About me
I am an experienced Person-Centred Counsellor, Trauma Informed Expressive Arts Therapist and Supervisor living on the Lizard peninsular in Cornwall. I began my private practice in 2014 and I see clients - adults, adolescents and children, at my home in Mullion, near Helston.
For me counselling is:
- A safe space where what you bring is treated with respect and confidentiality.
- A non-judgmental space where you are seen and accepted for who you are.
- A creative space where you become more connected to your self and the potential you hold inside.
During counselling I will:
- View the counselling session as ‘your space’ where you choose what you want to focus on and how you would like to work; this could include using visual images, drawing, painting, clay, collage, sand tray, writing, music, movement or working outside, if you find this helpful.
- Encourage you to set your own goals for counselling and work towards them, reviewing progress over time.
WHY COUNSELLING?
Usually individuals choose to have counselling because they are experiencing difficulties and distress in their lives. Sometimes people can be isolated but at other times, even where an individual has the most supportive family and friends, they can find it difficult if not impossible to explain why, for example, they may be feeling anxious and or depressed. Or it may be easier to talk about personal, family, or relationship issues with a person who is independent of friends and family. Other life issues and events which can be very difficult to deal with include bereavement, divorce, redundancy, health issues, bullying and so on. However, you do not have to be in crisis or on the verge of one, before choosing to have therapy. You may be experiencing underlying feelings of dissatisfaction with life in general, or be seeking balance in your life and spirituality. All of these reasons and more will bring individuals to therapy (BACP website).
Children and adolescents
I have enjoyed working in some capacity with young people for the whole of my adult life. I was employed as a primary school teacher for over twenty years and during this time I specialised in teaching the expressive arts. I also volunteered in a youth group, ran recorder groups, children's choirs and directed numerous musical productions. When I retrained as a counsellor it was important for me to continue my connection with children. I have worked as a therapist for various children's charities and over the last ten years, as part of my private practice, I have worked as a school counsellor in a local secondary school where I supported students as well as the pastoral team, teaching assistants and TIS practitioners.
Testimonials from children I have worked with:
“I feel that it is very important to have a counsellor because they provide a safe place for children who may not be coping or have no-one to talk to. With Dawn I could talk about anything! She would help me explore whatever I needed to by drawing, painting, using different cards, making stuff with clay or finding objects to move around in the sandtray. We even played games! She helped me to understand some things that I have had to deal with and how to cope.”
“The counselling I received helped me have a safe place, somewhere I knew I wasn't scared to speak my opinions and feelings. Dawn helped me to understand my emotions and triggers. I am less scared and now know and understand my feelings of sadness, upset and anger.
Dawn really helped me to be more confident and find ways to handle emotions, situations and relationships".
"Dawn helped me to understand my feelings better and why I feel them. She is a good listener and she cared about me. Having a counsellor in school helped me to get through the day and week. It helped me cope with things at home so that it didn't affect my learning as much."
“I feel more happy and more able to engage myself and figure out my feelings because my counsellor has helped me. I felt free and not trapped when I was here. I think that having a counsellor in school is one of the most important things to have because they provide a lot of help and support. It helps people so much and it has helped me so much and I am so thankful.”
Previous therapy work
I have worked as a Person Centred Expressive Arts Therapist for CLEAR - a Cornish charity that supports children who have witnessed or experienced domestic abuse. I have also counselled for Cornwall Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre, worked as a student counsellor at Cornwall College, for a low cost counselling agency providing support for adults in the Camborne area and volunteered as a support worker for Penhaligon's Friends, a local childhood bereavement charity.
Supervision
I am a qualified clinical supervisor. If you are interested in supervision, particularly if you want to explore your practice creatively, please click on my supervision profile at the bottom of the page to find out more.
Personal and Professional Development Group - Using Creative Arts in Therapy
This is a group for students, newly qualified counsellors or experienced practitioners who are interested in incorporating creative media in their practice. Please click on my supervision profile at the bottom of the page to find out more.
Training, qualifications & experience
My training and qualifications
I am fully qualified with a Diploma in Person Centred Counselling and Therapy and in recognition of my continued professional development and experience I am an Accredited Member of the BACP (the professional body representing counsellors and psychotherapists). This means that I adhere to the guidelines laid down in the BACP ethical framework and have regular supervision. I am also a member of the Association of Person Centred Creative Arts Therapists (APCCA) and hold a Post-Qualifying Certificate in Trauma Informed Expressive Arts Therapy, Post-Qualifying Diploma in Counselling Adolescents and Children, a Certificate in Somatic Attachment Therapy from The Embody Lab and Certification in Complex Trauma Treatment (1). I am fully insured, registered with the ICO and DBS checked.
