About me
Are you experiencing anxiety or depression? Do you need a safe space for someone to really listen to you? When life events, feelings, patterns of behaviour, recent or past traumatic events become overwhelming, it can feel so hard to cope with things on your own... and often hard to reach out to family or friends. But you don't have to do it all alone...we all need a bit of help sometimes and change is absolutely possible.
As a fully qualified and experienced psychotherapeutic counsellor offering counselling and psychotherapy, I aim to offer you a safe, confidential, non-judgemental, empathetic space, where you can talk freely and explore your thoughts and feelings. We can work together to try and identify where patterns may come from, explore how childhood events may have impacted you, and help you make sense of any issues or concerns. We can work at your own pace, to find out what you need, in order to make the changes that you want to make.
Working in a way that offers a combined approach to counselling and psychotherapy, blending various different elements together, means I can support to you in the best way possible.
I also work with a holistic approach i.e. looking at the whole person, understanding that as human beings, our wellbeing is connected mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Using somatic intelligence can help to acknowledge and understand how emotions and trauma can be stored in our bodies and how this may affect you.
My background: As a military veteran who has served almost a decade in the armed forces and also many years in the corporate world, I really understand how life events, both personal and professional, can cause stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem/confidence, feeling sadness and loneliness, panic attacks, dissociation and trauma responses.
I feel passionate about helping people work through anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD whether it's recent here and now, or historic events such as being an adult survivor of childhood abuse or neglect (including survivors of parents with Alcohol Use Dependency [alcoholism] or childhood sexual abuse), supporting and helping them to move forward to live a happier and more fulfilling life and thriving, not just surviving.
Please click on my website link if you would like to know more about how I can support you, including testimonials from clients that I've worked with, which may help you decide if I could be the right therapist for your needs.
"Trauma is not what happens to you, it’s what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you. Trauma is that scarring that makes you less flexible, more rigid, less feeling and more defended." (Dr Gabor Mate)
Training, qualifications & experience
Experience:
I have many years of experience of working with clients both in an agency environment and in private practice, who are experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, loss as well as many other issues. Please check my website [chrisaliscounselling.com] if you would like to understand more about my experience and how I could help you.
Student Counsellors:
I am an integrative counsellor / therapist with more than 3+ years post both Level 4 and Level 5 qualifications and therefore able to work with student counsellors. Please see my website for further information regarding how I work with counsellors in training.
Qualifications:
- BACP Certificate in Proficiency
- CPCAB Level 5 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling
- CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
- CPCAB Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies
- CPCAB Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills
- OCN Level 3 Certificate in Working with Survivors of Sexual Violence (ISVA)
I attend ongoing Continuous Professional Development as required by my professional membership of the BACP.
Additional CPD Certificates / Training includes:
- Polyvagal Theory - Managing Anxiety & Trauma
- Working with Somatic Intelligence & Therapeutic Wisdom
- Advanced Memory Reconsolidation & Flash Technique
- Memory Reconsolidation & Flash Technique
- Online and Telephone Counselling
- Mindfulness Training
- Shame & Trauma Informed Practice
Please see my website for further information of client issues that I have experience of working with and testimonials from clients.
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
Disturbing / traumatic memories and pet bereavement.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer an initial consultation of 20 - 30 minutes, which is free of charge.
This can be face to face, via zoom or phone. It gives you an opportunity to tell me a little more about what has brought you to therapy and what help / support you would like from me and to see if I am a good fit for what you need.
If you decide you would like to proceed, sessions last 50 mins and cost £60 paid by bank transfer 24 hours in advance of the session, or cash with prior agreement.
I offer weekly or biweekly (fortnightly) sessions if that is preferable.
Please check out my website regarding concessionary rates for student counsellors.
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | |||||||
| Afternoon | |||||||
| Evening | |||||||
| Night |
My regular working hours are:
Mon: 17:00 - 21:00
Tue: 09:00 - 21:00
Wed: 09:00 - 21:00
Thu: 09:00 - 17:00
Further information
There are several steps up to my therapy room and a narrow pathway with gravel, which alas is not suitable for wheelchair use. However, I do offer sessions via zoom, which are accessible to anyone in the UK.
I also work with a small, quiet, well-behaved, hypoallergenic therapy companion dog, who brings a lovely energy to our work for face to face sessions (more info on my website).
