Claire Wilson

Verified Professional task_alt Verified Professional
Verified Professional

Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.

she/her
Registered MBACP
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

location_on Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK45 3RD
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

I am currently offering LOW COST SUPERVISION until I qualify as a Supervisor.

**Please see my Supervisor profile**

___________________________________________________________________________

I offer both In Person and Online Counselling/Supervision:

In-person : Happy Body Project, West Park Farm, Wilstead Hill, Bedford, MK45 3RD.

Online - via Zoom (as well as Facetime, Whatsapp Video etc) and telephone

My Story

Hello and welcome to my profile. My name is Claire and I am a qualified Counsellor and registered member of the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy).

I offer face to face Counselling via the therapy rooms at The Happy Body Project (West Park Farm, Wilstead Hill, Bedford, Bedfordshire MK45 3RD), working with warmth, confidentiality and with no judgement or opinions, giving you a safe space to talk about difficulties and events in life. We can explore how you are feeling and perhaps work through your thought processes and support you to find your own solutions and move forward.

My Background

I previously worked at MIND BLMK, working with adult clients supporting positive mental health and wellbeing. Before this I worked as a Pastoral Support Officer within the Sixth Form of an Upper School, supporting teenagers aged 16-19. Prior to this, I worked in Human Resources, Recruitment and Customer Services, but I knew for a long time that I was destined to be a counsellor because I’ve always liked to help and support people.

I had some difficulties early on in life and went through a sudden bereavement (loss of a parent) and a very traumatic relationship, resulting in me experiencing depression and anxiety. Like many people do, I just tried to move forward and get on with life and told myself that other people faced worse things. It wasn’t until I went through a very difficult relationship breakup in my mid twenties that I had short-term counselling and found it extremely useful to have a safe, non judgemental place to just talk about me and how I was feeling. I had just 6 sessions and although it was very much focused on the current relationship breakdown, I started to realise that this was just a symptom of much bigger things that I’d never really spoken about. Since then, I’ve had counselling several times and worked through a number of life’s curveballs.

If I could talk to my younger self, I would encourage her to seek help sooner. I think it’s often human nature to struggle alone for too long as I think the voice in our heads can be a little unkind when we are facing difficulties. Talking through things in a safe, friendly environment can be life changing and I feel very lucky to be a Counsellor who sees such wonderful changes in clients.

I believe that my own ongoing personal growth and professional knowledge is important to our work together therefore I attend regular Continual Professional Development training and also continue to have therapy myself.

Why Come To Counselling?

Talking is a helpful way of expressing how we feel, and helps us work through the things we are facing. It can be of great benefit to talk to friends and family, often the feelings we have and issues we face involve our friends and family, and being open and honest might cause them to have an emotional reaction, or to be impacted in some way. So, sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger, i.e. a counsellor such as myself. I will help you to look at your problems in a different way. I will respect you and your opinions, whatever you tell me, there will be no judgment. Whilst talking doesn’t make your problems go away, it will help make them easier to cope with and enable you to feel happier.

What Kind Of Counselling Do I Offer?

I am trained in Person Centered Counselling and use this as my core approach, although I do use CBT on occasion. Person Centred is a bit like a therapeutic car journey. You, the client, are always in the driving seat and I, the counsellor, am always sat beside you. You’re always in charge of which way we go, i.e. what you’d like to talk about, but if you get stuck, you won’t be alone and together we can help you to make sense of whatever you are facing. I believe in an individual’s ability to grow and develop in a way that is best for them.

Although I do have a specialism of working with Anxiety, being Person Centred means that I am trained to work with whatever you bring to the therapy room. Whilst there’s often a reason for seeking therapy, the session time is entirely yours; we can talk about whatever you want – it’s your time. I have experience in working with anxiety and overthinking, depression, stress, relationship issues, loss, trust issues, sexual issues, trauma, childhood sexual abuse, eating disorders and addiction to name but a few.

Specialist Area

I specialise in working with anxiety. Through my own struggles (with anxiety and depression), which started in my youth, I have learned to understand Anxiety and manage the symptoms that all too frequently can make us feel overwhelmed. In my experience, the dreaded overthinking and anxiety are like best friends and regularly hang out together. Unfortunately, it’s never fun when these 2 get together and the result can be that you’re left feeling overwhelmed and struggling with low mood. Certainly, that’s been my experience, and the more I work with Anxiety in the counselling room, the more I see this happen.

