Dawn Kingston

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What do you need?

Welcome to my profile. I wonder what it is you are looking for in a counsellor?  I can offer you a warm and comfortable space for you to be able to talk.  As your counsellor, I can provide a safe non-judgemental and supportive environment to enable you to explore your thoughts, feelings and emotions.  I have many years of experience of developing therapeutic relationships.  Together we can work out what it is you need and how we can best work together.

What to expect from Counselling?

Finding the right counsellor is the most important thing.  It’s hard to judge from a photo and profile.  Please feel free to come and meet me, we can talk about what it is you want to achieve and see if we are a good fit.  I can offer long or short-term counselling, meeting weekly generally works best.  Longer term work can be 6 months or open-ended counselling.  Short term work tends to be 6 to 12 sessions.  Sometimes it’s hard to know what you need from counselling before you start.  We can work this out together, what feels right for you.

My experience

I am a fully accredited Counsellor and a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.  I have been working in private practice, offering counselling to individuals, since 2010.  I have a diverse range of counselling experience, including working with LBGTQ, people from different cultures and a wide range of age groups.  Whilst at ‘Terrence Higgins Trust’ I worked with people diagnosed and living with HIV.  While at Bristol University, I saw clients via the generic community counselling service. I have experience of working with students in counselling training. Also, I am an Associate Counsellor for a number of Employee Assistance Providers and have worked for the Nhs.

Prior to my counselling training, I worked for 20 years within voluntary sector support services, developing therapeutic relationships with people.  The majority of my work experience has involved supporting individuals with a wide range of support needs.

How counselling can help you?

My approach is Humanistic and Integrative, which means my training covered a range of approaches and this enables me to work in a way that meets individual need.  My work is embedded within the ‘Person Centred Approach’, which places the emphasis on you, believing you are the expert on yourself.  Entering into counselling is a process and an opportunity to tell your story and to gain greater insight.  I will support you to find your way through difficult and sensitive areas, with care and empathy.  Having time to reflect and explore helps to increase greater self- awareness and access to answers from within.

I am currently in the 4th year of training to become a Gestalt psychotherapist.  Gestalt therapy emphasises the importance of ‘presence’ and working in the ‘here and now’.  Through experimenting and using all our senses, we find out what gets in the way and also what nourishes us.  Identifying what is going on in our mind and bodies leads to deeper insight and healing.  It is easy to be self-critical, but this approach places the emphasis on developing a sense of curiosity and compassion towards ourselves.  As well as a focus on building self-support and so we can face the challenges that life throws at us.