Georgina Seymour

There are many reasons why we seek counselling, it may be an immediate, urgent need or it may be a long-standing issue that has come to a point where you need help to navigate through it.  I am an experienced Counsellor, I have been working as a therapist for 12 years and in that time I have supported clients with a wide range of issues including anxiety and panic, generalised anxiety disorder, depression, ADHD, family issues, Climate Distress, eating disorders/disordered eating, issues around identity including gender, sexuality and race, coming to terms with a big life change.  I am passionate about the difference counselling can make and have seen countless clients finish our work together in a better place than they started.

Counselling, at its heart, is a relationship.  The relationship acts as a space for you to be listened to - really listened to.  It is an unusual relationship, there aren't many times when the focus is solely on you!  This focus and space creates the opportunity for growth, support, new insights.  You might be struggling with anxiety, feeling uneasy in social situations and unable to stop worrying about the worst happening.  The therapeutic relationship gives you space and support to talk about how you experience the world, what is difficult and, most importantly, what else is going on.  What might be the really big fears which lie under the surface of the everyday worries?  But also, how can we work towards a different way of thinking?  

I  work with issues of identity and injustice, and how you relate to the world and people around you.  I have worked for an LGBTQIA service and value the opportunity to support those who may want to work through issues relating to their sexuality or gender, including the process of transitioning.  I am keenly aware of intersectionality, which may include barriers or discrimination based on race, class, gender, disability, or size.  The counselling work must include how the experience of being in the world impacts you.  I have found trauma-informed tools useful when working with the effects of discrimination - noticing increased vigilance and nervous system dysregulation, acknowledging the impact of micro-aggressions, the burden of inter-generational trauma - and finding ways to voice experience and find ways to self-regulate and increase our feelings of safety.  An important aspect of this work is for me to do, acknowledging my privilege and being watchful for biases/assumptions.

I am also a trained youthworker with 17 years experience working with young people aged between 11 and 25.  I have worked as a counsellor for a young persons' mental health charity, and have experience in both a college and secondary school environment. I am aware of the unique challenges adolescents and young adults face and work to provide a safe space to talk as well as sharing tools and ideas to build resilience and self-awareness.

I am experienced in working with Disordered Eating, Bulimia and Binge Eating Disorder.  I work within an Intuitive Eating and Body Positive model.   I will offer a compassionate, non-judgemental space to explore your relationship with food and your body, working towards a greater self-acceptance and, if appropriate, building a greater range of tools for self-care.  Understanding the messages we have around food, absorbed from family and the world around us, is a necessary part of becoming more at ease with food and more in tune with what our bodies need and don't need.   

As well as working online and in rooms, I also offer Outdoor Therapy.  Being in nature offers a different context for therapeutic work which can be very powerful.  Some people can find it less intense as we are usually alongside one another, rather than facing.   Being outside and having the potential to move or change our position and perspective can give us an opportunity to tune in to how our bodies feel as we talk about certain topics and therefore, what might help us feel more grounded.   Working Outdoors is a fully accessible way to engage in therapy.  Both venues I use (Eastville Park and The Downs) have accessible toilets and step-free footpaths.  If you would are interested in working this way and would like to chat beforehand, please do get in touch.  

I work within an Anti Discriminatory Framework.

I have worked with numerous clients with with ADHD (some with a diagnosis, some not), I have found that extending compassionate curiosity has been of paramount importance.  There are many ways in which the person with ADHD/ADD can feel like a failure, but coming to a greater understanding of how individual neurodivergent brains work, how to work with or around areas of challenge and not feeling shame all counter that message of failure.

How I Work

Primarily I work in a Person-Centred way, this means that I build a relationship with each client, I attend closely to you and your experience, bearing in mind that we are all wonderfully unique and individual. Two of us may go through a similar experience but what we see/hear/feel will likely be different. So by listening to you I seek to understand your unique perspective and what you want to get from counselling.  I come from an Integrative perspective which means that I draw on a range of models so that I can tailor my approach to each individual.  I will sometimes suggest therapeutic writing tasks or use creative methods in or between sessions. I find Transactional Analysis a useful model to help us understand ourselves more fully and how we interact with those around us. I also draw on some CBT tools and ideas to help us gain insight into challenging situations or behaviour.  I take a whole-life approach and will sometimes explore the impact of sleeping patterns, physical wellbeing, how we use technology and food/eating. My approach is always open-minded, curious and mindful of your needs, limits and resources.

What you can expect 

We would have an initial no-obligation session. This an opportunity to meet one another, to explore what has brought you to counselling and what you might want to be different. We might talk about any concerns or worries you have about counselling and how I could support you best.  I will tell you a bit more about how I work and answer any questions you might have.  It would be full 50 minute session charged at my usual rate to ensure that it is a safe, holding space for you.  If you decide to not to go ahead with counselling at this time, or if you feel a different counsellor would better suit you, that is absolutely fine.  If you do decide you would like to work together we would then talk together about the best direction for us to take and how many sessions we might want to meet for.  I am experienced in both short-term counselling (generally 6-12 sessions) and longer term and am happy to work with you for as few, or as many, sessions as you think you need.  We will have regular reviews so we can check-in on the direction of our work and to help us to have a planned, positive ending.

I work in a Body Positive way, and within an Intuitive Eating framework.  This way of working is partly about widening our lens - looking at all our needs and how we regulate ourselves, what tools we have and how food plays a part in that.  Working towards feeling neutral, maybe even positive, about our body exactly as it is today is usually part of the work.  

My fees are currently £55 for individuals.  

I am currently using Whereby for online sessions.  I work in-person at Bristol Talking Therapy Rooms in central Bristol.

On Tuesdays I work at the Downs offering Outdoor Therapy, Mondays and Fridays I work at Eastville Park.   We would meet at a pre-agreed location, if walking or movement is needed, sometimes it is preferred that I lead the route, and other times clients would like to do this.  We will go at a pace which is comfortable for you.  The option to sit or find a quiet spot to locate ourselves is there as well.  This way of working offers great flexibility and encourages us to tune in to what we need, voicing our preferences and our limits. We also have the opportunity to observe and connect with nature which can add to the therapeutic process.