Elaine Fynn

I believe in the power of talking. That when we feel really listened to and heard we no longer have to feel alone and lost. We matter. Life can present us with all sorts of challenges which at times can feel difficult and overwhelming to navigate our way through. My aim is to support you through your struggles, to help you to get to a place where you do not feel too overwhelmed. To then help facilitate you to get in touch with your inner resources, to cope, building on your self-esteem as you do so and to then explore how you want to tackle any problem areas with support.

I offer a very focused way of working for those who may benefit from this approach. So, for example, we can together draw up an anxiety or anger management programme based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and evidence-based practice to specifically target your needs. This includes exercises to help with emotional regulation, OCD, generalised anxiety and other anxiety states and self-esteem issues. I also offer longer term psychotherapy support where a deeper exploration of your internal world and lived experience can be engaged in or, for example, internal struggles with identity which may include your wish to focus on ethnicity, race, LGBTQI+ or yourself as a young adult trying to find your sense of self. You may feel you struggle with attachment issues with a history of being adopted, for example and you may wish to explore your place in the world and your relationship with yourself and with others. You may be at a stage of life where you feel at a crossroads and are not sure which path to take to achieve the inner happiness you are looking for. Together we can explore your challenges towards a more personally satisfying life experience. 

Another specialist area of support I offer is working with neurodiversity issues such as autism and ADHD. You may have been diagnosed or waiting for a diagnosis and wish to explore this or wonder if you may have certain traits and would like counselling to explore your feelings and challenges with trying to manage in a neurotypical world. 

I have thirty-five years experience as a counsellor/psychotherapist. I also have thirty-four years experience working in the NHS as a Registered Mental Nurse (RMN) which ran alongside my counselling career. The first half of my NHS career was dedicated to working in inpatient settings with children, young people and adults with severe mental health needs including all the mental health illnesses such as severe depression, schizophrenia and bi-polar conditions. This has given me a unique and in-depth knowledge on the scale and complexity of human suffering and it's impact on mental health and well-being. Having extensive experience of working with children and young people has informed my practice to consider with sensitivity issues of childhood that the adult may still be struggling with. Also, the real challenges family life can present us with whilst holding down a job/career, raising a family and potentially supporting elderly parents. The second half of my NHS career was spent working in the community as a nurse specialist with young people and adults supporting with needs such as trauma, anxiety, low mood, addictive behaviours, anger issues and low self-esteem. Being trained and equipped with this broad range of experience in both medical and therapy models and with extensive experience of working with people at young, middle age and older age stages of life has enabled me to gain a very deep understanding and empathy with the struggles people can face. I consider my combined experiences of working in mental health and counselling settings to have given me a wealth of knowledge to appreciate and value the human condition and the challenges life can expose us to. 

I use all the helpful skills of working in a Person-Centred, Psychodynamic and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy way to help meet my client's needs. I am passionate about therapy as a means of really connecting with someone, offering a safe and therapeutic space in which to explore inner feelings and to journey alongside you as my client as you try to make sense of your experiences. 

Training, Qualifications and Experience

I more recently completed my teacher training in Counselling and Psychotherapy and have spent the last three years working at two higher education counselling training institutes: NESCOT in Epsom for two years and up to last year in Metanoia Institute in Ealing as a senior lecturer. I am also trained in Neurolinguistic Programming and completing Life Coaching training. 

Practice

I currently offer an online and telephone service. A free telephone consultation initially can help to establish whether you would like to go ahead and book an assessment session during which we can decide whether you wish to continue onto regular sessions. I meet with clients for one-hour sessions.