This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello and welcome, my name is Fiona,
I’m so glad you’re here. From the start I want to let you know that you matter and I care about what you’re going through. However you are feeling right now it’s okay to feel that way. By reaching out for support, whether it's from me or someone else, it is a true sign of your strength and courage.
I understand that entering into counselling may feel like a big step, and understandably, you may be concerned about what the process involves. Simply put, counselling allows you to explore your thoughts and feelings in a safe, non-judgemental space, giving you the opportunity to see the issues that are bothering you more clearly and find ways to make the intolerable tolerable.
A little about me and how I practice:
I'm an integrative counsellor, my aim is to meet you where you are and to understand your unique experiences and challenges. In our sessions, I draw from a variety of therapeutic approaches to tailor our work to your specific needs. I believe that each person is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to the issues we face.
Whether it’s exploring thoughts and behaviours, understanding emotions, or finding practical strategies for coping. I strive to create a safe, supportive environment where we can work alongside each other at a pace that suits you. I want you to come away from our sessions feeling as if you've been truly heard and understood and hopefully for you to be able to move towards your goals and gain empowerment over your own wellbeing.
I offer support with a wide range of difficulties including Anxiety Disorders, Depression and Low Mood, Low Self Esteem, Perinatal matters, Relationship difficulties, Attachment issues, Grief and Loss, Sleeping difficulties, Stress and Burnout, Sexuality, Gender, Disability and Pain and somatic issues. In addition I work with challenges such as adjusting to changes in life: a new job, parenthood, moving house, retirement, starting university etc.
The therapy I offer:
Walk and talk therapy:
Nature and being outside has always provided me a sense of space, time and calm away from the everyday demands of life. Since offering walk and talk therapy clients have described numerous benefits, including physical, emotional, and mental benefits. Walking in nature can provide physical exercise, reduce stress and anxiety and promote relaxation. Being outside can help people to feel more grounded by being able to observe the world around them. When we move our bodies and shift our environment, we can think differently about aspects of our lives that have before seemed immovable.
Walk and talk therapy is effective for people of all ages and needs. It can be a good alternative to being in a counselling room, as there is a sense of freedom and, for some, it can be easier and more natural to discuss problems in a more relaxed way whilst walking.
Telephone and Online sessions:
An increasingly popular option for those who can't make face-to-face counselling sessions is telephone/online counselling. Even though we’re not in the same room, I can still help you to explore how you’re feeling, understand what you are going through and support you to make changes in your life if you need to.
Sometimes people choose online or phone counselling appointments because it’s easier for them to access or fits with their lifestyle or working hours better. It also means they’re not restricted to finding a therapist who is based near them, it allows you to attend a session from the comfort of your own home and can provide some level of anonymity which some people find less daunting.
Training, qualifications & experience
Experience:
Over the past twenty years I have worked as a social worker and as a special educational needs officer for Local Authorities supporting individuals and their families through difficult times, helping them to find solutions to their challenges and to improve outcomes in their lives.
These experiences have strengthened my core values that include fairness and equality, compassion, integrity and collaboration. My personal beliefs centre around the essential need for everyone to be seen, heard and valued. These experiences led me to retrain as a counsellor to be able to offer people more time and personalised support.
Training:
I am a fully qualified counsellor and psychotherapist with a Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy obtained from Leeds Beckett University.
I am also a fully qualified and registered social worker.
My initial training is grounded in purist Person-Centred therapy; however, I work as an integrative counsellor. Being integrative means I draw from multiple schools of thought, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, humanistic approaches, and mindfulness practices. This flexibility enables them to address a wide range of emotional and psychological challenges effectively. The goal is to create a personalised therapy session that promotes healing and growth specific to your personal needs.
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
£50.00 per session
Additional information
My first session:
I offer a free initial consultation. This is an informal phone call of around 20 minutes to give us the opportunity to talk a little about your needs, the way I work and to check that our schedules fit.
Following our initial conversation, I provide 50-minute counselling sessions at a rate of £50 per hour.
If you’re interested in counselling with me, please get in touch and we can arrange a free initial consultation.
I want you to feel confident in your choice to start sessions with me, so there's no obligation to book a follow-on session if it doesn't feel right for you.
When I work
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I currently have some Tuesday and Thursday slots available for both walk and talk and online sessions.
Further information
I offer individuals, over 18 years of age, long or short-term counselling working either face to face through ‘walk and talk’ sessions out in nature or online through zoom or by telephone.
Walk and Talk Therapy:
Walk and Talk therapy is when, instead of sitting in front of a therapist in a traditional therapy room setting, the session takes place outdoors walking side by side in nature.
I hold my walk and talk sessions in North Leeds in a location accessible by both car and bus. I work in an environment that has accessible paths for wheelchair users. There are opportunities to hire mobility scooters if required and accessible facilities are available. Please feel free to discuss any access needs you may have in our initial consultation.
These sessions may be of particular interest to new parents. I understand that it is often hard to find the time to commit to counselling when you are caring for a child, the walking element may allow you to carve some time out for yourself if it can fit with your child's nap times etc.
Online Therapy:
An increasingly popular option for those who are unable to make face-to-face counselling sessions for various reasons such as being a new parent, illness/injury, housebound, work commitments etc is video conference/chat counselling. It allows you to attend a session from the comfort of your own home which some people may find less daunting or more practical.
Even though we’re not in the same room, I can still help you to explore how you’re feeling, understand what you are going through and support you to make changes in your life if you need to.
I currently have some Tuesday and Thursday slots available for both walk and talk and online sessions.