My therapeutic experience
I have experience of working with adults, young people and children on a variety of issues including:
anxiety, depression, bereavement and pre-bereavement, bullying at school and in the work place, self-harm, post-natal depression, pregnancy and birth, parenting, relationship difficulties, intrusive thoughts and OCD, sexual, emotional and physical abuse and neglect, suicidal thoughts, domestic violence, trauma, living with long term illness and disability, CFS, fibromyalgia, menopause, ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, work-related stress and redundancy. I also have personal experience of living with fibromyalgia.
Testimonials:
“Dawn is an incredible counsellor who has made a huge difference in my life. She provides a safe, non-judgmental space where I feel heard and valued. Through her empathic and supportive approach, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of myself and have grown in confidence to navigate life’s challenges in my own way. Rather than giving advice, she holds space for me to explore my thoughts and emotions at my own pace, which helps me to work towards my own solutions. Her warmth and presence make all the difference, and I’m incredibly grateful for the personal insight, growth and empowerment I’ve experienced through our sessions."
"Working with Dawn through creative art therapy has been nothing short of transformational for me. Her compassionate, intuitive approach has guided me through some of the most pivotal moments in my healing journey. What I’ve experienced in our sessions has carried through into every area of my life, from how I show up as a parent to how I care for the younger parts of myself that were long overlooked. With Dawn’s guidance through art and creativity, I’ve found expression, safety, and understanding where words often failed. I have been astounded by the power of this form of therapy and how it has enabled me to make sense of and access the things that words often can’t.
I can honestly say working with Dawn has changed my life. I’m deeply grateful for the space she holds and the magic that happens within it".
" Having multiple life changing events, I didn't know where to begin. Dawn is helping me to find my own way to make peace with my life. I love the fact that she works in a homely environment and Dawn knows how to make my favourite tea!"
During the course of my professional training I have completed:
- Grief Training - Level 1: The theory of Childhood Loss and Grief
- Grief Training - Level 2: Therapeutic Skills and Practical Applications of Theory
- West Cornwall Women's Aid Domestic Violence and Abuse awareness training
- Cornwall Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre 20 week course
- NICAMB Advanced Master Program on the treatment of trauma
- Online Therapy Institute- Moving your practice online
- Application of the Polyvagal Theory (PVT) in Counselling & Psychotherapy 10 week course
- Inner Relationship Focusing
- Internal Family Systems
informed practitioner
I have also completed Continuing Professional Development in:
- FGM awareness
- Mind and Body together - Emotional Wellbeing training
- Training in understanding dissociation and complex dissociative disorders
- Depth of play training - using Sand tray to experience symbolism and metaphor in play
- National Autistic Society training - Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum
- MindEd - elearning for professionals working with children and young people
- ASIST - Applied Suicide Intervention Training
- Suicide and self-harm - Working safely and ethically with clients at
risk - Using Creative Arts online
- Creatively Connecting with your Inner Child
- Polyvagal Theory - Integrating the body
- Using the Here & Now in Supervision
I qualified with a BA Hons. Degree in Fine Art with Qualified Teacher Status from Warwick University in 1992. Before I trained as a counsellor, I spent twenty years employed as a primary school teacher. I believe this experience has given me valuable insights into what it is like to work in a challenging environment; highlighting how vital the act of creating space can be for wellbeing. I create space in my life through singing in a choir, playing and listening to music, walking, gardening, painting, pottery and glass making.
I hope I can help you to express your creativity in a way that is meaningful for you so that you can bring about effective change in your life and enhance your wellbeing.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
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.
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£50.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I charge £50 for an hour session. This allows me to provide some very low cost counselling spaces for those in receipt of benefits or on a low income.
When I work
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I am available to meet week days between 10am and 5pm and will try to fit you in at another time if this is not suitable.
Further information
Please contact me by email or the contact form on my website. I will then get back to you as soon as I can to arrange an initial consultation, if that is what you would like.
Our initial session will set out what I can offer and what you are looking for; enabling us to find out if we both feel we can work together. Sessions are weekly, at a regular time, last for an hour and are available for as long as you want to come. We will review our work together regularly so that you can decide if further sessions will be helpful.
