Demelza Baker
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Does being a mum feel really heavy right now? Do you long to find a space where all of you is welcomed, not just the “mum” part? Is the weight of the never ending “to-do” list so heavy that even self-care just feels like another thing to do!
I love to work with mums wherever they are on the journey. All mums: from those of you who’ve had traumatic miscarriages and issues with infertility; to those of you in the relentless intensity of teething, weaning and potty training: to you who are trying to make special memories amidst the sibling rivalry and to you Grandmothers who long for a better relationship with your grown up children.
I would love the opportunity to work with you to figure out what makes you feel more more resilient, physically and relationally - confident that when challenges come your way that you’ll be able to bounce back stronger.
I’ll listen to your story and ask questions and tune in to try and understand what life means to you. The main modalities I draw on are Psychodynamic, Existential, Humanistic and Body psychotherapy. I don't set homework. I trust the process of our therapeutic relationship to be supportive and grow your self-awareness even between sessions.
I offer online therapy to mums. So they can get the resources they need without having to leave the house.
Email me to set up a free 20 minute phone call where you can ask any questions, talk about what’s bringing you to therapy now, and what your next steps are now.
Let's do it together.
Training, qualifications & experience
Training
I qualified as a mother by training on the job. I qualified as an Integrative Counsellor at the Minster Centre; one of the leading Integrative Psychotherapy and Counselling training institutions in Europe. This combination gives me a unique insight into the challenges faced today by all of us as we strive to live, love and parent.
I have a master’s degree in Social Development and a BA in International Development from the University of East Anglia. So I've looked at how people grow and struggle to grow in a variety of countries and circumstances.
I have had further specialist training in, grief, child loss, play therapy with children, psychological first aid, trauma, and debriefing after traumatic incidents.
Experience
I've been a therapist for over 11 years and run a private practice offering online therapy for mums in Cardiff. I really enjoy working online as it gives my clients real consistency, even when child-care plans go a rye.
In Holloway Prison, I counselled with mums who were affected by grief at the loss of a child, which included miscarriages and children being placed in care.
I've also worked for Wandsworth Bereavement Charity and CARIS Islington providing counselling for bereaved children and adults, and have provided general counselling for families on low incomes in London through Cross Roads in Tower Hamlets.
Previously I spent 14 years working in the charity sector in various roles. The most rewarding being working for Tearfund, debriefing Humanitarian Aid workers process identity issues, work related stress and experiences of traumatic incidents abroad.
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
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Seeking help can be daunting so I offer a free 20 minute initial phone call to see if we are a good fit and if our diaries align.
In our initial session, we’ll talk about your story, what’s bringing you to therapy now, and how I can help. We’ll also explore what you want from therapy. It may be a few sessions on a specific issue or going support for your journey.
I usually meet with clients weekly on Zoom. Each session is £60 and lasts 50 minutes. However the first session lasts longer as I get a sense of your story.
When I work
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Further information
For many people therapy is a new experience and that can be anxiety inducing. Also different types of therapy can feel different, so here is a mini flavour of what it’s like to work with me.
I begin each session with "So", giving you the chance to see what is bubbling up within you at that moment. I will tune into where you are that day and hold the bigger narrative of your story and hopes for your life going forward. I don't set homework. I trust the process of our therapeutic relationship to be holding and growing your self-awareness even between sessions.
Empathically I tune into clients trying to get a real sense of their unique life experiences and how they responded to them. Often I get images and metaphors that come to mind. That often make my clients laugh as they say “Yes! That’s exactly it!” Expressing the joy of feeling really seen and understood. These pictorial places of connection can become a shorthand between us in future sessions. This can be a very playful and creative way of working that increases the sense of safety between us. Alternatively they suggest a different image and we work with that. It really is a team endeavour.
The main modalities I draw on are Psychodynamic, Existential, Humanistic and Body psychotherapy. But the joy of being an Integrative Therapist is that I have many more ingredients in my kitchen, and I can use them in different ways. Psychosynthesis, Gestalt, CBT etc. all offer different flavours. Figuring out the right pace of the work is also a skill and a joint piece of work. So my clients are always free to opt out of any suggestions I make and we regularly have reviews to assess how we feel it's going.
This flexibility enables me to create a bespoke therapy for each client.
So there’s your taster. If you’d like to know what it is to be really nourished. Email me.
