About me
Hi and welcome, my name is Emma and I am a qualified Counsellor and registered member of the BACP. I work online or face-to-face in my practice in Earley, Reading.
I used to be a primary school teacher who due to 'burnout' became depressed and bedridden. Suffering from panic attacks I sought counselling for the first time and found the experience truly life-changing. Being listened to with understanding, empathy and no judgement changed the trajectory of my life. I decided I could not go back to the 'old me' and chose to help others and retrained as a counsellor myself.
Are you suffering from anxiety or depression? Are you finding you have low self-esteem, maybe a knock on effect from childhood family dynamics that make you a people pleaser? Do you have stress at work and a lack of boundaries where work is encroaching on your home life? Are you suffering from loneliness and would like to build up your confidence to meet others again? Maybe you have just forgotten who you are and would like to find yourself again?
These are all reasons why people can step into counselling for a while. I can help you notice what is happening in your life, consider what brought you to this way of behaving and responding. We can then work together to plan a healthier way forward and change those old patterns through assertiveness and maintaining healthy boundaries.
Sometimes people can just feel 'out of sorts' and not entirely sure what they want from counselling therapy. This is perfectly normal. I work in a relational way where you can bring whatever you like to discuss with no judgement. You are free to say the 'unsayable' at your own pace in a private confidential space. It can be life-changing to unburden yourself and finally feel heard and validated.
People can feel fearful about approaching counselling. There is no 'right' way for clients to 'do therapy.' I have a 'toolbox' of ideas to help you if you find talking awkward at first. Facing things that you have carried maybe for most of your life can feel much more manageable when you have an empathetic someone supporting you on the journey.
I offer you a calm, confidential space in my private therapy room or online if you prefer. You are the expert on you own life and I am here to help you contemplate what has brought you to counselling and help you facilitate changes in your life..
People I have worked with include:
- Carers of SEN children;
- Carers of elderly parents (sandwich generation);
- Carers of a partner;
- Clients suffering grief and bereavement;
- Those experiencing Menopause and Peri-menopause;
- Those with difficult birth family relationships including mother and daughter dynamics.
- Parents navigating teen or young adult dynamics, especially those returning from university.
- Those struggling with spouse or partner relationship issues.
- Those with work-life balance issues and helping them to create healthier boundaries..
- Those going through divorce and separation and dealing with split families.
- New parents navigating this life change.
What have some of my previous clients said about working with me?
- "I have been working with Emma for the past year, and her support has been truly transformative. She has helped me gain a much deeper understanding of myself and provided the tools I needed to build my confidence. Thanks to our sessions, I am now able to set healthy boundaries in my life—something I really struggled with before. I highly recommend Emma to anyone looking for a compassionate, insightful, and effective therapist."
- "I came to counselling whilst dealing with the stresses of caring for a parent. I felt very comfortable with Emma. She has created a calm therapy space and I felt able to be open and honest with her. She was able to help me recognise some of the roles I play in my life and with her help I felt better able to manage my situation. She also has a box of tools to help the process and I found the role cards she uses particularly helpful! I would highly recommend Emma as someone who can empathise and give you the space you need to talk things through."
- "I decided to have therapy following some family issues that had developed over the past few years. I wasn't at a point of crisis, but I wanted to work through the feelings that had built up over time. In total, I had around 10 sessions. Emma was kind, patient, and a great listener. She helped me express and explore what had happened over the previous few years. Simply having an independent person to talk to, and being able to voice thoughts and feelings that I had kept to myself, was incredibly helpful. Throughout our sessions, Emma remained empathetic and balanced, helping me feel heard."
www.emmasanderscounselling.co.uk
Training, qualifications & experience
- CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.
- CPCAB Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies
- CPCAB Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills
- Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling
My Previous career was in Primary Education for 25 years
I have worked for a charity in Reading and now have my own private practice in Earley, with free parking.
I am also a mother of a child on the Autism spectrum so have knowledge of what this entails as a parent dealing with the educational, legal and benefits systems.
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
£60.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
When I work
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Further information
Before our first session, I offer a free phone call to assess the issues that have brought you to counselling.
This is also a time for you to ask me any initial questions that you may have.
Should you decide to go ahead with a first session, I will email you a contract and payment information.
The first session is often about us getting to know each other and deciding which direction our work will take. I offer short term goal oriented therapy as well as long term therapy for deeper work. If this sounds like something that could work for you please feel free to get in touch via my email or mobile.
I offer counselling face to face, online and via telephone whichever is convenient to you.
