About me
Sometimes life is just messy.
Maybe you know exactly why you're looking for counselling. Something has happened, a relationship has changed, work has become unbearable, you've lost someone, you're looking after everybody except yourself, or something from the past keeps turning up in the present.
Or maybe you can't explain it at all.
Your life might look perfectly fine from the outside while inside you're thinking, I can't keep feeling like this.
That's enough.
You don't need a diagnosis, a crisis or a perfectly organised story.
“I don't know where to start” is a perfectly good place to start.
I'm Gail. I'm a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist, but my experience of people didn't begin in a counselling room. I've spent nearly 30 years working on the frontline of the ambulance service, alongside people when life has been difficult, frightening, complicated and sometimes completely chaotic.
That experience means I'm comfortable with real life when it isn't neat or easy to explain. It also gives me a particular understanding of the pressures that can come with working in the emergency services and other high-pressure roles - the things you see, the responsibility you carry, the culture you work within, and the things that aren't always easy to take home or explain to someone outside that world.
Whether that's your world or not, you don't need to tidy your story up for me.
What is it actually like to talk to me?
You can cry, swear, laugh, be angry, contradict yourself, change your mind or tell me you don't know.
And you don't have to protect me from the difficult bits.
I'm comfortable with difficult conversations and with the things people sometimes find hard to say out loud.
I also won't just sit silently while you wonder what you're supposed to say next.
We'll talk.
I'll listen properly, ask questions and help you make sense of what's happening. Sometimes I'll gently challenge you. Sometimes we'll explore where things come from; other times we'll concentrate on what might help right now.
There'll probably be humour too. That's part of being human.
Therapy should fit you
I don't believe people fit neatly into boxes, so I don't believe therapy should either.
Sometimes you may want to understand why. Sometimes you need practical ways forward. Sometimes you just need somewhere you can finally say what you're really thinking.
Therapy should adapt to you, not the other way around.
And your life doesn't stop at the counselling-room door. Relationships, family, work, health, caring responsibilities and other professionals may all be part of what's happening. We can make sense of that wider picture together and, where useful and with your agreement, I can work flexibly alongside others supporting you.
You remain at the centre.
What if we're not a good fit?
That's okay.
Choosing a counsellor online is a strange way to decide who you're going to tell some very personal things to.
That's why I offer a 15 minute introductory telephone conversation. There's no pressure to book afterwards. It's simply a chance to meet, ask questions and see whether I'm someone you feel you could actually talk to.
No need to prepare. No need to have the right words.
Just come as you are. We'll start from there.
Training, qualifications & experience
My professional training brings together counselling and psychotherapy, conflict mediation and coaching, alongside nearly 30 years of frontline ambulance-service experience.
My qualifications and professional training include:
- BA (Hons) Counselling & Psychotherapy
- Level 4 Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling
- NCPS Accredited Registrant
- TCM Accredited Workplace Conflict Mediator – OCN Level 4
- Life Coaching / Coaching qualification
- Ongoing professional development in mental health, safeguarding, trauma, suicide and crisis work
My counselling approach is pluralistic, which simply means I don't expect you to fit one particular model of therapy. I can draw on different therapeutic approaches depending on you, what's happening in your life and what we discover is most useful.
Alongside my therapeutic training, I bring nearly 30 years of frontline ambulance-service experience. I've worked alongside people experiencing mental-health crises, trauma, bereavement, suicidal thoughts, relationship and family difficulties, safeguarding concerns, serious illness and sudden or life-changing events.
I also have specialist experience within mental-health ambulance services, working with complex mental-health and social-care situations and alongside other health, emergency and support services.
This gives me a particular understanding of people working in the emergency services, NHS and other high-pressure professions. I understand that the impact of these roles isn't always one traumatic event. It can be years of responsibility, shift work, workplace pressures, difficult decisions, exposure to other people's distress and simply having to carry on because that's what the job requires.
My conflict-mediation training adds another dimension to my work. I have experience of workplace conflict, difficult relationships, communication breakdown and helping people make sense of situations where conversations have become stuck.
My coaching experience can also be useful when the focus is less about looking backwards and more about where you want to go next - making decisions, identifying what is getting in the way and turning an idea for change into something achievable.
These different parts of my experience allow us to work flexibly. Sometimes our work may be therapeutic and exploratory; sometimes more practical; sometimes you may need help navigating a difficult relationship or decision.
But I don't believe my qualifications make me the expert on your life.
You bring the knowledge of you. I bring my training, experience, curiosity and a willingness to work alongside you to understand what might help.
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 National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society This Not For Profit association of counsellors and psychotherapists aim to support the counselling profession, members and training organisations. In 2013 the NCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under the Accredited Voluntary Register Scheme. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
Emergency services and other frontline/high-pressure occupations; shift-work pressures; workplace stress and burnout; difficult workplace relationships and workplace conflict; caring responsibilities; major life changes and transitions; feeling lost, stuck or unsure what needs to change; stress; anxiety; depression and low mood; bereavement and loss; cumulative exposure to distress and trauma; PTSD and trauma; suicidal thoughts.
Anxiety; Bereavement; Bullying; Career Counselling; Caring Responsibilities; Carer Support; Depression; Low Mood; Family Issues; Feeling Sad; Health-Related Issues; Low Self-Confidence; Low Self-Esteem; Relationship Problems; Separation; Divorce; Stress; Suicidal Thoughts; Trauma; Work-Related Stress; Workplace Issues; Workplace bullying;; Burnout, Grief; Loss, Life Changes; Transitions, Loneliness, Redundancy, Retirement, Self-Worth; Difficult Relationships.
Panic Attacks, Phobias, Anger Management, Assertiveness, Attachment Issues and Emotional Difficulties
Therapies offered
Fees
£80.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Counselling sessions are £80 for 50 minutes.
I offer a free introductory telephone or video conversation so we can meet, talk about what you're looking for and decide whether working together feels right. There's no obligation to continue.
If you decide to go ahead, sessions are booked in blocks of six, with the six sessions arranged in advance around our availability. The block is paid for upfront before the first session.
I offer a 10% discount for NHS and emergency-services staff, making sessions £72 each (£432 for a block of six).
I know that shift work and life don't always go according to plan, so appointments within your block can be arranged flexibly. If you need to cancel or rearrange a session, I ask for at least 24 hours' notice. Sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice will normally be treated as used.
Payment is currently by bank transfer.
Further information
A flexible approach to counselling
Life doesn't always fit neatly around a weekly appointment at the same time - particularly if you work shifts, have caring responsibilities, a demanding job or simply have a lot going on.
I offer online counselling with flexible appointments by arrangement, rather than expecting everyone to fit into the same working pattern. This can be particularly helpful for people working shifts, including those in the emergency services, NHS and other professions where a traditional Monday-to-Friday routine isn't always realistic.
I also understand that counselling may only be one part of the support around you. Where appropriate, and with your agreement, I'm happy to work flexibly alongside other professionals or services involved in your care and support.
Sessions are 50 minutes and can be short-term or longer-term. We can decide together what feels useful and review that as we go - there is no expectation that you commit to a particular number of sessions from the outset.
I welcome enquiries from adults from all backgrounds and at different stages of life. You don't need to decide whether your situation is “serious enough” for counselling before contacting me.
If you're unsure whether I might be the right counsellor for you, that's exactly what the free introductory conversation is for.
You can ask questions, tell me a little about what's happening, or simply start with: “I'm not really sure what I need.”
