About me
You have held it together for everyone else.... but who is there for you?
Do you feel worried, on edge, or like you put everyone else first because you don't know what you want? You don't have to feel alone in this. Counselling can help you to come home to yourself.
Perhaps you feel like you're misunderstood and never heard?
Are you worried about people leaving you, or that you're not good enough?
If you or your child are feeling overwhelmed, questioning identity or gender, or coping with anxiety, depression or trauma - I offer a safe and supportive space to explore what is going on.
I can support you to find your way back to yourself, and ;
- Help you begin to create a life that actually feels like yours giving you hope for the future.
- Help you to accept yourself for who you are and celebrate your uniqueness without the fear of judgement - and help you feel more confident.
- Help you to explore what is really important to you and set boundaries for yourself that make you feel calmer and safe.
My aim is to make counselling as accessible as possible. For this reason I also offer email counselling. You can find out more about this on my website www.donnachestercounselling.co.uk
I started my private practice because growing up as a young carer, I had a feeling of being broken which led to me constantly searching for answers as to why I was so misunderstood. I always felt something wasn’t quite right, and felt I had to 'adult' way before I was ready to. I then saw my children going through some of the same difficulties I had. I discovered late in life that I am autistic and ADHD, and I know how much grief there is around this too.
I have also had the privilege of seeing the transgender journey of someone I care about and I understand the difficulties that parents face as well as the children/adults themselves.
I know how difficult life can feel when we are all made to follow the same path that doesn’t feel right for us. It can make you feel like you are constantly trying to keep up with others but never actually reach the same destination. It can cause low self esteem, anxiety and trauma.
But it is possible to start to feel calmer, more confident and choose what you want to do and start making your own choices.
With over 40 years of care experience, I have seen how being misunderstood impacts people with exhaustion and burnout from trying to keep up.
Since I have trained as a therapist, I have supported adults and young people to start accepting themselves as the person they always were but never dared show the world. I have worked for Manorlands where I gained the experience of helping clients through their grief which certainly comes in to the work I do now. I also worked with young people through Place2be where I supported teenagers through gender identity concerns as well as children dealing with difficult home lives, and neurodivergent clients. I also have experience of working in children's care.
I am a fully qualified counsellor and registered with the BACP.
Previous clients have told me that they have been able to understand themselves much more, have felt understood and have started to make plans for the future.
If this resonates with you, I would love for you to get in touch to book an introductory call where we can see if we’d work well together. My email is Donnachestercounselling@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Training, qualifications & experience
I hold a DipHE level 5 in therapeutic counselling and a Counselling skills certificate. I also have a certificate in 'understanding autism'. I do a lot of training around neurodivergence and gender identity as well as trauma. I am an individual member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.
I am fully insured and I also have an enhanced DBS.
I have lived experienced of ADHD/Autism and over 40 years of carer experience working in these fields too. I have worked very closely with gender identity and transgender clients.
I have worked with adults and young people during difficult times in their lives around bereavement and grief in a hospice during my training. I also worked in a school supporting young people with self harm, neurodivergence, anxiety, low self esteem and trauma.
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Walk and talk therapy
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£50.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session
Additional information
Sessions are £50.00 for 50 minutes with a free 30 minute introductory session.
Please note to check junk email if you reach out to me as I am aware that messages can end up in there. If you provide your number as well I will text you to let you know that I have responded to your message.
When I work
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Further information
As well as face to face, online and outdoors, I also offer Email counselling.
Email counselling is helpful for those who struggle with the immediacy of conversation. It is also a good way for some people to be able to fit counselling into their busy lives. If you feel you would like to know more about how email counselling works, please contact me for further details.
