About me
You may be tearful, struggling with anxiety, low self-esteem, emotional overwhelm, relationship difficulties, grief or loss, childhood trauma showing up in adulthood, complex trauma (CPTSD). You may be struggling to understand repeating patterns of behaviour, people pleasing, perfectionism, over achieving and burn out or a persistent feeling that life is harder than it should be. Perhaps you find yourself feeling disconnected from yourself and others, or carrying the emotional impact of negative experiences.
My name is Cheryl Burgess, a BACP-registered Relational Integrative Psychotherapist and Therapeutic Counsellor specialising in Anxiety, Attachment, Child Developmental Trauma showing up in adults, Trauma CPTSD, Relationship difficulties and Bereavement. I work with adults who want to understand themselves, want to heal from past traumas, awful environments and/or experiences and create meaningful, lasting change with greater clarity, decision making and closer connections in their lives. Often, clients tell me how surprisingly lighter and relieved they feel after just a few sessions of therapy.
My approach is warm, compassionate and non-judgemental. I believe that many of our present-day struggles are rooted in earlier experiences, relationships and survival strategies that once protected us but may no longer serve us. Together, we can explore your experiences at a pace that feels safe and supportive, helping you make sense of your thoughts, emotions and relationship patterns.
What makes my practice so successful is the unique depth and breadth of experience I bring to each client additional to training. Before training as a psychotherapist, I spent twenty years as a Specialist Foster Carer supporting children with complex trauma, attachment difficulties and additional needs. Prior to this, I worked as a Child and Family Lawyer, advocating for children and families facing some of life's most challenging circumstances.
These experiences have given me a profound understanding of attachment trauma, developmental trauma, family dynamics, resilience and the lifelong impact of adverse childhood experiences. They continue to inform my therapeutic work in a way that extends beyond professional training alone.
My particular areas of interest include childhood trauma, attachment wounds, complex trauma (CPTSD), childhood emotional neglect, anxiety, relationship difficulties, identity and self-worth, grief and loss, and the long-term effects of growing up in emotionally challenging environments. I am passionate about helping those children who have grown into adults who had no proper interventions or therapy, realising the impact on themselves as an individual and as part of a relationship or family. That drawing upon my extensive fostering experience and understanding of the unique challenges they face.
Taking the first step
Reaching out for therapy can feel daunting—but you don’t have to do it alone. I offer a free 20-minute consultation so you can ask questions and see if this feels right for you. Please see further information about me and how I practice at
https://achievewellbeingtherapy.co.uk
👉 Book your free consultation
📞 Or call: 01325 796770
I aim to respond within 24 hours, often sooner.
Training, qualifications & experience
- CPCAB Level 3 Counselling Certificate
- LLB (Hons), PGDip Legal Practice
- PG Dip Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Online and Telephone Training Certification - Counselling Tutor
I bring not only my education, knowledge and training but a varied and diverse life experience as an individual to my role as a Therapist. In addition, a unique perspective informed by my roles as a wife, mother, adoptive parent & former family solicitor. Not forgetting 20+ yrs as a therapeutic foster parent with practical experience of connecting and re-parenting children with attachment and trauma symptoms. This rich blend of personal and professional experience allows me to offer insightful, empathic, tailored therapy.
My relational approach prioritises the therapeutic alliance, as evidentially a strong connection between therapist and client is key to successful outcomes. I also welcome diversity and embrace each individual for who they are.
I lean primarily towards person-centred therapy while incorporating other techniques based on your needs. These include:
- Psychoanlytic, Psychodynamic and Attachment-Focused Approaches
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), reframe narrative
- Transactional Analysis (e.g., script and PAC work)
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) parts, inner-wounded child work.
- Brief Solution-Focused Therapy
- Bereavement: Kubler-Ross and Tonkin models
- Somatic - hearty, mind, body healing, grounding techniques, breathwork, and tapping
I support people to feel empowered to cope with issues such as bereavement, anxiety, depression, stress, family issues & low self-esteem. If you would like to chat about how we could work together, please feel free to get in touch
Membership organisations
- BACP registered member.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas I provide counselling support with:
Meaning crisis
Sense of loss of purpose/meaning
Emotional numbness
Abandonment
Co-dependency
Complex PTSD
Family enmeshment
Sexual compulsion
Therapies offered
Fees
£45.00 - £60.00
