Clare Nicholas

I am a BACP Accredited therapist working with adults and young people over the age of 11. I can help with a range of presenting issues, including depression/low mood, anxiety, or low self esteem, and difficult behaviours such as self-harm, or compulsions.  It may be that difficult life events (such as bereavement, bullying, separation/divorce, menopause) or childhood trauma are at the root of your difficulties, and I can help you to process these experiences in therapy. 

I aim to work openly and empathically with clients, establishing strong and collaborative relationships. I believe that a relationship built on care, warmth, humour and respect is key to a client building self-esteem and self-worth. Therapy is not generally a quick or easy process, but it can pay enormous dividends in terms of a person's capacity for resilience and growth. 

My initial training was in the Person-Centred Approach, and this is central to my work - creating a safely held relationship and being led by the needs of the client. I have additional training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and this allows me to work more directly with anxiety, intrusive thoughts and problematic behaviours.

I offer an initial session where we can establish whether what I offer is appropriate and whether we are a good fit.  After that, you are free to choose whether or not to proceed with sessions - this initial autonomy and choice is the foundation of the therapy (if needed, I can assist in accessing someone more suitable). Sessions going forward are then generally weekly.

I offer a limited number of lower cost sessions each week for clients/parents who are on lower incomes.