Liz Collinge

Making choices right now is really hard, and you're expected to choose from an endless list of therapists and counsellors to tell your deepest darkest secrets to?!

One thing I will tell you before going any further, the crucial factor to getting the help you need and deserve right now...

Do you get on with the fellow human sat (digitally or in person) across from you?

That means:

• Values
• Ways of thinking
• Ways of speaking
• Interests
• Feel comfortable to cry with (and laugh - therapy can even be enjoyable sometimes!)

A bit about what makes me different as an BACP Registered Member Trauma Informed Integrative Therapist and potentially the right human to support you/or loved one on the healing journey:

• A unique blend of East and West, Mind and Body - I combine the therapeutic traditions of the west, with ancient wisdom of the East. In a session this may look like identifying the core of your issue with person centred counselling exploration techniques, then using energy psychology such as EFT Tapping to discharge the emotional response and release the traumatic memory stored in your subconscious (also really effective for anxiety). Emotions and trauma are stored in the body and this key value underpins all of my work. I also work with mindfulness, basic yoga and breathwork, as to control the mind with the mind is really hard, which anyone with persistent worrying or intrusive thoughts can attest to, but these techniques offer a back door to train your thoughts. My integrative approach in completely tailored to you and you have choice at every stage.
• I am open-minded and hard skinned, my 4+ years working in the field of mental health, through therapy clients and my work in a complex mental health service, means I have heard it all. I am not afraid to look in the eye that deepest darkest part of you, I trust that we can do this together and you will feel fully held and supported.
• Being a younger therapist - hear me out... in your experience, does age always equal wisdom? Observing and being curious about others has been a lifelong passion. I am calm, intuitive and open minded when it comes to working with you and what is distressing you, qualities which can't be taught. Also, being closer in age with young people means I am perfectly placed to work with the young person causing you sleepless nights. My current role counselling high school teens means I am on the pulse with what issues young people face. I am someone they can relate to, a relationship that feels separate to other adults in their life telling them what they should do, and better connection means better therapeutic results.
• I won't leave you hanging. So many times I've heard clients give this reason why past therapy experiences weren't helpful or made them feel uncomfortable... "it felt like the therapist just sat in silence smiling at me most of the time." What I will do is give you space to reflect and not rush in to speak if my intuition says you need some time. However, we're in an active dialogue, so you don't have to worry if the thought of the silent treatment with a therapist makes you feel uncomfortable.
• My passions - practicing for over 7 years and teaching for 3, yoga is an endless tool of self awareness and self love for me - knowledge I can share in sessions if this interests you (and no you don't have to be flexible!). I'm open to spiritual practices, but a self confessed realist that's straightforward in my approach. I'm a big animal lover, travel enthusiast and lover of all things nature (a pillar of wellbeing in my opinion).

Does something here resonate with you? Do you think we would get on? Listen to your gut with this one, as the body doesn't lie.

What to investigate further if I'm the right therapist for you? I offer a free 20 minute consultation - contact me and we'll arrange a time that suits you.

• 20 min initial consultation over video call or telephone: FREE
• 50 min session over video call: £40
• 50 min session in person: £52

I have a limited number of spaces for concessionary rates for those on low income or currently unemployed, please contact me to discuss.

FAQ

How do I know if I need therapy?

If you are struggling with your mental health, have had a life change causing you distress, want to change old patterns, gain clarity to untangle personal issues or have some nagging things you’d like to work on for self-development. You may be feeling in crisis, or you may feel stable but have some areas you’d like to look at to improve your overall wellbeing.

What issues can your sessions help with?

The integrated approach I offer of person-centred counselling, EFT and body-based techniques are helpful for when you are experiencing distressing life events or emotions, have anxiety, depression and/or trauma. The types of issues you could be experiencing are intrusive thoughts, poor boundaries, bereavement, overwhelming phobias, low self-worth, relationship issues, coping with a traumatic event, burn out, crisis of identity and low mood.

Specifically for EFT, this is proven to reduce the symptoms of PTSD, chronic pain, phobias, anxiety, and the effects of traumatic life events.

