Gemma White
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Have you experienced the loss of someone or something important to you? Do you find it hard to know how you feel? Or are you afraid of how much you feel? Imagine having a regular time each week to focus on yourself and what you need. How would it be to get to know yourself better, to reconnect with your inner resources and feel more self-trust? How does it feel to imagine living your life in a way that works for you?
We all go through hard seasons in our lives. Bereavement, loss or any unwanted change can make everyday life difficult. You may have suffered the death of a loved one, or it could be the loss of a friendship, or the end of a romantic relationship. It could be the loss of a beloved pet. It could also be the loss of a job and the identity it gave you. The loss may be recent or a long time ago.
Loss and grief cause a lot of thoughts and feelings, we may feel consumed by anxious thoughts or dulled by depression. Other losses can resurface and become painful again. We might feel as though we’re not coping or moving on as we should be. We may feel tired of pretending we are okay.
It can be hard to find somewhere to talk without fearing being too much, being given unwanted advice, or worrying about the impact our feelings may have on the other person. Telling our story may feel important, and we may need to examine parts of it in detail, but we can find there isn’t time or capacity for this with friends or family.
I see therapy as an investment in taking care of ourselves, a space where we can find the words for what needs to be said. I believe we all have a story that deserves to be told. I see us all having the capacity to heal, grow and create lasting change. I believe we can still thrive and flourish even when not living the life we hoped for and that we can find ways to live well with our loss.
How I work
I am a Person-Centred counsellor, and my style is gentle and sensitive. I will strive to offer you understanding and acceptance, and for you to feel welcomed, respected and valued, just as you are.
Working with me gives you meaningful time to work on what is causing you difficulty with a fully trained professional, dedicated to understanding you. In my experience, it can be hugely helpful to say how we feel and feel fully understood by another, to realise our thoughts, our pain and our difficulties make sense. It can be a chance to get to know ourselves in deeper ways, developing our self-trust and our capacity to be our authentic selves. In this unique space, it is possible to find new opportunities, solutions and ways of being that are right for us.
I love how life-changing therapy can be and work hard to be a sturdy presence who can be with you in whatever you need support with.
My experience of childlessness after infertility, has given me an additional passion for working with others living with a lifelong loss. I understand the nuance and sensitivity of being childless not by choice, and that this loss can be misunderstood by others. Knowledgeable support can help us explore our unique experience and perspective. Recognising the loss of a future with children can leave us with a lot to make sense of, the journey we have navigated to get to this point and the new, unexpected path ahead. I offer an understanding space to work on all of this.
Whatever you are facing, we can work with it together, we will make sense of your experience with sensitivity and gently work out how you might want to move forward.
I offer weekly, 50 minute, online or phone sessions, or counselling by email. Whatever way we work together, you choose what feels most important to work on. It's important to me that you choose how long we work together. I normally suggest we start with 4-6 sessions to try out working together but you are not committed to any number of sessions. Please book an introductory call if you'd like to explore the options for working together.
Location
I work online, phone, and by email with clients based anywhere in the UK.
Getting in touch
If you’re curious to know more, I'm happy to meet and chat. I offer a free, informal, 30 minute introductory call and this can be booked on here. Alternatively, head to my website and Instagram to learn more about me and how I work. I understand it can be hard to get started and I’ll do my best to make it as comfortable as I can.
Training, qualifications & experience
BA in Person-Centred Counselling, (2022), Metanoia Institute, Ealing, London.
Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling, (2022), Metanoia Institute, Ealing, London
Continuing Professional Development
I attend to my ongoing learning and development with fortnightly individual supervision, trainings, reading and accessing peer support groups. Recent topics include Shame, Menopause and working within diversity.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Specialising in working with those who are childfree or childless not by choice.
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Limited concessionary rate sessions available at £40. I offer a free, 30 minute video call/phone call to potential clients. It's an opportunity to meet and see if we would like to work together. If we decide together that I am not the right therapist for you, I am happy to make suggestions of ways to find alternatives.
When I work
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I currently offer slots on a Monday evening and Tuesday daytime. Please contact me for my latest availability.
Further information
I am a registered member of the BACP and I abide by their Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions (2018).
