Claire Kerby
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I'm an experienced and accredited counsellor supporting people affected by anxiety, depression, stress, low self-esteem and loss, bereavement, financial loss or other. I also specialise in counselling those who may be affected by long term health conditions / chronic illness.
Are you worried about something happening in your life right now, something that has already happened, or that you think might happen soon? Are you tired because you can't sleep? Feeling frazzled because there's so much going on and your head is spinning with it all?
I support adults who want a professional to talk to, adapting my approach to each person given their needs and circumstances. Whether you're feeling mildly depressed by work, uncertain in your relationship, or you've heard that you or a family member is facing a terminal illness, we can ALL value from talking to someone outside our normal lives. All of us want and deserve a sense of fulfilment, enjoyment and joy in our lives. We need self-compassion and kindness and these are the values that underpin my work.
How does it work? My counselling sessions are mostly online and last 50 minutes. Alternatively, if you live in or near Hereford I can offer in-person sessions if you prefer.
I always suggest that we have an initial phone conversation (free of charge) lasting 20-30 minutes so that we can introduce ourselves to each other, and begin to understand what support might be beneficial for you.
What's my approach? My personal experience of loss and survival is extensive and this makes me highly empathic, sensitive and completely non judgemental towards whatever may be bothering you. I won't put any pressure on you to talk if you don't want to. I'm here primarily to listen to you, to be curious and work with you to find new perspectives and maybe more helpful ways of looking at things.
In terms of the 'type' of counselling I offer, I'm trained integratively so may borrow from different modalities, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) if and when it feels appropriate. I'm also trained in, and regularly practise, Mindfulness Meditation.
In addition to my core practice as described above, I provide individual counselling and support for people exposed to chronic health conditions. Being diagnosed with a chronic health condition can be a shock and it may impact every aspect of your life. What’s especially hard is accepting the ‘new you’, coming to terms with it, and learning to manage it and its unpredictability in ways that still allow for pleasure and joy for you and those close to you. Often it's those close to you who also need support in that their life too may have been turned upside down.
Want to know more about my approach?
You can read my article about managing anxiety here
My article about loss here
And my article about counselling for chronic health conditions here.
Take that first step and text or call me so we can have an initial chat about how best I can support you.
You can also find out more about me via my website:
https://wyetalkcounselling.co.uk/
Training, qualifications & experience
- MBACP (Member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy)
- National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (Accredited member)
- Member of the Private Practice Group within the BACP
- Key counselling training: Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling from University of Bristol 2012, (an integrative course) which included additional training in areas such as Systems, Gestalt, Psychodynamics, and CBT
- Currently volunteer with HvOSS (Hereford / City of Sanctuary)
- Ex volunteer Cruse Bereavement
- Support Worker - Safe Haven (MIND, Hereford)
- Breathwork Mindfulness teacher training (first stage)
- BA (Hons) from Kings College London
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.
The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society This Not For Profit association of counsellors and psychotherapists aim to support the counselling profession, members and training organisations. In 2013 the NCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under the Accredited Voluntary Register Scheme. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£50.00 - £60.00
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
An initial 10-20 minute phone conversation is suggested for which no charge is made.
When I work
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Further information
"I feel incredibly fortunate to have connected with Claire. I was a little nervous and daunted about the process, but Claire was kind, patient, professional and offered real and very practical advice and techniques that were relevant to me and my circumstances. The process helped me move forward and gave me a sense of perspective going forwards in life and I feel stronger for it." Gemma
"I've just finished my sessions with Claire after working with her for six months, and she has been nothing short of amazing. Claire was so understanding, kind and took her time to understand me, how I think, and to find the best way to communicate things to me for me to understand. She would 'call me out' when I needed to be, which helped so much with grounding me in reality and making me think more rationally again. She's helped me build up my confidence and learn techniques to deal with the really stressful and depressing period of my life I was in, as well as to prepare me to use everything I've learned in the future. All in all, I'm in a much better place now thanks to my sessions with Claire and everyone around me has noticed the progress and improvement while I was working with her and afterwards. I strongly encourage anyone to give her a try as I had such a fantastic journey with her." Samantha
“I am so happy to have found Claire. She was willing to work with me via video calls, guiding me through my anxieties with so much care and kindness.
She is warm and approachable and gave me the tools to better handle stressful situations in the future and encouraged me to have more compassion for myself. Thank you for everything!” Ali
"Claire adopts a practical, no-nonsense approach which suited me down to the ground. The process was more about nudging in the right direction for me to sort things out for myself. I thoroughly recommend Claire." Paul
