Emma Biggin
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This professional is currently not accepting new clients at this time.
This professional is currently not accepting new clients at this time.
About me
My Practice
I am a BACP registered therapist practicing in Henley and Wallingford. My training is 'Integrative' which means that I blend core ideas from different modalities. An integrative approach seeks to create an holistic approach that supports work with the whole person: thoughts, belief systems, emotions and how these may be experienced in the body (or for some clients, not felt at all). Much scientific research is now showing how interconnected these aspects are and this knowledge is incorporated into my practice.
I adjust my style to the needs of each client, however it is useful for you to know a few things about the way I work. I have a relational approach. This means that I believe that making satisfying connections with other people and the wider world is central to our well-being – it can sometimes be helpful to look at where our patterns of relating may be getting in the way of our true potential for fulfilment.
I provide a supportive and confidential relationship within which to explore whatever you bring at your own pace. I believe that, given the right environment, we all have an inbuilt ability to grow and flourish. Seeing my clients change as they gain new energy and purpose (and they do) is a huge privilege.
My Clients
Some of my clients come with difficult or painful life experiences, some sensing that they have patterns that are habitual and difficult to get out of that are making them unhappy, some clients feel low and just don't know why. Others want to embark on a journey of exploration that will allow them to find a richer, more fulfilling way of being in the world. If any of this feels like you do get in touch and see how I can help.
We are all making choices constantly to cope with life in the best way we feel able. Sometimes these choices support us, and sometimes we are using strategies that worked once, perhaps when we were younger or vulnerable, or to cope with a particularly difficult event in adulthood, but which are now out of date and stop us getting what we really want from the world. If we can identify these fixed patterns we can make new choices that give us new possibilities. I use a gentle, relational approach - believing that our relationships with others shape who we are.
I have had success supporting people with issues such as: forms of anxiety, depression, addiction, disordered eating, issues related to neurodiversity, bullying, coercive control, domestic abuse, grief and mourning, parenting, life transitions, menopause, gender, sexuality, relationship issues, and trauma recovery.
I am committed to questioning my own assumptions, and making my practice accessible to all backgrounds, communities and identities.
First Session
From initial contact I aim to offer you a space where you feel able to choose what feels right for you. After receiving your email, I will offer you a free phone call of up to twenty minutes if you would like this. This is a chance for you to see how it would be to work with me. Talking about yourself and the about the reasons you are seeking therapy at this point can understandably create feelings of anxiety for some, especially if you have never had therapy before.
My aim is to make you feel comfortable - it is fine for you to go at your own pace and to decide how much you want to tell me. You can expect me to listen carefully to what you say and to ask for confirmation that I have understood you correctly. You can expect a calm, accepting environment in which I will support you with whatever brings you to therapy and what you hope to gain from it.
I provide both short-term and open-ended therapy. The former, a relationship that has a specific focus - often a difficult life event. The latter, a longer term relationship that enables you to explore deeper patterns of behaviour and relating that may have developed early in life but which are limiting you or causing you distress in the here and now. In both cases we can review what was originally agreed at any point.
If you decide to continue working together, we will arrange a day and time that is set aside just for you and we will meet weekly for fifty minutes.
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications
- Part One 'Internal Family Systems' with a UK-accredited trainer (September - November 2025). IFS has been shown to be an effective psychotherapy approach for improving emotional regulation, self-compassion, and trauma recovery. It helps clients to identify and harmonise their inner 'parts' under the guidance of the core Self. My clients find that this can foster deep healing, integration, and lasting psychological change.
- Parts One, Two and Three 'Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing' with a Europe-accredited trainer (January - July 2025). EMDR has strong evidence supporting its efficacy in reducing symptoms of trauma and post-traumatic stress, helping my clients reprocess distressing memories and achieve lasting emotional relief.
- One year of Advanced Diploma/Master’s training in Counselling and Psychotherapy (2022-2023).
- Level 7 Diploma in Integrative Counselling from the Minster Centre, Middlesex University (2020-2023)
- 'Mindfulness Based Stress Reductio'n (MBSR) and 'Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy' (MBCT). September - November 2016
- Foundation training in 'Focusing and Listening' with a British Focusing Association trainer (based on the work of Eugene Gendlin). 60 hours - January - June 2020
- Masters Degree in Interdisciplinary Women's Studies from Warwick University (1989-1991)
Previous Experience
- Private practice (Henley and Wallingford)
- Counsellor and Assessor at Riverside Counselling Service
Memberships
- Registered Member, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP}
- Member, The Minster Centre, Middlesex University
- The Relational School
- Oxford Psychotherapy Society
I have worked with people from diverse communities and backgrounds with a wide range of issues and I am committed to exploring power dynamics both within and outside therapy.
I have regular supervision with highly qualified and experienced supervisors who are aligned to my values and skills.
Member organisations
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£70.00 per session
When I work
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