Christa Drennan BACP Accred MA Counselling & Psychotherapy

Training, qualifications & experience

I first trained as a counsellor in 1992. I have a Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling, a Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy, and I have been a fully accredited counsellor with BACP since 1999. I am also a member of the British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA).

I have worked in a variety of settings including GP surgeries, hospitals, the voluntary sector and private practice. I have provided both infertility counselling and bereavement counselling in specialist settings, and have worked for many years in generic settings where presenting issues are wide-ranging and varied. I work with individuals, couples and relationships of all kinds. For more about me, my work and my experience, please visit my website.

Further information

There are literally hundreds of different types of psychological therapy, but they can broadly be divided into three categories: behavioural therapies, which focus on cognitions (mental processes) and behaviours, psychoanalytical and psychodynamic therapies, which focus on the unconscious relationship patterns that evolved from childhood, and humanistic therapies, which focus more on self-development, and what is going on 'here and now'.

As an integrative counsellor/therapist, my training has drawn on aspects of all these categories, but in the main it is a humanistic approach. This means we begin with (but are not limited to) what is going on in the present, and as the trusting relationship between the therapist and the client develops, this becomes a safe and therapeutic space to work towards greater wellbeing. Clients are encouraged to think about their feelings and take responsibility for their thoughts and actions, and the therapy can be described as "holistic" or looking at the person as a whole, including context and social factors.