Sessions

Once you’ve made contact with me, we will arrange a first session, which will include an Assessment. This session is a little longer (around an hour), but is charged at the standard session rate. I offer face to face Counselling via the therapy rooms at The Happy Body Project (West Park Farm, Wilstead Hill, Bedford, Bedfordshire MK45 3RD). There are some pictures of the rooms I use there. The Wellness Centre has a receptions area so you are welcome to come in adn help yourself to a drink before your session starts. There is plenty of off-road parking available for your convenience.

It’s perfectly natural to feel nervous about coming along for the first time; I know I always feel a little nervous when I meet new clients. As previously mentioned, the first session is generally around an hour, and there’s a little paperwork to complete, but I will email this to you in advance, so this admin part doesn’t take very long. We will then talk about your reasons for coming to therapy and if there’s anything, in particular, you’d like to use the time for. During this session, my main aim is to put your mind at ease and help you start your therapeutic journey.

The number of sessions you’ll want or need is an individual thing. Short term therapy is usually considered to be around 8 sessions, but for many the journey is different and we can talk about what you’d like to achieve and how long it might take when we meet. Weekly sessions are considered to be the best frequency to come to counselling, but we can discuss different ways of working to suit you.

Getting in touch...

Any questions at all, please do not hesitate to get in touch by phone, email, text or WhatsApp - whatever method suits you.

Training, qualifications & experience

My Qualifications

  • Level 6 – 'Tailor Made’ Diploma in Clinical Supervision - CPCAB
  • Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling - CPCAB
  • Level 3 Counselling Studies - CPCAB
  • Level 2 Counselling Skills - CPCAB
  • Level 1 Counselling Skills - Spark Adult Learning
  • BACP (British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists) Certificate of Proficiency
  • IARTT International Association For Rewind Trauma Therapy
  • (ESTD - European Society for Trauma & Dissociation) Dissociation and Complex Trauma in Children and Adolescents - Assessment and Treatment
  • Advanced Safeguarding Children and Young People

Additional CPD (Continued Professional Development)

  • Dissociation in Children and Adolescents Assessment and Treatment
  • REWIND Technique - Post Traumatic Stress and Trauma Therapy
  • Anxiety
  • Bereavement and Awareness
  • Generalised Anxiety Disorder
  • Panic attacks
  • Panic Disorder
  • Guilt
  • Anger
  • Attachment
  • Ego Defense Mechanisms
  • Life Scripts
  • Functional Fluency (Transactional Analysis)
  • Relational Depth (Mick Cooper workshop)
  • Child Trauma and Dissociation Conference
  • Sexual Trauma
  • Advanced Safeguarding Children
  • Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults (Mind)
  • Understanding the Nature of Trauma in Therapy
  • Bereavement and Awareness
  • Working with the Inner Child

Member of the BACP

Member organisations

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

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

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Areas of counselling I deal with

Photos & videos

Fees

£55.00 - £65.00

Concessions offered for

  • check_circle Trainee counsellors

Additional information

Counselling Sessions (50 minutes) - £65 In person/£55 Zoom 

First Counselling Session and assessment – (60 minutes) - £65 In person/£55 Zoom 

As I have been DBS checked, I can offer on-site school student counselling sessions School Counselling (60 minutes) - from £60. Reductions are available for day rate work (multiple students).

Payment is by any of the following: cash, bank transfer, or by debit or credit card as I have a card machine. (During Covid-19, payments can still be made via my card machine by sending you a link).

When I work

8am-5.00pm, Monday - Thursday

Further information

I have experience working with Adults, young people and children. I currently work in both Middle and Upper Schools as a School Counsellor.

I previously worked in a Pastoral role within an Upper School as well as with MIND BLMK supporting clients with mild to moderate mental health issues.

Please find my website at www.cnwcounselling.co.uk for more details about me, counselling and where sessions will be held.

Any questions at all, please do not hesitate to get in touch by phone, email, text, WhatsApp - whatever method suits you.

Claire.

Happy Body Project, West Park Farm, Wilstead Hill, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK45 3RD

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Children (0-12)
Young people (13-17)
Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)
Organisations
Employee Assistance Programme

Key details

DBS check info

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

I am available for both online and telephone counselling.

Online platforms

Whatsapp
Zoom

Supervision

In person
Online
Phone

*** LOW COST SUPERVISON *** I am currently completing my L6 Diploma in Supervision and offering low cost Supervision for until the end of June 2024.

View supervision profile

Social