Debra Jane Atkins
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am a fully qualified Psychotherapist with over 25 years post-qualifying experience, working with Adults and young people.
I have worked in clinical settings, including CAMHS and the NHS, as well as statutory services including Cornwall, Devon and Bristol Avon North Somerset Local Authorities. I have worked with young people in Schools, Colleges, Crown Courts, and as an advocate within the criminal justice system.
My background is both in Mental Health and Safeguarding, and I specialise in helping young people and adults make sense of how early trauma and childhood experiences can impact on current difficulties, such as re-current depression and anxiety, or destructive cycles of addiction and insecure personal relationships.
I have extensive experience of young people's mental health and wellbeing, including issues of self harm and self-esteem.I have worked with looked-after children, children in Care and adoption issues.
I am an Accredited member of BACP and abide by the code of professional conduct and ethics. I work within Data protection guidelines and my practice is confidential and supervised.
My practice is fully inclusive and we share all decision making.
Training, qualifications & experience
My Qualifications include:
- Mental Health studies in Therapeutic Communities (4-year scholarship, Richmond Fellowship 1985)
- Certificate in Counselling (RSA 1990)
- Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy (Iron-Mill 1992)
- Certificate in Supervision (Iron-mill 1993)
- NVQ5 Diploma level in Management Social Care (Edexcel / Truro college 2004
- Certificate of Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy (Severnside Institute Bristol 2006)
- Certificate DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy), Manchester 2017)
Continual Professional Development (during the last 2 years)
- Child protection children and young people (yearly and fully up to date)
- Working with vulnerable Adults (yearly and fully up to date)
- Multi-agency Child Protection Training and delivering Training
- Child sexual exploitation (CSE)
- Pro social Development
- Attachment theory
- Adolescent process
- Art and music therapies
- Managing risk, suicide and self harm
- Applied Suicide intervention skills (ASSIST)
- Transference and counter-transference within the therapeutic relationship
- LGBTQQ
Member organisations
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
Fees
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Assessment session: £70
Assessment is 60 minutes and includes history taking and discussion on risk and self help, it gives us an opportunity to think together about whats troubling you and an opportunity to discuss if we wish to work together going forwards, and/or sign-posting to other services.
Subsequent sessions: £55 negotiable for concessions (students and low incomes).
Please email, text or telephone me to discuss the type of support you are looking for.
Parents and young person sessions are also available.
When I work
Weekdays and early evenings
Further information
How can I contact you?
You can telephone on 01208 895657
Text to 07834 370331
Or you can email me at Skylark12@outlook.com
