Dr Donna Stewart

Verified Professional Verified Professional
Verified Professional

Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.

About me

I’m a Counselling Psychologist with extensive experience in the NHS, private practice, and community mental health - with a focus on helping people navigate life’s turning points: grief, trauma, serious illness, or simply feeling stuck, shaken or not yourself. 

Therapy grounded in compassion, clarity, and care.

I offer compassionate therapy for people facing some of life’s most difficult turning points - whether that’s grief, trauma, serious illness, or feeling lost in the wake of a major change. My work is grounded in warmth, trust, and deep emotional attunement. Together, we explore the impact of past experiences, reconnect with your inner resources, and help you move forward with clarity, self-understanding, and courage.

If you’ve been coping for a long time, holding everything together, or facing something that’s turned life upside down - you don’t have to do it alone.

Life has a way of knocking the wind out of us. Sometimes slowly - through years of coping and disconnection. Sometimes all at once - through loss, illness, or unexpected change.

Whatever brings you here, you're not broken. But you may be tired. Overwhelmed. Unsure who you are anymore. Therapy offers a space to slow down, feel supported, and gently reconnect with yourself.

My Work is Grounded in Three Core Areas:

Emotional healing for those who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected

Support for people who’ve spent years coping - often in high-functioning, self-critical, or disconnected ways. We explore the deeper roots of these patterns and gently create space for healing, insight, and self-compassion.

Supporting individuals, families, and carers through illness, loss, and end of life concerns

A compassionate space to process the emotional weight of diagnosis, caregiving, or grief - and to feel seen and supported in the most tender seasons of life.

Therapy for the times you feel lost, uncertain, or unsure who you are

Whether you’re navigating a life transition or just sensing that something’s not working anymore, we’ll work together to clarify what matters to you - and help you move forward with greater confidence and alignment.

Training, qualifications & experience

  • Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology, London Metropolitan University
  • Master of Science (MSc) in Psychological Therapies
  • Post Graduate Certificate in Counselling Psychology, City University
  • Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Psychology, The Open University
  • Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol), The British Psychological Society
  • Registered HCPC Psychologist

Member organisations

Registered / Accredited

Registered / Accredited

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.

BPS
British Psychological Society (BPS)

British Psychological Society

HCPC
Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

The HCPC are an independent, UK-wide health regulator. They set standards of professional training, performance and conduct for 16 professions.

They keep a register of health professionals who meet their standards, and they take action if registered health professionals fall below those standards. They were created by a piece of legislation called the Health Professions Order 2001.

Registration means that a health professional meets national standards for their professional training, performance and conduct.

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

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

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Areas of counselling I deal with

Fees

£100.00 per session

Concessions offered for

  • Low income
  • OAPs
  • Students
  • Trainee counsellors
  • Unemployed

Health Insurance/EAP

  • Aviva
  • Axa Health
  • Vitality
  • WPA

Additional information

  • Individual Therapy Session £100.00 per hour.
  • I offer a limited number of concessionary spaces on request.
  • I offer a reduced fee for clinical supervision of psychology trainees.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Early morning
Morning
Early afternoon
Late afternoon
Evening

Further information

I offer therapy sessions in person and online
Sessions can be long term or brief time-limited and short term.

Southend-On-Sea, Essex, SS2

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)
Couples
Families

Key details

DBS check

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

Online platforms

Google Meet
Microsoft Teams
Zoom
Dr Donna Stewart
Dr Donna Stewart