It is beyond my levels of competency to work with more complex mental health conditions, for example schizophrenia and personality disorders. My priority is to provide the most benefit to my client and operate ethically, so if you have issues that go beyond my levels of competency then I will do my best to offer you a suitable referral.

How do I know what types of therapy is suited to me?

I am an integrative therapist which means I tailor my approach to the issues you are wanting to work on. You don’t have to know what type of approach you would like at this stage, using the free consultation and as we continue to work together, we’ll find what is helpful to you.

What happens in the sessions?

Beginnings:

On top of what you may already be going through, the process of starting therapy can bring up stress. For example, the decision to book a session, anticipation in the lead up and then the session itself, meeting someone for the first time, the expectation to face difficult emotions.

This often means the first session (or more!) is about regulating the nervous system. If we have spent a lot of time in our fight or flight response, the initial mission is to work on you feeling comfortable in the healing relationship and providing tools to bring you to a calm place, where we can peal back the layers of what brought you to therapy.

This could simply be having a conversation about what brought you to therapy, where you can experience a relationship with myself that holds no judgement and empathy. It could include breathing exercises, using the breath to calm our bodies physical reactions to stress for the mind to follow. This could also be using techniques of EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique, a method of tapping on meridian points in the body to release trapped negative emotions and bring about a calmer state.

I may make suggestions but ultimately it is up to you where we go with the conversation or tools I offer; we work together to tailor the sessions to your needs.

Middles:

Whilst the beginnings are often about feeling comfortable in the setting and working out what works and what doesn’t, the middles are usually about going deeper and uncovering the different layers to the issues you have been dealing with. This may be challenging, but therapy is not all deep and dark, often I find we have lighter moments of reflection and sharing a laugh during the process is common!

This sometimes what we go on to work on is directly linked to the issue you brought at the start, or it could go somewhere completely different.

The beauty of this part is the surprising things that can come up, often with some ‘A-ha!’ moments, or it could feel murky whilst we wade through what has come up in our sessions. It is not unusual to have some big revelations not until our final session!

Ending:

It is completely up to you when we end our sessions. Ideally, we would have a planned ending of 2 sessions to take stock of what you’ve gained and how to incorporate this into your life going forward.

We will regularly review how things are going to ensure you are still getting benefits from the sessions and this is a good opportunity to check in on if you feel if all your needs have been met and are ready to end.

How many sessions would I need?

Some people feel better after only a few sessions, some it may take a number of sessions to uncover the layers behind your issues. Each journey is individual and there is no right or wrong, but a rough average for meaningful change is 8-12 sessions, this being what is offered in the NHS and non-profit counselling services. The number of sessions could be a lot more or a lot less, it depends on what you want to work on.

How often should I have a session?

Every week is the standard or biweekly in some circumstances. It’s worth noting that regular attendance will aid the therapy process, however life happens, and it is absolutely fine to take breaks in the sessions when needed. It may be that once you’ve dealt with the bulk of your issues, that you want a session ‘now and again’ to keep on top of things or deal with big life changes.

Can I do a session online or in person?

Completely your choice, I offer both so you can choose what works best for you and this can change if you would prefer to alter the arrangement to suit your needs.

Are the sessions confidential?

I am committed to your confidentiality and maintain an ethical practice in line with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy. Operating ethically also means there are exceptions where I would need to share information, these situations being if you or others were in imminent danger or express the intent to commit a major crime. I have legal obligations to disclose criminal information, have a duty of care to those I work with and would seek to help you in getting the necessary support.

I have a supervisor who I would speak about my work with to continue the quality of my work, but no names or identifying features are given so you are kept completely anonymous.

Will you be available for me in a crisis?

I will not be able to provide crisis support outside of our scheduled session times. In an emergency please contact your GP, the emergency services or a 24-hour support line such as the Samaritans on 988.

How do I start?

We’ll start with a free 20 minute consultation to go through what you would like to gain from the sessions and we can ensure that I would be a good fit for your needs. Following this we’ll arrange when and how you’d like to have the sessions get it booked in.