Colette Hart
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I’m Colette, currently the only certified Medical Trauma Psychotherapist in the UK, providing a dedicated medical trauma service for adults, offering specialist emotional support for all medical related issues and diagnoses. Whilst based in South Wales, I work via zoom with patients and clients across the UK and Europe. Medical trauma is unique in that it is often misunderstood as a trauma in its own right and categorised as a general anxiety or post traumatic stress disorder. Both these conditions as well as other symptoms may be connected, but medical trauma focuses on understanding the nature and effects of anxiety and trauma which occurs from direct contact with the medical setting. Examples may be a chronic life changing illness, a life threatening diagnosis, or a routine operation that has impacted in a negative way, leaving a fear of the hospital environment. Anything medically related that causes an unwelcome change in circumstances and quality of life can make us feel depressed, anxious, isolated and frightened, as we struggle to adjust.
When encountering any kind of trauma it is not unusual to experience a sense of not 'belonging' in our own skin, and a loss of our sense of 'self' or identity, which can feel unsafe and fearful. A specialist service offering emotional support at a time when we are at our most vulnerable can offer enormous relief and help us to cope better.
Personal and professional experience of trauma has instilled a passion and dedication in me to help those who have been similarly affected. As an integrative therapist embracing the models of compassion focused, cognitive behavioural and somatic trauma therapy, I offer a comprehensive, holistic and compassionate way of working with trauma. Uniquely in South Wales I favour Babette Rothschild’s approach, having completed a years post graduate training with the US trauma specialist in London. I have also assisted with her training programme and am proud to see these methods working so effectively with my private trauma clients. I would like to think that at all times I offer you empathy and compassion and our work is always collaborative, ensuring you have a safe space in which to explore your trauma, which can be challenging as well as liberating, but ultimately helps you gain control back in your life.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have vast experience of working with all trauma and PTSD; however in recent years it has become very obvious how different and unacknowledged medical trauma is, which is why I’ve chosen to specialise in this field. I have worked within the Cardiff & Vale NHS health board addressing issues of single and complex trauma and PTSD, I was the therapist for the ‘Living with Secondary Breast Cancer’ group for the South Wales division of ‘Breast Cancer Now’ and have provided a number of workshops on communication and relationships after a diagnosis, as well as coping with anxiety for those living with primary and secondary breast cancer.
I was thrilled to be invited to create ‘In this 2gether’, educational therapy groups for those with a secondary breast cancer diagnosis across Wales, funded by Moondance and in association with Macmillan in 2021/22. I was the Lead Group Therapist until 2024 and am currently the Psychotherapy Consultant and mentor for this service.
In January 2019 I developed a pilot scheme ‘Cake & Counsel’; educational group therapy for those living with a chronic medical condition. This took place over a 10 month period and progress results were measured, collated and presented to a group of Health Care Professionals. Those attending noticed a considerable improvement in their mental health and symptoms and I am currently working towards offering similar schemes for other medical trauma related conditions. Whilst keen to expand my one-to-one and group practice since achieving my certification it is also my intention in collaborating with Professor Flaum, Medical Trauma expert in the USA, to write and offer further group services to clinicians, patients and counsellors alike. This would entail specialising and offering support for medical conditions, trauma informed care and medical trauma. (See Heart 2 Hart Healthcare Solutions for more information on my website).
I am a registered member of The British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP), I have personal liability insurance with Towergate, a current DBS certificate, am ICO registered and compliant with GDPR.
Qualifications:
- Post Graduate Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling: University of South Wales
- Certificate in Counselling Skills
- Certificate in Counselling Studies
Continuous professional Development:
- Certificate in Medical Trauma, Xavier University, Ohio, USA, 2023/24
- CFT Foundation's 10th annual conference - 2021
- An intro to the theory & practice of CFT - 2021
- Compassion Focused Therapy for Pain Management - 2021
- Compassion Focused Therapy for Groups - 2021
- Working with Groups - PD on-line course BACP
- Moving your practice on-line; Online Therapy Institute - 2020
- On-line resources; safeguarding & managing risk through digital media - BACP 2020
- Working with Suicide & Self Harm: Carolyn Spring 2020
- Peer supervision with Babette Rothchild 2020
- Making Trauma Therapy Safer - assisting Babette Rothschild 2019
- Working with Somatic Trauma 2018-2019
- Compassion Focused Therapy for shame based trauma and PTSD July 2018
- UK Psychological Trauma Society Annual Regional Conference on Trauma 2017
- Cognitive therapy for PTSD: Ellis & Clark model
- Growing around grief: implications for practice
- UK Psychological Trauma Society Annual Regional Conference on Trauma 2016
- Two Minds are better than One: Relational Mindfulness
- Working with Trauma in the Body & Mind
- Building Resilience in Therapists
- Bereavement
- Working with Sexualised Trauma
- An approach to working more safely with trauma
- Working Safely & Professionally with Erotic Transference/Counter Transference
- Mental Health Awareness
- Embodied Counter-Transference
- ASIST: Applied Suicide Intervention Training
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Substance Misuse
- Personality Disorder
- Brief Therapy
- Child Protection
Member organisations
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
£100.00 - £120.00
Additional information
Private counselling for medical trauma in Cardiff
Heart 2 Hart Counselling provides specialist one-to-one personal therapy, tailor-made to suit you and your circumstances, offering emotional support for medical trauma, including medical trauma related anxiety, living with a cancer diagnosis, living with a chronic health condition or any other health related adverse experience. As Colette now works with clients across the UK and abroad, sessions are mainly held via zoom and are up to 75 minutes in length. Psycho-educational support with any necessary tools and/or further information is also included via email where necessary.
For face-to-face sessions in a discreet and confidential setting, The Cyncoed Consulting Rooms (CCR) on the outskirts of Cardiff can be accessed if necessary by prior arrangement. CCR has been designed by healthcare professionals, offering the very best in private medical care, provides a range of consulting and clinical services and is registered with the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales. Walk & talk outdoor sessions may also be offered.
Fees:
Initial telephone consultation up to 30 mins: FREE
Therapy sessions: £100 (up to 75 mins) zoom £110 outdoors £120 Consulting Rooms
Legal/insurance/medical supporting progress reports: From £250
Appointments are booked directly with Colette and payment is by direct transfer prior to your session.
The number of sessions required depends entirely on your individual needs, and your initial assessment session. Regular mutual feedback means you can budget accordingly and it is suggested that sessions are weekly or fortnightly.
Please refer to the cancellation policy on the website. **
Please feel free to contact me with any queries on 07903 457205 or e-mail me on info@heart2hartsolutions.co.uk
We kindly request our 24 hour cancellation policy be adhered to otherwise a 50% charge will be incurred. (see policy on our website) www.heart2hartsolutions.co.uk
I look forward to meeting you and sharing your experience......
When I work
Private clients currently on zoom only Tuesday & Thursday day and evening.
