Cerys Overington

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(Sandcastles Play Therapy & Counselling Service)
No current availability
No current availability

This professional has no current availability for new clients. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.

Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO21
No current availability
No current availability

This professional has no current availability for new clients. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.

About me

Hello and welcome,

Thank you for visiting my page.

PLEASE NOTE: This page is for information only. I am unable to take on any new therapy clients at this time.  My waiting list is closed for therapy referrals.  Please see commissioning information at bottom of page.

I am a Person-centred trained Counsellor and Play Therapist working in private practice.  I provide emotional and psychological support across Whitby, Scarborough and Ryedale.  

I offer support to people with difficulties such as: domestic violence, sexual abuse/violence, sexual exploitation, loss and bereavement (including death by suicide), attachment difficulties and trauma.

As a qualified Play Therapist, my core work is in schools, supporting children and families.  This approach is non-directive, offering a child-centred approach to directly support the child.  This is further supported by my training as an Integrative Sandplay Therapist.  I work in partnership with schools, Local Authorities and Adoption Services to promote emotional well-being and healing from traumatic and distressing experiences.

In recent years, I have developed my practice further by undertaking specialist training in working with families, children and young people.  This incorporates my training as a Therapeutic Life Story Work practitioner, using the Richard Rose model.  I support children, who have been moved from the care of their birth family, to explore, question and understand past events of their life. Within this it gives them a voice and safe space to feel and express their emotions when making sense of past experiences and the relation it has to their current thoughts, feelings and behaviours. 

As a qualified Clinical Supervisor, trained by Jenny Biancardi, I provide support around professional learning and development to qualified and student therapists. 

Therapeutic Style

By using an integrative psychological therapy approach, I tailor support to meet the needs of each individual client. I believe it is important to adapt to individual needs and therefore implement regular reviews to help guide the therapy plan we develop.  Through my additional training in the BUSS (Building Up Sensorimotor Systems) Model, Filial Therapy and DDP (Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy), I value the importance of attachment-focused interventions in empowering families to make the necessary changes in their lives and enabling them to heal.  I am also trained in TraumaPlay and the Children’s Accelerated Trauma Technique (CATT).

You're welcome to have a half-hour initial telephone conversation with me to discuss how we could work together. Your initial face-to-face appointment will be a chance for us to develop our shared understanding of your (or your child's) difficulties and think about what you would like to achieve through therapy. I provide a safe, warm and compassionate space for you to begin working towards your healing.

If you would like to discuss further then please feel free to ring me for a non-obligatory discussion.

Training, qualifications & experience

Qualifications

  • Post Graduate Diploma in Play Therapy with Distinction - Leeds Beckett University
  • Certificate in Mental Health Awareness - Selby College
  • Post Graduate Certificate in Therapeutic Play - Leeds Beckett University
  • Foundation Degree in Arts with Distinction - Person-Centred Counselling - Teesside University
  • Level 2 Awareness in Bereavement Care - Cruse Bereavement Care

Professional Training

  • Certificate in Integrative Sandplay Therapy (awaiting qualification)
  • Children's Accelerated Trauma Technique (CATT) (trained by Trauma Psychology)
  • Certificate in Creative Clinical Supervision (trained by Jenny Biancardi)
  • Building Up Sensorimotor Systems (BUSS) Model Introduction & Level One
  • Advanced TraumaPlay (TraumaPlay Institute)
  • Online Tele-Play Therapy & Online Therapeutic Support Training
  • Certificate in Therapeutic Life Story Work (Richard Rose model)
  • BSL Level 1
  • Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy - Levels 1 & 2
  • Group Theraplay
  • Filial Therapy Training
  • Bereavement within the School Community - Child Bereavement UK
  • Working with Bereaved Children and Young People in Fractured Families - Child Bereavement UK
  • Lego: Build to Express
  • Child-Parent Relationship Therapy - Roehampton University
  • Taming the Tiger – The Impact of Trauma on Children and Young People
  • PREVENT Radicalisation Training
  • Mental Health First Aid Training for Young People
  • Level 2 Safeguarding and Child Protection
  • Fulcrum Psychological Training – Psychology and Physiology of; Addiction, Personality Disorders, Trauma & Vicarious Trauma
  • Brain Development & Neuroscience with Dr Bruce Perry
  • Understanding Sexual Trauma - LimeCulture
  • Court Witness Training

I work to BACP Ethics and Standards and I am experienced in providing therapeutic support for people impacted by sexual violence, suicide and homicide. I offer support to children, young people and adults under pre-court therapy protocol conditions.  I have been vetted by North Yorkshire Police following my previous work supporting victims of crime.

I engage with Social Workers and other lead professionals when children and families are subject to CIN or CP procedures and also support schools who may be seeking therapeutic support for Children in Care.  I am an approved provider of therapy with Adoption Tees Valley.  As a military veteran, I am experienced in working with serving personnel and veterans, and specialise in supporting children from Forces families.

Member organisations

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

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

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Fees

£50.00 per session
Free initial telephone session

Additional information

My fees vary according to the type of intervention eg 1:1, family, sibling group etc.

Initial meeting/consultation - £50 (rising to £55 from 1 January 2024)

Individual Play Therapy/Counselling Session (Self-Referral) - £50 (rising to £55 from 1 January 2024)

Supervision session (1 hour) - £60

Therapeutic Parenting - Price on request

Group Play Therapy (max 6 per group) - Price on request

Filial Therapy - Price on request

Therapeutic Life Story Work - Price on request

Local Authority/GP/School Referrals - Price on request

Further information

Appointments

​I am a mobile therapist, predominantly working in schools.  Other appropriate venues can be discussed.  Online therapy using Zoom/MS Teams is also available.

I am commissioned by the SWR Locality Hub to deliver play therapy services across SWR primary schools for children who have experienced ACEs.  Referrals can be made directly to me by schools for children who meet this criteria.  

I also work in collaboration with Fyling Hall School, St Edward’s RC Primary School, Whale Hill Primary School, Eston and Wheatlands Primary School, Redcar.

For a referral for a child or young person, I would generally attempt to arrange these appointments at school in order to be least disruptive to the child's day. It can be a challenge crossing the rural areas of North Yorkshire and travelling to and from therapy appointments can cause unnecessary stress.  That said, sometimes seeing the child in school is either not possible or not appropriate.  In such cases, attempts will be made to hire a room as near to the school as possible, i.e. in a children's centre or other community building. It can be helpful to engage with school staff such as the Headteacher/SENCO to ensure everyone is working together to benefit the child.

If you work at a school and are interested in my services, please contact me to arrange a free consultation. There are a series of packages available to school which can offer flexibility for either individual sessions or full/half-day services. I also welcome referrals from fostering agencies, Local Authorities and other agencies.  References can be provided from schools and other commissioning agencies where I am currently supporting children and families.

Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO21

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Children
Young people
Adults
Families
Groups
Organisations

Key details

DBS check

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

Wheelchair user access
Wheelchair user access

Wheelchair-accessible premises should have step-free access for wheelchair users and individuals who are unable to climb stairs. If a Counsellor's premises aren't step-free, they may offer alternative services such as telephone/web-based appointments, home visits, or meeting clients in different location, so you can choose the option that suits you best.

You can contact the Counsellor to discuss the options available.

Under the Equality Act 2010 service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that individuals with disabilities can access their service. You can read more about reasonable adjustments to help you to access services on the CAB website.

I do not offer my own premises. Accessibility will be based on usage of other venues.

Additional languages

Basic level BSL level 1

Online platforms

Zoom
Cerys Overington
Cerys Overington