Charlotte Clements
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
Have you ever been told to "stop making a fuss and just get on with it," or that you’re "too quiet," "too sensitive," or conversely, "too much", leaving you unsure how you're supposed to be or what to do with your feelings?
I'm Charlotte (she/her), a BACP accredited psychotherapist and counsellor based in Castle Cary, Somerset. I offer face-to-face, online and telephone sessions from a peaceful, private upstairs space in my home.
Since qualifying with an MA in 2010, I’ve worked with people of all ages, many of whom have felt their natural emotions dismissed or invalidated, or that they are somehow "different" or "wrong". This includes those who are highly sensitive, introverted, neurodivergent, or who’ve experienced trauma, difficult family dynamics, or emotional neglect - a quiet, invisible wound that can leave you feeling unseen, unheard, or unsure how to express your feelings safely.
I’ve supported people stuck in anxiety, shame, grief, depression and trauma, and have seen how draining it is to constantly worry about how others perceive you, while feeling lost and unfulfilled inside.
You might feel misunderstood or like the "black sheep" of your family, and this may be because you are courageously confronting and working through challenging emotions and generational trauma that others may be denying or suppressing.
Perhaps you’ve spent years trying to get it “right,” silently managing overwhelm or masking your true self to fit in.
If you're ready to look at what’s been holding you back and begin making changes, gently, and at your own pace, please get in touch to book a free, no-obligation, 15-minute online or phone call. Or, if you're ready, we can arrange a first full session and begin exploring together.
How therapy can help you
Therapy offers a space where all emotions are welcome and valid. You can feel heard and accepted exactly as you are, knowing that you matter and your uniqueness is something to be proud of.
Together we can explore how early experiences, particularly in childhood, may have shaped your sense of self and your beliefs about the world. From there, we can begin to untangle what’s no longer helpful and support you in moving forward with more freedom, clarity and self-trust.
My personal experience
I know how hard it can be to feel like there’s something "wrong" with who you are, and I know the courage it takes to walk your own path, especially if it doesn’t look like everyone else’s.
Some of my choices and ways of being have come in for criticism and judgment over the years, and I’ve often doubted myself, but over time, I’ve come to view my introversion and high sensitivity as strengths, particularly in my work as a therapist. They allow me to sit deeply with people’s feelings, attune to what’s often unspoken, and hold space for the kind of emotional exploration that brings real relief and growth.
I was brought up in a "stiff upper lip" environment, where there was little space to process difficult feelings or challenging dynamics. But I’ve turned that around and built a life and career based in doing the very opposite!
Clients have told me they feel heard, valued, and "no longer drowning at sea but more able to ride the waves of life."
I’ve been described as "warm, gentle, compassionate and deeply intuitive with a quality of stillness which is both containing and allowing, offering clients an experience of being accepted for who they are with no agenda."
If any of this resonates, and you're curious to find out more, do feel free to get in touch, I'd be very happy to hear from you.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are important to me.
I welcome people of all backgrounds, identities and experiences, especially those who may not have felt truly seen, heard or accepted in other spaces.
Training, qualifications & experience
As well as my Master’s Degree from Terapia (Middlesex University) in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents, I also hold 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 from Sussex University.
My core training was Integrative, and I would describe my approach as primarily person-centred, relational and creative. I often draw on the use of sand tray, and other expressive tools to help clients explore feelings that may not yet have words.
I’m also interested in helping people feel grounded and safe in their bodies, particularly those who feel overwhelmed, scattered, or disconnected. My intention is always to meet you where you are and go at your pace.
I’ve worked in the caring professions throughout my life, originally with children in many capacities, including as a nanny, a 1:1 therapist and school ‘shadow’ for neurodivergent children, a research assistant at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and a residential social worker in children’s homes.
Since beginning my MA in 2007, I’ve worked as an Integrative Psychotherapist and Counsellor in schools, for charities and in private practice. I qualified in 2010 after three years as a trainee, and in 2012, after moving from London back to Somerset, I began running my own practice from Kilver Court in Shepton Mallet, working with children, adolescents and adults to help them navigate a range of difficulties and emotional challenges.
Over time, I discovered my deepest passion lies in working with adolescents and adults. Often, even as adults, we carry parts of our ‘inner child’ with us. Helping people to untangle early experiences and the emotional patterns that formed around them can bring enormous relief and freedom. It’s a privilege to witness that kind of transformation.
I now work from the comfort of a peaceful upstairs room in my home in Castle Cary, Somerset, and offer sessions in person, online and on the phone.
In addition to my psychotherapy qualifications, I’m also a qualified Vegan Natural Chef, trained at the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London. This training deepened my understanding of the mind-body connection and how food can be used as medicine. Whilst not a nutritionist, I’m happy to draw on this knowledge in sessions if that’s something you’re curious about.
My MA led to accreditation with UKCP, and I’m an accredited member of the BACP, working within their Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions and Professional Conduct Procedure.
I attend regular individual and peer supervision, hold up-to-date professional indemnity insurance and an enhanced DBS check, and I’m recognised by BUPA.
I regularly undertake further training to deepen my understanding and keep my practice current and informed.
I’m currently exploring further training in body-based and nervous system-informed approaches, particularly in relation to trauma and high sensitivity.
Completed CPD
- Autism & ADHD in Girls and Women: Using Neurodiversity Affirming Therapy Throughout the Lifespan
- Trans Awareness: The basics.
- Putting polyvagal theory into practice.
- Working with shame.
- Working with trauma, triggers and flashbacks.
- Introduction to Jungian shadow work.
- The pain of abandonment.
- Healing the fragmented self after trauma.
- Clinical Application of IFS theory: Integrative approaches for trauma, attachment, neurodiversity and more.
- Existential Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling
- Working with the Highly Sensitive Person Part 1 and 2.
- Understanding Autism.
- Introductory Transactional Analysis 101 Course.
- Family Constellation: Understanding family system, structure and dynamics.
- Forgiving Life; Forgiving death and beginning again.
- Jung and Transactional Analysis
- Secrets and Lies - Uncovering hidden truths in family histories.
- 7 keys for working successfully with men in therapy.
- Neuroscience - Introduction to the amygdala hijack.
- Working with shame in the therapy room.
- The highly sensitive person in psychotherapy.
- Mind or body - what's in charge?
- Loss - What does life mean for me now?
- Working with survivors of sexual abuse.
- Exploring challenges and strategies for positive adolescent mental health.
- Assessment and treatment of suicidality.An experience of embodied relational therapy.
- PTSD: dual awareness and the sensory nervous system.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
I'm very interested in the 'replacement child' phenomenon. This refers to the situation where parents, who have lost a child, have another child to (consciously or unconsciously) fill the void left by the child who sadly died. This new child, often referred to as the 'replacement child', may be expected to fulfill the role of the lost child, inheriting the emotional weight and expectations that come with this position.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£70.00 per session
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
I charge £70 for a 50 minute session.
This includes face to face, online and telephone sessions.
Payment can be made by BACS before the session or by card or cash at face to face sessions.
I offer a free up to 15 minute phone or online introductory call.
When I work
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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.
Prior to the initial session, I will email you an agreement, which includes my privacy statement and information about cancellation policy, amongst other things, as well as, a place for you to fill in your contact details. 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, we will discuss what is currently troubling you, some personal history, your expectations and hopes for your sessions 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 15 minute phone or online 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.
