About me
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. My experience of people didn't begin in a counselling room. Nearly 30 years working in the emergency services has brought me alongside people from every walk of life, often when life has been difficult, frightening or completely chaotic. That experience helped shape my move into counselling and the way I work today.
You don't need to tidy your story up for me. You can cry, swear, laugh, be angry, contradict yourself, change your mind or simply not know. You don't have to protect me from the difficult bits, and I 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.
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.
Your life doesn't stop at the counselling-room door. Relationships, family, work, health and caring responsibilities can all be part of what's happening. We can make sense of that wider picture together, with you remaining at the centre.
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 free 15-minute introductory telephone conversation. There's no pressure to book afterwards. You can ask questions, tell me a little about what's happening, or simply start with: “I'm not really sure what I need.”
Training, qualifications & experience
My professional background brings together counselling and psychotherapy, conflict mediation and conflict coaching, alongside nearly 30 years of experience working with people in challenging and sometimes life-changing situations.
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 draw on different therapeutic approaches depending on you, what's happening in your life and what we discover is most useful.
My professional experience has brought me alongside people facing mental-health difficulties, trauma, bereavement, relationship and family problems, workplace pressures, caring responsibilities and significant changes in life. My emergency-services background also gives me an understanding of the pressures that can come with demanding roles, but this is just one part of the experience I bring to counselling.
My mediation and conflict-coaching training brings experience of workplace conflict, difficult relationships and communication breakdown. It can help when conversations have become stuck, when you're trying to make sense of conflict, or when you want to work out how to approach a difficult situation differently.
These different parts of my training and experience allow us to work flexibly. Sometimes our work may be exploratory, sometimes practical, and often a mixture of both.
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
Sometimes there isn't a name for what's wrong. You might simply feel different, stuck, disconnected, overwhelmed, or know that something needs to change. You don't need to decide which counselling category you belong in before contacting me. People are more complicated than tick boxes.
Anxiety is an area of particular interest for me. It doesn't always look like panic or obvious worry. It can be overthinking, avoiding things, second-guessing yourself, needing reassurance, losing confidence, struggling to switch off or feeling constantly on alert. Sometimes you know exactly what you're anxious about; sometimes you haven't a clue.
Loss isn't only bereavement. We can grieve a person, but also relationships, health, careers, independence, opportunities, the future we expected or even the person we used to be. Some losses are recognised by everyone around us; others can be much harder to explain. Either way, there isn't a timetable for when you should be “over it”.
Trauma isn't always one dramatic event. Sometimes it's something that happened once; sometimes it's repeated experiences or years of coping with things that never really had space to be processed. You don't have to tell everything at once, and therapy isn't about forcing you back into experiences you're not ready to explore.
Relationships don't have to be ending to be difficult. Communication, trust, boundaries, intimacy, changing roles, family dynamics or simply feeling unheard can all bring people to counselling. Sometimes it's about understanding the relationship; sometimes it's about understanding what happens to you within it.
Caring for other people can have a hidden cost. You can love somebody deeply and still feel exhausted, frustrated, guilty, resentful or lost in the responsibility of looking after them. Those feelings can coexist. Therapy gives you somewhere you don't have to pretend otherwise.
Work can affect far more than the hours you're actually there. Conflict, bullying, difficult professional relationships, burnout, feeling undervalued or simply dreading going in can follow you home. My training in workplace mediation and conflict coaching means we can explore the emotional impact as well as, where useful, conversations, choices and practical ways forward.
Life changes can leave you wondering who you are now. Retirement, redundancy, separation, children leaving home, getting older, changing careers or simply reaching a point where the life you've built no longer feels quite right can raise questions about identity, purpose and what comes next.
I also understand demanding and high-pressure working environments. My emergency-services background gives me additional understanding of responsibility, shift work, workplace culture and the cumulative effect of repeatedly dealing with difficult situations. This can be useful for people in emergency services, the NHS and other demanding occupations, but it's one part of the experience I bring rather than the focus of my practice.
Therapies offered
Fees
£80.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer a free 15 minute introductory telephone or video conversation so we can meet, talk a little 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 arranged in blocks of six and each session paid for 24 hours in advance. This gives you continuity while allowing us to plan sessions around your availability. Towards the end of each block, we can review how things are going before you decide whether you'd like to continue.
I offer a 10% discount for NHS and emergency-services staff.
I know life doesn't always go to plan, so appointments can be moved or cancelled with 24 hours' notice. Sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice will normally be charged.
Payment is currently by bank transfer.
Further information
Life doesn't always fit neatly around a weekly appointment at the same time, and therapy doesn't have to either. I understand shift work, caring responsibilities, changing commitments and simply having a lot going on. Where possible, we'll find a way of working that is both consistent and realistic for your life.
I currently work online, offering flexible appointments that can fit around work, family and other commitments. I'm also looking to expand into face-to-face counselling in both Yateley and Farnborough in the near future.
Sessions are 50 minutes and counselling can be short-term or longer-term. Although sessions are arranged in blocks of six, that doesn't mean deciding at the beginning how long you'll need counselling. Towards the end of each block, we'll review how things are going and decide together whether you'd like to continue.
I welcome enquiries from adults from all backgrounds and at different stages of life. You don't need previous experience of counselling, and you don't need to know whether your situation is “serious enough”. If it's affecting you, it's worth talking about.
If you're unsure whether I might be right for you, that's exactly what the free introductory conversation is for.
