Flora Winchester
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello, and thank you for reading my profile. Are you looking for long-term, in-depth, psychotherapy? With the focus on personal growth and development - cultivating a greater sense of fulfilment and wellbeing. Perhaps you're a qualified practitioner looking for a clinical supervisor. I could be that person for you, if we are the right fit.
I work with mindfulness and a blend of Buddhist and Western psychology to explore your current state of being, in mind, body and spirit.
I've managed a successful private practice for 15 years, and have also worked as a student counsellor in Higher Education. Many clients come with issues from the past, which are limiting their enjoyment of life in the present. I offer life-experience, compassion and empathy as we explore your situation, your challenges and the changes you would like to see. My intention is to provide a safe and non-judgemental space for you to find the courage to bring all of yourself and experience real transformation.
At our first meeting, I will ask questions about your life, your hopes and your aims for coming to therapy. This is also an opportunity for you to ask me questions and find out if I am the right therapist for you. We then make a contract to meet weekly for an initial period of 6 sessions, before reviewing our work together and deciding how we continue.
I am also a qualified clinical supervisor, if you are a counsellor or psychotherapist looking for supervision. I am on the UKCP's Professional Register for Supervisors and can work with experienced practioners, as well as trainees on any professional course within the helping professions.
Training, qualifications & experience
Flora Winchester MA, UKCP (Accred.)
I trained in Core Process Psychotherapy and received a Masters Degree from the Karuna Institute and Middlesex University. Core Process Psychotherapy is a mindfulness-based practice, which integrates a Western therapeutic approach with Buddhist psychology and practice.
I am accredited by the UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy) in the Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy College, and adhere to their ethical standards.
I am also a registered member of the ACPP (Association of Core Process Psychotherapists). I sit on the ACPP's Ethics, Equality & Diversity Committee.
I have a background in arts and media, and worked for many years as a journalist. Having lived and worked abroad during that time, I cherish a particular interest in global issues and working with people from other cultures. I work with a keen awareness of the wider geopolitical situation we are living through, as we face political and economic uncertainty on a global scale.
I gained my first degree in English Literature (BA Honours) at the University of Sussex.
Mindfulness practice and meditation have been crucial in creating my own sense of well-being and inner strength.
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 UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. 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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Spiritual mentoring; meditation; 12-step recovery; LGBTQI identity; Menopause; Difficult or lonely childhoods; Creativity and feeling 'stuck'; 'Blended' or complex families; Sibling dynamics; step families;
Separation/attachment issues; childless or child-free; Dreams and archetypes
Therapies offered
Fees
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
Choosing a therapist is important: as in any relationship, we need to be a good enough fit. I would be happy to arrange an initial meeting to discuss your needs and any questions you might have.
I offer two places for concessions, mainly for students or people on a low wage. Please do let me know if this would be helpful to you.
I also offer clinical supervision to counsellors, psychotherapists, and anyone working in the caring professions. I work with individuals and groups. Please contact me for details.
When I work
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I see private clients mainly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
I run individual and group supervision sessions on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Further information
Mindfulness can be defined as "a compassionate and non-judgemental awareness of the present moment" (Jon Kabat-Zinn).
Mindfulness has proven effectiveness as a healing tool, and has been approved by NICE in the treatment of anxiety and depression, among other conditions.
In therapy, it means paying attention to our experience - our thoughts, our emotions and the sensations in our bodies - with interest, kindness and without judgement.
I will work with you to cultivate more mindfulness in your life, and in our sessions.
For more information about mindfulness, you may want to watch this video: