Clare Watson

Summary:

• Trauma-Informed Integrative/Person-Centred Psychotherapist | Previous Nurse/Midwife | In Person talking therapy (Prescot based) | Online talking therapy (via Google Meet/WhatsApp Video, UK wide)
• Upstairs home office | Quiet household | Downstairs toilet available | Hot and cold drinks provided | Driveway and road parking available | 5 minute drive from M57 | 10 minute walk from Prescot train station
• Standard Fee: £45 per hour/£67.50 per 1.5 hours 
• Block Booking Special Offer: 4 x 1 hour sessions for £160 | 4 x 1.5 hour sessions for £240
• Open weekdays and evenings
• Session Occurance: Weekly | Fortnightly | Monthly/4 weekly
• I am open to all enquiries. All prospective clients will need to complete an Assessment Questionnaire (sent via email) so you can go into detail about your needs and I can check I am an appropriate therapist for you (I will let you know at this point if I'm not). After that we can do a free 30 minute WhatsApp video call to 'meet' and decide if we'd like to work together

About me:

Hi! I'm Clare, I'm a BACP registered Integrative Psychotherapist who was a Hospice Nurse and Midwife previously. I work in person and online from my upstairs home office in Prescot and live with my husband Dec (who works from home in his study downstairs). We have four cats (Flynn, Rae, Elsa and Rori) and two baby tortoises (Ivy and Prim) who live in their enclosed garden in my therapy room, hence my logo. My office is strictly cat free and while the tortoises can't be held they are lovely and peaceful to look at while we're chatting if you want to.

What Therapy Do I Offer?

The therapy I offer is Integrative, which means it's flexible and influenced by who I am and my personal and professional experiences as much as the various humanistic therapeutic theories I've studied. I find I lean hugely towards the Person-Centred approach (founded by Carl Rogers) and the combined work of Lucy Johnstone (The Power Threat Meaning Framework) and Jo Watson (A Disorder 4 Everyone) as all embody the values and principles (both generally and politically) that I hold dear and which form my map for being present in my own life and the lives of others.

The therapy I offer is trauma-informed which consequently means I’m a strong advocate for the non-pathologisation/medicalisation of emotional distress and trauma, preferring to hear the stories of the people beneath their diagnoses in terms of what has happened to them in their personal worlds and lives, appreciating too the impact of the society we are living within and how the values of our society do not currently promote meeting the very human needs that all of us have. My hospice nursing, midwifery and psychotherapy training and experience have all immersed me in the depths and scale of human emotion, wants and needs and how beautiful and peaceful they can be when people are seen and respected first and foremost as human beings and are allowed to live as such. I've experienced too how traumatic and tragic consequences can be when people are not respected as such, a theme that none of us can escape from in our society. It's so easily done in all areas of life, on so many levels and to varying degrees, and the damage is huge and rippling. Carl Rogers sums it up for me in his quote:

"People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I don't find myself saying, "Soften the orange a bit on the right hand corner." I don't try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds.”
― Carl R. Rogers (A Way of Being).

Why Is Finding The Right Therapist For You Important?

As your Psychotherapist/Counsellor I will play a key part in your therapy and it's important that our relationship is one where you feel seen, heard and respected so you can ultimately decide to trust me with the most vulnerable aspects of who you are as you unfold your story. The space between us is where the work and growth happens and it's vital that you feel able to trust me to hold it for you and witness your unfolding as it happens. The therapeutic relationship is intimate in a way that is both delicate yet immensely strong when it is present. It will form the core and basis of our work together. Therefore, if my approach/our relationship is not one that is working for you, I can point you in the direction of other therapists/websites. Your therapy is all about you - if I'm not your cup of tea please don't worry! I know how life changing finding the right therapist for me was - I'm not here to deny you that experience and would never want to.

While You Wait For Your Therapy To Begin...

In the meantime, please take care. I remember well how scary it felt taking the step towards finding my own Counsellor. It takes a lot of courage to admit you want help and support and then to actually to go through with it, despite feeling so vulnerable. The world of counselling/therapy can appear confusing and contradictory and full of theory and ideas and medical jargon battling for superiority. My own Counsellor, herself doing a PhD, did not bombard me with any of that. She offered me a brew, we sat in her healing room in her garden every Thursday evening and we had very human, often funny and insightful, chats. Sometimes I felt like I'd verbally vomited all over her and she listened while I cried my story angrily and sadly to her. Through it all, she simply held the space and bore witness to me unfolding and discovering who I am and settling into me and my life. She was just very real and down to earth with me, steadfast in supporting me to understand the impact of the distressing world and society we live within, and it was that that solidified our relationship and enabled me to talk a jumble of all sorts to her and trust her to respect my jumble while she helped me to sort through it until I felt at peace and empowered to live my life authentically. It was life-changing.

That is what I aim to offer here. It can take a short or long while, whatever you need. While you wait to start, with me or another Therapist, please take care.

• Anxiety relating to the functioning of society (eg government, wider world issues, news etc)
• NHS worker stress/anxiety/burnout
• Bereavement/grief due to the death of a pet/animal

Please note I am open to all enquiries and will assess on a case by case basis as to whether my experience is appropriate for your needs or not. 

• Standard Fees: £45 per hour/£67.50 per 1.5 hours
• Block Booking Offer: £160 for 4 x 1 hour sessions or £240 for 4 x 1.5 hour sessions
•  All fees are to be paid before sessions occur via bank transfer or cash on the day
• 24 hour cancellation policy in place to be used at my discretion

• Sessions can occur weekly, fortnightly or monthly/4 weekly according to your needs
• I work in person and online via Google Meet/Whatsapp
• My home office is upstairs so if you're wanting face to face sessions please bear this in mind in terms of accessibility
• On drive and road parking is available. I'm a 5 minute drive from the M57 and 10 minute walk from Prescot train station
• If you are wanting to work online please ensure you have a well functioning device that has a front facing camera and an internet connection that is usually reliable. I am happy to assist you in learning how to use Google Meet or Whatsapp video for our sessions
• I ask all prospective clients to complete an assessment questionnaire in response to your enquiry that I will send via email. On completion of that I then offer a 30 min free introductory chat (usually via Whatsapp Video) that we can book where we can introduce ourselves, chat about your needs and what I can offer and book in for therapy if this is what you would like