Frances Varney
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This professional has no current availability for new clients. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional has no current availability for new clients. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
Finding the right counsellor is key to counselling working for you. So I’ll tell you a little about who I am, so you have an idea of whether that may be me.
I’ve always been interested in how people work. After school I did a psychology degree, and I expected to continue in that field after university. But life got in the way and I wound up in the Civil Service, where I stayed for 18 years. It was work I enjoyed, but had no passion for.
During that time, I sought out a counsellor to help me with my own issues. And it was the best thing I have ever done for myself. Having counselling was so hard, but it was transformative. Amongst other things, it led me to retrain as a counsellor, and ultimately to me leaving the Civil Service and setting up in private practice.
My practice is called 'Curvy' Counselling for two reasons.
Firstly, counselling is rarely a straight path to where you want to go. It's hard work, and it can feel like you're going in circles. But hopefully you're spiraling closer and closer to the core of the issue.
Secondly, I’m fat, and this has hugely shaped my sense of self. A particular field of interest of mine is weight stigma and how it impacts people. On the whole, fat people in the UK are judged negatively. The world doesn’t accommodate us and we’re expected to lose weight to fit in.
My experience as a fat person has made me passionate about working with other people who have also been judged and found wanting. Whether that be because of weight, skin colour, sexuality or any other reason. The ‘Curvy’ is a nod to that part of me and my practice.
So that’s me. You can find some more info on my website, www.curvycounselling.com. But if you have counselling with me, the counselling will most definitely be all about you. And, if you’ll forgive the cliché, you are the expert on you - even if you don’t feel like it at the moment. My role is to support you in finding your own voice, and the right way forward for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
- MA Counselling and Psychotherapy, University of Leeds
- Certificate in Counselling Skills and Theory, University of Leeds
- BSc (Hons) Psychology – Royal Holloway University, University of London
Aside from my private practice I’ve counselled for a number of diverse organisations, including a faith-based charity and a women’s centre.
I’m a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and work in line with the BACP’s Ethical Framework.
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
Fees
£55.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
£55 for a 50 minute session.
I offer a limited number of reduced-price sessions to students, trainee counsellors and anybody on a low income. Please contact me to check availability.
When I work
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Further information
Please contact me if you’d like to know more or to book a session.
If you call and I can't answer, I won't call you back unless you leave a message with your name and number. I'll reply as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours on weekdays.
Our first session together will be an introductory session. This is a lot like normal counselling, but we’ll also be seeing if we both feel we can work together. The introductory session is the same price as ongoing counselling.
