Claire Lock
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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
Hello and welcome to my profile. I'm Claire an Integrative Psychotherapist/Arts Therapist working with adults and young people.
If you've arrived here, you're most likely contemplating some kind of change. You may feel that you can't carry on as you are, or you may be curious to discover more about yourself.
Perhap's you are feeling anxious, depressed or overwhelmed, are managing a difficult situation or relationship or are struggling with a sense of purpose and meaning in life. However you arrive, I will meet you with warmth, curiosity and a willingness to discover what makes you thrive.
In the comfortable rooms I work from in Bishops Stortford, I offer a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space for you to explore whatever it is that troubles you and the change you are hoping for. Working together we can develop a shared understanding of the situation you find yourself in, so that you can find your own meanings and ways past the difficulties you are experiencing.
My approach is authentic, empathic and curious, with the intention of building strong and collaborative working relationships. I will support you to explore how your past may be causing issues in the present, to gain clarity and insight and to rediscover and develop the resources you need to live a happier, fuller life.
I believe that each person’s lived experience is unique and my integrative training enables me to draw on a wide range of therapeutic perspectives to find a way of working together that best suits your needs. As it is not always easy to find words to express your experience, if you choose I am able to incorporate a range of creative approaches into our work. These include, but are not limited to, arts and creative expression, meditation and visualisation, sand-tray therapy, movement and body work as well as working with dreams and metaphor.
To find out more about the service I offer please visit my website.
Getting Started
Deciding to go to counselling can be a difficult first step. Some people find the idea of therapy daunting whilst others feel a sense of failure if they haven't resolved their problems by themselves. I fully recognise the courage it takes to look for professional help and the importance of choosing a therapist who you feel is right for you.
With this in mind, I offer an initial, free, half-hour telephone consulation so you can establish whether my approach might be of help to you. If you would then like to proceed, our first session is an opportunity to discuss your needs and situation in detail, explore any questions you have and to see whether you will feel comfortable working with me.
I have been honoured to work with a diverse range of clients and have experience with both short and long term work. I offer face-to-face sessions in a peaceful, private setting in Bishop's Stortford and online sessions via Zoom .
Training, qualifications & experience
MA (Distinction) Integrative Arts Psychotherapy. (IATE)
Advanced Diploma in the Therapeutic and Educational application of the Arts. (IATE)
Certificate in Counselling Skills. (IATE)
B.A. Primary Education. (Goldsmiths College)
My experience of working in the NHS and in voluntary community settings has seen me successfully work with individuals and groups with a wide range of presenting issues including; long term and chronic anxiety and depression, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, trauma, grief and loss and family and relationship problems.
In addition to my private practice I currently work with individuals and groups at a Cambridge based charity. I have a lifetime of involvement in the arts in various capacities, including in my previous career as a primary school teacher.
Member organisations
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 HCPC are an independent, UK-wide health regulator. They set standards of professional training, performance and conduct for 16 professions.
They keep a register of health professionals who meet their standards, and they take action if registered health professionals fall below those standards. They were created by a piece of legislation called the Health Professions Order 2001.
Registration means that a health professional meets national standards for their professional training, performance and conduct.
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
Fees
£80.00 - £100.00
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Low income rate: Set to a sliding scale - please enquire
When I work
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Further information
As a Member of BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), I am bound by its Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy and am subject to their professional conduct procedures. I have regular supervision with a UKCP registered supervisor and am committed to ongoing professional development.
