Deborah Spraggon

Many of us experience difficulties at one time or another during our lives. You may be feeling stressed, anxious, depressed or have relationship/family issues, or there has been a significant life event such as a bereavement, illness or redundancy. Or perhaps you just have a general sense of feeling low, lonely or isolated and don't understand why. Seeking help is a positive step.

I am an integrative practitioner which means that I use a number of different theories and approaches when I'm counselling, including psychodynamic and humanistic therapy. I adapt my approach to suit the needs of the individual client - because every person is unique. However, I believe that if you feel listened to, that I empathise with you and that you can trust me, you will feel more able to talk about your most private worries and concerns without fear of being judged. Exploring difficult thoughts, feelings and issues can help you to understand why you feel the way that you do and to work out, in a safe and supportive environment, what you can do to feel better.

The clients that I see are from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds and are of all ages. I have  considerable expertise in working with the 18-26 age group and with clients from creative and performing arts professions. It can take time to work through longstanding issues with a therapist, though at other times some more goal focused work is needed. So I work with clients short-term, medium term and long term basis. This is something we would talk about in our first meeting together.

Before qualifying as a counsellor I worked for many years in business management in the corporate sector. Since qualifying I have gained several years experience working as a Counselling Service Manager and Clinical Supervisor alongside my private practice. I also have experience of delivering workshops.