About me
Hello, my name is Charlotte and I'm an Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist. Listening empathically and without judgement is at the heart of what I offer during therapy sessions.
I am trained to Masters level and am based in the beautiful setting of Kilver Court, Shepton Mallet, where I work with adults of all ages.
No matter what feelings or circumstances have brought you to therapy, I can offer you a calm and safe space where I will encourage, guide and work with you to let go of the unhelpful ways of being that may be holding you back.
Most importantly, I want to support you in being who you want to be, allowing you to embrace your authentic self and live your life with healthy ways of dealing with the myriad of emotions that we all experience at some point.
I work long or short term, dependent on a person's needs and have helped people to cope with a wide range of issues including depression, trauma, anxiety, anger, abuse and bereavement amongst others.
The main basis of my approach will be person centred - I see us as equals; you are the expert on yourself and through working together, we can explore and understand your feelings and experiences, and how you have arrived where you are today.
You may wish to spend your sessions talking or you may wish to work creatively using sand tray therapy, drawing or exploring your dreams, to help free you from stuck or suppressed feelings so you can move forward in your life, fulfil your potential and be the person you want to be.
I am a registered member of BACP, which means I am bound by their Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions and their Professional Conduct Procedure. I have regular supervision, keep my skills up to date with Continuing Professional Development and have current professional indemnity insurance. I have BUPA recognition and an up to date DBS check.
Training, qualifications & experience
As well as my Masters degree, from Terapia, I also have a Certificate in Counselling Skills and Theoretical Perspectives in Psychotherapy, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies from the Tavistock Centre. My initial degree was in Psychology at Sussex University.
I have always worked within the caring profession, predominantly working with children in many capacities including as a nanny, a 1:1 therapist with autistic children, a research assistant at Great Ormond Street Hospital and as a residential social worker in children's homes.
Since starting my MA in 2007, I've worked as an Integrative Psychotherapist and Counsellor in schools, charities and in private practice. I was a trainee for the first three years, until I qualified in 2010.
In 2012 when I returned to Somerset from London, I began running a private practice at Kilver Court, Shepton Mallet working with children, adolescents and adults to help them overcome a range of difficulties and emotions.
Over the years, I discovered that my passion led in working solely with adults. Often, even as adults, we carry around parts of our ‘inner child’ with us and in helping people to untangle childhood experiences and explore challenging emotions, behaviours and experiences, I am able to help them move forward as adults equipped with healthy ways of managing difficult feelings.
Member organisations
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
BACP is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Therapists registered with the Association fall into a number of different membership categories such as Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP and Registered Member MBACP (Accred), each standing for different levels of training and experience. MBACP (Accred) and MBACP (Snr Accred) members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association.
Registered members can be found on the BACP Register, which was the first register to achieve Accredited Voluntary Register status issued by the Professional Standards Authority. Individual Members will have completed an appropriate counselling and/or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but will not appear on the BACP Register until they've progressed to Registered Member MBACP status.
All members are bound by a Code of Ethics & Practice and a Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
Additional information
I charge £50 for a 50 minute session.
This includes face to face, zoom and telephone sessions.
Payment can be made by BACS before the session or by cash, card or cheque at the session.
At the moment, payment would ideally be made by BACS.
Availability
I'm at Kilver Court from 9.30 to 6 on Tuesdays, from 2.30 to 6 on Wednesdays and from 9.30 to 6 on Thursdays.
Further information
You will probably feel nervous about approaching someone for help and this is quite normal. Often, once people have asked for help or disclosed something they felt they never could, they wish they had done it much sooner.
I can provide short term counselling if you have a specific issue in mind. This may be right for you if a recent event, such as a job loss or bereavement is troubling you. I also work with longer term clients at a deeper level, exploring long standing issues or repressed feelings.
We can discuss at the initial session whether a short term or open-ended approach would be best and this may change as we work together.
Prior to the initial session, I will e-mail you a counselling agreement, which includes information on how I'm working during the coronavirus pandemic, my privacy statement and information about cancellation policy etc. This is so you know what to expect and to see if you have anything you'd like to discuss further or have clarified before we start our sessions.
In the initial session I will take down some information such as what is currently troubling you, contact details, some personal history, your expectations and hopes for coming and I will explain confidentiality. I'll also give you the opportunity to ask me any questions.
It is important that you feel comfortable and trust your instincts when choosing a counsellor or therapist - we can have a phone call or email exchange before your first session to get a feel for who I am and how I work, if you would like to. Please get in touch to arrange this.
I also work at Track Clinic on Wednesday mornings as an Equine Assisted Psychotherapist.
https://www.trackclinic.co.uk