no cost to you to use either App.
