Elliot Downs
Verified Professional
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MSc MBACP (Registered)
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
About me
I am a person centred counsellor, offering counselling in Herefordshire and Malvern Hills.
I am registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and fully abide by their Ethical Framework.
I work with my clients in a safe, confidential and empathic environment, free from judgement.
During the pandemic, I have been working via Video or Telephone. Which I find works very well. I have some availability for face-to-face work during the winter tracking COVID-19 rates and government guidance.
What can I offer you?
I offer counselling and psychotherapy to adults and adolescents. My priority has always been to ensure that you feel safe to explore whatever you feel you need to explore. I have a calm, empathic and engaging presence, which I hope will enable you to discover new avenues of thinking and of being. Giving you the confidence to change how you experience your life.
What can counselling offer you?
I have extensive experience in the private mental health sector, as well as the voluntary sector. Working in such environments has given me the opportunity to understand the personal experiences that can cause pain and suffering. My role as counsellor is to help you understand these experiences, in a safe environment, in the hope that it will inform a deeper understanding and enable you to experience your life in a more engaging and fulfilling way. Your role as a client is to fully commit to the process of healing, which I will support you with throughout your journey.
My Approach to Counselling
My approach to counselling sees you as the expert of your own experiencing. I place a value in you as an individual, trusting the way in which you experience your own life. This therapeutic modality, coined the Person Centred Approach encourages you and I to explore your own understanding of your life experiences. This approach allows you to bring to our sessions, anything that is causing you emotional distress. Working through such experiences together, I hope that I can help you to understand them at a deeper level and move forwards with confidence. At times, I may bring in different ways of working, dependent upon what is being discussed in our sessions.
Why people choose counselling?
My previous experience has led me to understand that people attend counselling for a variety of reasons. Some of the difficulties that my clients have come to seek help for include, anxiety and depression, work-related stress, previous childhood trauma, bereavement, anger management and relationship issues, as well as many other causes of personal distress.
The importance of the therapeutic relationship
Finding the right counsellor is important. It is vital that you and I are able to work together. To help make this decision, I offer a free 30-minute consultation. This gives you an opportunity to decide whether on-going counselling, with me, is the right thing for you.
Please note, I am unable to offer couples counselling. I offer counselling on an individual, one-to-one basis only.
Training, qualifications & experience
My Qualifications
BSc Human Psychology - Aston University (2013)
MSc Counselling & Psychotherapy - Keele University (2018)
My Experience
I have extensive experience working within both voluntary and private mental health sectors, in a variety of settings. I have worked with both adult and adolescent clients. I currently work with an award winning charity in the west midlands that specialises in child and adolescent counselling.
Member organisations
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
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
Additional information
Initial 30 Minute Consultation - Free
50 Minute Session - £45
I offer a limited number of concessionary spaces, priced at £35 per session. These sessions are reserved for students or clients accessing means tested benefits. Please contact me for more information regarding this.
Fees are payable at each session, I accept cash or BACS transfer.
When I work
I usually offer appointments Monday-Friday 0900-2000 hours. I also offer appointments on a Saturday Morning, between the hours of 0900-1300.
Further information
I have a full enhanced DBS certificate (adult and child workforce); evidence of which can be provided upon request.
