Caron Zar

Hello, my name is Caron and I have over 25 years of counselling experience. I offer one-to-one counselling at my Private Practice in Stanmore, Middlesex HA7.

I have a particular interest in counselling for relationship difficulties, not feeling good enough, low self-esteem, low mood and anxiety.

In my experience, many people feel anxious talking about their difficulties but you are in safe hands. We'll explore your difficulties at a pace that feels right for you, so that you can move forward with your life, feeling more empowered.

My style of working is client-centred and together we will focus on your individual needs, try to understand what is going on for you and find ways to make changes or develop coping strategies for situations that cannot be altered.

My practice has a calm, peaceful room which will help you to feel supported and safe and where you can be free to be yourself, without the worry of being judged or criticized. My practice is professional and confidential.

The benefits of counselling and how I can help

People often report that they feel calmer, less stressed, less anxious, sleep better, have improved communication, a better work/life balance, look after themselves more, understand their needs better, make positive changes, learn how to say no and laugh again.

I can help you to focus on relationships that work for you.
I can help you to understand the destructive patterns in your life and where they come from.
I can give you tools to manage emotions in more healthy ways. 
I can help you feel more empowered.

Experience

I have worked in a variety of education and private settings in a clinical capacity, for 25 years helping hundreds of people to manage their personal issues more effectively. I have worked with individuals (adults and adolescents), families and have facilitated group work.

My training and experience means that I'm able to help with many of life's problems.

I have provided counselling for a multitude of issues including relationship issues, family relationship issues, loss/bereavement, separation/divorce, anxiety/stress, self harm, panic attacks, depression, low self esteem/confidence, work related issues, illness/disability, body image, trauma, helping people to overcome painful times in their lives.

I use a Psychodynamic approach within my practice, which helps us look at how early experiences impact on the here and now in your life. It can be especially helpful for untangling ‘baggage’ which may be holding you back in your current relationships and attitudes to others. Understanding how these patterns are caught up in old hurts, can free you to choose more healthy relationships.

My work with adolescents, both in a secondary school setting and privately has allowed me to use a wide range of skills, including Creative Therapy Techniques. Sometimes people find it difficult to express themselves or get stuck so using other mediums can really help to move people forward.


How to get started

If you are interested in exploring what it might be like to work with me as your counsellor, please do get in touch by messaging me through this profile or calling/texting 07596 140463.  Do check your junk folder as sometimes I find the emails go there. I find it is really helpful, to have a chat on the phone, before we go ahead and make an appointment. This gives me an opportunity to get to know what you are looking for, and for you to ask any questions.

Please do leave a message if I don't take the call straight away, as I may be working. We can arrange a time to talk on the phone and then book an initial session to find out whether the support I offer would be useful to you.

How it works

• Individual Sessions - If you would like to make an appointment, we will meet for an initial session. This will be an opportunity to talk and think about the things that are worrying you and to agree on some goals to work on. We would then be able to arrange a time to meet, preferably each week for a 50 minute session. There are no limits to the number of sessions you can have.
  
  
• Parental Consultations - We would meet for a 60 minute session to think about what is worrying you about your son or daughter. This would give you an opportunity to meet me and tell me anything you think would be helpful in the ongoing work and for you to ask any questions about the way I work. If you wish to go ahead we will then find a suitable time for me to work one to one with your son or daughter. I can also offer facilitation sessions with you and your son or daughter to help you move forward in your relationship with each other.
  
  
• Short Term Adult Work - We would meet for 8-12 sessions and focus on the goals that you would like to work on. Each session is 50 minutes.

Work with Adolescents

Before I qualified as a counsellor I worked as a teacher in mainstream schools, paediatric wards and a Pupil Referral Unit. I have lots of experience of working with young people and their parents.

Sometimes young people find it too difficult to share their emotions with family, friends, teachers etc. They need to have a safe, neutral space to help them to express and explore their feelings. Being heard allows young people to feel emotionally stronger within themselves and feel more empowered in their own life.

Often having had a space to think and process feelings, enables young people to communicate better with other people in their lives. At this stage I have found that facilitation sessions between young people and their parents can really help to improve relationships.

I can also help by offering separate consultations to parents who may also want some emotional support or guidance.

Work with Teachers

As the previous Lead Counsellor in a large multicultural School I have also supported many teachers and staff members. I understand the pressures on schools and the need for a space to think and process feelings. Counselling can help to manage the difficult emotions that working with young people can evoke.

Free 15 minute initial phone call.

Initial Assessment Session 50 mins £65 for day appointments, £70 for after 5.00pm

Ongoing Individual Sessions 50 mins £65 for day appoinments, £70 for after 5.00pm

Parent Consultations 60 mins £70 for day appointments, £80 for after 5.00pm


Counselling for Counsellors

I do offer counselling for trainee counsellors and mental health professionals - if you are a trainee/ newly qualified counsellor seeking help we can work together to address both work related and personal issues.

Payments
Payment are made at the beginning of each session by cash or in advance of the session, by bank transfer.

Sessions generally take place on a weekly basis and at the same time each week.

Please contact me through this website, or by text message or telephone 07596 140463, for further details and to arrange an initial session where we can explore whether the support I offer would be useful to you.

I always try to get back to you within 24 hours, yet generally it is sooner.

You can follow me on Facebook where I post information about Mental Health and Well Being.

Client Testimonials

‘Caron helped me throughout several phases of different struggles in my life in 2023 and 2024. I initially started counselling because of work related stress, having enjoyed her approach, we began to work on other areas, such as study, professional life, anxiety, self esteem and relationships. I have benefited greatly and seen improvements from our sessions. I highlight her professionalism and empathy, as key features in her work.’

‘Caron helped me at a time when I was struggling to adapt and adjust to the changes, first time parenthood brings. I found Caron to be insightful and I valued the different perspectives she offered to situations and the challenges I faced. This helped me to understand my own feelings and emotions more. With this new understanding, it was possible to untangle what lay behind my struggles and therefore allowed me to move forward. I am in a much better position now than when I first started counselling and am extremely grateful to Caron for helping me navigate this period of change in my life’.

‘I started seeing Caron at a time where I was feeling very lost. Caron helped me to understand myself and to make sense of my feelings. She was professional and compassionate, whilst constructively challenging my negative thought patterns and encouraging me to be kinder to myself. Overall I feel as though I have a lot more control over my life and am more content and happier with my decisions’.

'Your support and expertise have been a huge help and I feel the sessions have been of enormous benefit to me. It is great to finally start making sense of my life and world and to be feeling hopeful about the future. Your role in that has been massive'.

'Speaking to Caron helped me with the relationship difficulties I was facing whilst having a long term illness. Before I came to see her, I felt down and alone. Now I am calmer and feel more optimistic about the future. Ever since I was small, I have been a people pleaser but when I became ill, I wasn’t able to help people in the way that I did before. The sessions with Caron, in a safe space , helped me to understand further why I had got myself into a people pleasing pattern of behaviour. I can now listen to my own voice more and I am, slowly, realising that I am not less than others and I am worthy of the same love and respect.’

Location

I see clients in my private therapy practice in Stanmore, Middlesex, in a quiet residential road.

There is free parking available. I can be reached by the 142 bus and there is a bus stop 5 mins walk away. I can also be reached by the Jubilee Line, at Stanmore Station.

As I do not have a waiting room please arrive at the time of the appointment. If you do arrive early there is a nice area to take a walk before your session.