About me
There may be many reasons why you are seeking therapy. Some of the most common that I help people work through include:
- Effects of trauma (recent or childhood)
- Addiction
- Coming to terms with a diagnosis of neurodivergence, or suspecting you might be neurodivergent
- Anxiety and depression
- Low self-worth
- Dissociation and difficulties with emotional regulation
- Difficulties with personal boundaries
- Dissatisfaction in relationships, co-dependency, experiencing abuse in relationships
- A desire to understand yourself more deeply and fully
- Feeling lost, or experiencing life-transitions
- Gender Dysphoria, Body Dysmorphia
I always work with kindness and compassion; Carl Rogers says "The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change", and I have been privileged enough to witness this change with many people, as well as in my own life.
I am trained and experienced in working with trauma (PTSD, CPTSD, Dissociation, DID, BPD) and addiction. My core training is integrative, which means that I draw from multiple theories to offer support for the people I work with. My most recent training is psychoanalytic, which is helpful for working more in-depth and with unconscious processes such as dreams.
I am experienced at working with neurodivergent people and have undertaken extra training to support this. I know that neurodiversity means different, not deficient, and that attempting to adjust to a neurotypical world can be damaging. Working through your experience of this in therapy can help you to be more accepting of yourself, and to find different strategies to cope.
I believe that inclusivity is essential to growth, and so I aim to provide a space for my clients that acknowledges gender, race, sexuality, ability, background, culture and religion and the different privileges or disadvantages that this affords. Within my practice, and using the privilege that I have, I commit to ongoing training and reading on these topics so that I can offer what I hope is a sense of safety for the people I work with.
In addition to my 1:1 work with clients, I am also an experienced clinical supervisor, and offer group and organisational supervision, as well as organisational training on topics such as trauma, addiction and emotional regulation.
Training, qualifications & experience
In 2017, I completed an FdA Integrative Counselling (University of Suffolk).
Since completing my formal training, I have been practicing as a counsellor, therapist and supervisor, both privately and within organisational settings. Within these agencies, the work has been focused on supporting adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (male and female, 1:1 and in groups), and people with substance addictions (both in a residential rehabilitation centre and in a drop-in centre).
In 2024, I completed an MA Psychoanalytic studies (University of Essex). I have special interests in psychoanalysis and feminism, addiction and trauma, and organisational dynamics.
My academic work has been published in The International Forum of Psychoanalysis, and my dissertation thesis was awarded both the Paul Ford and Sigmund Freud Memorial Prizes.
Some recent training that I have undertaken includes:
- Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Autism
- Dreams and Analytical Psychology
- Attachment, Food and Identity
- Burning-In: Transforming Burnout Through and Alchemical Lens
- Treating Complex Trauma with Internal Family Systems (Frank Anderson, M.D)
- Affect regulation from theory to practice (Daniel Hill)
- Intensive Training in the Treatment of Dissociative Disorders (Kathy Steele)
- Trauma Summit (Bessel Van Der Kolk, Gabor Mate, Janina Fisher, Richard Schwartz)
- Controlling and Coercive Relationships
- Mindfulness
- Co-dependent relationships
- PTSD
- Suicide intervention
- Working with addiction: underlying causes
- Trauma, the brain and recovery
- Breaking the Trauma Bond
- Developmental Themes in Children and Young People
Member organisations
school 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.
The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society This Not For Profit association of counsellors and psychotherapists aim to support the counselling profession, members and training organisations. In 2013 the NCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under the Accredited Voluntary Register Scheme. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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.
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
£60.00 per session
Additional information
£60 per 50-minute session. I offer a free 15-minute telephone consultation- please get in touch to book.
When I work
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Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays 8am-5pm in my office in Central Colchester
Tuesdays 8am-5pm online
Further information
You can find out more about me and my work by going to my website, or checking out my Instagram and Facebook accounts: @ellenfriendcounselling
