Donna Brunstrom
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hi and thank you for taking a look at my profile. Sharing your personal story with a complete stranger can be challenging enough let alone choosing who that person (therapist) should be. I am an Integrative therapist which means I draw upon a variety of modalities. We are all individuals and our experiences are are own. Our work together is also unique so I will use my training and experience to support you and your specific needs. This process is ethically bound and has a feeling of a tailor-made process.
Whatever your current experience on the continuum of mild to traumatic we are all seeking a sense of ease and safety to navigate our reality. Please read on to see if my experience and approach might be right for you.
About me
My interests have always centred on human behaviour and helping others. Prior to becoming a therapist, my first degree led me to various corporate roles in London and Sydney: but my outlook changed when I had children and I worked for a while in adult education before retraining as a teacher. I have been in the UK for many years, although I still call Australia home. My work experience and training as a therapist has predominantly been with adults in my private practice as well as working in a state high school as a counsellor. Therefore I have extensive experience working with both adults and young people.
How I work & a flavour of what to expect
The foundation of my practice is based on the Person-Centred modality, which means I am a relational therapist, who strongly believes that the most important aspect of therapy is the relationship between the client and therapist. I work very much in the ‘here and now’. This doesn’t mean the past is not relevant, what I am interested in is how your past may be impacting the ‘here and now’ for you. Other modalities I may also draw upon include Gestalt, Transactional Analysis and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Acceptance Committment Therapy. I also believe in the connection of body and mind. So you might find I will apply in our sessions the lense of Poly Vagal Theory. This is essentially the science behind feeling safe enough to tackle life’s challenges by understanding and attuning to our Autonomic Nervous System. I might suggest certain practices and techniques which we will discuss in our sessions and is part of the commitment, curiosity and effort I ask of you in order to cultivate the changes you are hoping for.
You will not be told what to do or what to talk about. However, you will be guided to stay on topic so, expect to be challenged. This more humanistic approach enables you to feel empowered and in control. I believe that you have everything you need and through our work together you can begin to function as the author again in your life.
Training, qualifications & experience
Important assurances
I am a fully qualified and experienced counsellor with a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling. I am a registered member of the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists) having met their professional standards of training and practice.
I hold both professional indemnity insurance and an Enhanced DBS certificate (Disclosure and Barring Service- previously known as a ‘Criminal record or Police check’.
As a member of the BACP I commit to complying with their Ethical Framework which is part of the terms and conditions of membership. For you that means that I have the skills and experience to practice competently and safely.
Qualifications/Training
PGDipCouns, PGDipEd, BCom(hons), Foundation Certificate (1yr) in teaching MBCT.
I continuously engage in CPD and hold a number of certificates in areas such as safeguarding (Lvl 3 children, Lvl 1 Adults), Clinical Applications of Polyvagal Theory and MHFA. I am currently undertaking training to become an ACTO registered therapist for online therapy.
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
£65.00 - £75.00
Additional information
Initial enquiry
The first step is to get in touch via email, my website or the enquiry form. I can offer a free 15-minute initial phone consultation for new clients where you can give me the headlines about what’s going on for you, your availability and if we feel we can work together. If you’d then like to go ahead, we can arrange an initial consultation.
Initial consultation: £75 for 1 full hour
I allow extra time for our initial meeting as it is an opportunity for both of us to find out more about each other and for you to get a feel of what it might be like working together. I would want to establish your expectations of counselling, why are you seeking support now, previous experiences in therapy, your availability and essentially more about you and whether I am the right person to support you. There is no expectation of committing to ongoing session.
Ongoing sessions: £65 for 50 mins
I predominantly work weekly and sessions would be scheduled for the same day and time each week wherever possible. I can offer some flexibility however, in my experience this can disrupt the rhythm of our work and your progress.
Depending on your needs, we might agree a particular number of sessions. In my experience a minimum of 6-12 sessions can work depending on what your needs are. Alternatively, we might agree to work on an open ended basis. Typically the latter is how I work. In any circumstance we would review our work together and agree next steps.
