Gala Connell
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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
Hello and welcome to my page. I am glad you are here.
I hope the information will help you understand my approach and make a decision about therapy. Please get in touch if you would like to know more.
I work in a trauma-informed holistic way. My approach is evidence-based, draws upon a number of well-established theories and therapies and reflects my core values as a practitioner: compassion, respect, collaboration and honesty. I aim to provide an inclusive service irrespective of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, culture, or disability.
I often work with clients experiencing longstanding and complex difficulties including chronic emotional dysregulation and relationship/attachment issues.
My specialisms include:
Interpersonal/relational problems
Depression
Trauma and Complex PTSD
Issues with a sense of self and identity
My therapeutic approach
My integrative approach brings together psychodynamic and humanistic principles and draws mainly from attachment theory, neurobiology, Gestalt, and Emotion-Focused Psychotherapy.
My therapeutic style involves both following and guiding. I believe that it is important to build a relationship that feels safe and contained for you to explore your issues. We work together towards finding and attending to where your life is stuck or where you feel pain or emptiness. The goal is to bring about a lasting emotional change and I sometimes use specific interventions to facilitate the process. We work directly with emotions and you learn to use your emotions as information to figure out your needs and the ways to meet them.
Coming to counselling and opening up to a stranger can be hard. It is my priority to provide a safe and confidential space for you to be in. I will treat everything that you share sensitively and with respect.
Couples therapy
I practice Emotion-Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT-C). In this approach, we work towards understanding the repeating negative patterns in your relationship and then go deeper to access the underlying emotions and needs. Saying what you truly feel and need and hearing your partner share their true feelings, can break the negative cycle and restore closeness and intimacy.
How to get started
I currently offer sessions remotely via Zoom video link. Delivering therapy in this way has proven to be just as effective and comes with the added benefits of being more flexible.
Please use the buttons on this page to contact me by email or text, or to book a free intro call.
The work starts with an initial consultation, which is an opportunity for us to think about your needs in therapy. I will invite you to share what brings you to counselling, what you might want to understand about yourself and what change you hope to experience in the process. We will then discuss how we may work towards your goals. For you, it Is also an opportunity to size me up and to decide whether you want to work with me.
If it feels helpful and you wish to continue with regular counselling, we will agree on the day and time of our weekly sessions.
Please, contact me with any questions.
Training, qualifications & experience
Membership and Accreditation:
I am a registered accredited member of BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) and abide by their Ethical Framework
Core Counselling/Psychotherapy Qualifications:
MA in Psychotherapy and Counselling – University of Leeds
Diploma in the Practice of Supervision - Leeds Centre for Psychological Development (LCPD)
Certified PCE-CfD Therapist (Person-Centred Experiential Counselling for Depression) – York St John University
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Advanced Professional Training, Level 1 and Level 2 - Southern California Institute of Emotion-Focused Therapy (USA)
Emotion-Focused Therapy for Complex Trauma (EFTT) - Southern California Institute of Emotion-Focused Therapy (USA)
Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy (EFT-C), Advanced Professional Training,
Level 1- Southern California Institute of Emotion-Focused Therapy (USA)
Couple Therapy for Depression (CTFD) - Tavistock Relationships, qualification in progress
Integrating Gestalt - one-year post-qualification participation in personal and professional development group facilitated by a teaching and supervising member of GPTI (Gestalt Psychotherapy and Training Institute), and receiving ongoing supervision from a Gestalt supervisor and trainer
Modules from MSc in Clinical Mental Health Counselling -
Nova Southeastern University, Florida (USA):
- Human Sexuality
- Group Theory and Practice
- Substance Abuse Counselling
I am committed to continuous professional development and I stay on top of current research in the psychological therapy field. I am subscribed to research databases to browse and read important new publications and I undertake further training regularly.
Experience:
NHS - I have experience in both primary and secondary settings. Alongside my private practice, I currently work with NHS patients at Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service (former IAPT) as Counsellor for Depression and Couple Therapist for Depression.
I have worked as a counsellor at Leeds Beckett University Student Wellbeing Service and in the voluntary sector offering long-term counselling to the general public.
I am experienced in working with difference and cultural diversity, including working with interpreters. I offer therapy in English and Russian.
Member organisations
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.
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
- Maladaptive daydreaming
- Perinatal mental health
- Honour-based abuse and forced marriage
- Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults
- Gender-affirming practice, LGBTQI+ ally/accomplice
- Co-dependent relationships
- Adult children of alcoholics
- Intercultural couples
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 - £80.00
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
Individuals: £60 for a 50-minute session
Couples: £80 for a 50-minute session
My practice is fully insured.
When I work
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Further information
F&Q
What is your background?
I come from a multi-ethnic background and grew up between cultures. I have lived in several countries and moved to Yorkshire from Russia in the late nineties. Prior to training as a psychotherapist, I worked as a teacher in an inner-city middle and high school, and later as a conference, business, and public service interpreter.
What books can you recommend as a therapist?
There are a lot of helpful and interesting books out there and, like finding a therapist, it is often a very personal choice. Go with where your interest takes you and see what resonates.
Having said that, here are my personal favourites where I like both the message and the way it is delivered:
On trauma:
Babette Rothchild. 8 Keys to Safe Trauma Recovery. This books is especially useful for those of you who do not want to revisit/retell the traumatic events as part of your recovery process.
Bessel van der Kolk. The Body Keeps the Score. Great book that addresses trauma in a holistic mind-body way.
On attachment:
David Wallin. Attachment in Psychotherapy. This is actually a book for therapists, but is an accessible read and will be invaluable for those of you who would like to know more about attachment and understand your own attachment patterns.
