Dawn Astle-McDonald
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Are you and your partner(s) feeling emotionally disconnected and lonely? Do echoes of your past/childhood experiences impact on the way that you can love and connect with your partners, friends and family? Have you lost a sense of who you are within your relationship? These difficulties may be leading to arguments, lack of sleep, high levels of fear and anxiety or deep distrust of each other.
I work with couples and individuals to help resolve conflict, overcome the effects of an affair, make decisions and/or re-commit to each other. I do this by challenging each of you to explore yourselves as individuals and as a partnership. My therapy style is robust and challenging but equally supportive. It requires commitment to homework in between sessions as well as deep work in session. My therapy is delivered as a combination of individual and joint therapy sessions that are tailored to your needs.
Whether you want to come just for yourself or with partners, friends or family, I work alongside you to help you to fully understand the difficulties you are facing so that you can make informed decisions or changes.
I offer face to face (f2f) (with occasional online if req - individuals only) to people aged 18 or older.
Training, qualifications & experience
My qualifications include:
- BSc Psychology
- MSc Health Psychology
- DipHE Gestalt Counselling
- Level 3 Person-centred Counselling
- Playbook Couples Therapy
I have worked with clients who experience anxiety including General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and who are autistic or have an ADHD diagnosis. I also work with clients who have experienced domestic abuse.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
I haven't ticked all of the options that I could help with. Please drop me a line or call me if you would like to find out if I can help you. I offer a free 15 minute call. If I am not suitably qualified/experienced to help you, I can signpost you if I know someone who might be suitable.
If you are looking for relationship therapy with your partner(s), please contact me and I will send you and your partner(s) my enquiry form.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Individual therapy:
After an initial free call, my sessions are £60 for 50 minutes.
I offer a limited number of concessions. Please enquire for rates and availability.
Couples therapy:
After a free initial call with both/all of you -
Assessment - £100 for 90mins (this includes giving you something to begin working on or to think about based on the findings of the assessment)
Minimum commitment to 3 sessions initially, £90 per session. This commitment includes an A4 file, worksheets, notebook, relevant text book and 1 x 15 min call outside of sessions, if needed.
5% discount if booking a block of 6 sessions (conditions apply).
Card payments or bank transfer. Sorry I don't take cash.
When I work
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Usually available Mon -Thu between 9am and 8pm (last session starting at 7pm). I have limited availability for evening sessions (4pm onwards) at the moment.
Further information
I am able to use my Health Psychology knowledge to support clients with chronic physical ill health.
I am a military veteran so I have lived experience which may provide some clients some reassurance as they begin to share their military experience in counselling.
