Cathy Harpham
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hi and welcome to my practice. I am a Person Centred counsellor, which means I work to understand what your world is like. I am here to listen and will support you whilst you explore what is troubling you. Through feeling fully accepted and heard in a safe, non-judgemental space, I believe that you will find your own answers.
What to Expect
It's important to me that you feel the way I work, fits with your expectations. When you first make contact, we can arrange to have a brief chat, free of charge. We can chat about what you would like to get from your counselling. If we are happy to progress, we can book your first session in.
I tend to send my counselling contract across to you at this point. This is so you can have a read through it and ask any questions about the process. The first session will include me asking some questions to find out more about you and we will also go through the contract together, as this lays out the way we work together. The rest of the session and every other session, will be yours to discuss what you want.
We work at your pace. You can have as many or as few sessions as you feel necessary. We will review our work together every 6 weeks, or less, if fewer sessions are required. I work in line with BACP ethics, so feel its important that you are getting what you want from the sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes long and are usually at the same time each week. I am flexible though and know that sometimes shorter sessions may be preferable, for example. Please contact me to discuss what I can offer here.
During the Sessions
I know how important it is to feel you can trust your counsellor. This can take time and I know from my personal experience of counselling, how difficult and anxiety provoking it can be! Please feel to bring things into the session that might help you feel more at ease, such as fidget toys, knitting, crochet, colouring book, journal, cup of tea etc. You are also free to move around too.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have experience working with a variety of issues. I have lived and professional experience of neurodivergence. I also know what it's like as a parent, to support a child through mental health struggles. I work as a volunteer counsellor at Cheshire Autism Practical Support.
I am always learning and continually undertake professional development, to ensure I am informed. I am currently undertaking further studies in trauma informed practice.
- Level 4 Diploma Therapeutic Counselling
- Certificate in working creatively with autistic people
- Introduction to Sand Tray Therapy
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
Fees
£45.00 - £55.00
Free initial telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer face to face, online and telephone sessions.
- Face to face adult - £55
- Face to face young person (16-18) - £50
- Online/phone - adult/young person - £45
When I work
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I am willing to be flexible and can sometimes offer appointments outside of these hours.
Further information
My hope is that my practice is accessible for all. My passion lies in working with neurodivergence, in particular with the autistic community. This stems from learning about my children's sensory differences and from working with autistic people. I am constantly learning and willing to be flexible, as I understand there are differences in processing, different sensory experiences, and different ways of thinking. I am becoming acutely aware of how oppressive it can feel, to live in a society that actively seems to suppress natural ways of being for some people. I really work to hear about what it is like for you to be in this world.
