Hannah Dolby
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
My name is Hannah and I am an Existential Psychotherapist.
What does this mean? Existential therapy is focused on exploring your individual experiences, thoughts, emotions and patterns of behaviour through compassionate and empathetic conversation.
Existential therapy accepts that there will be anxiety and suffering in life - we cannot be and feel happy all the time - that is not a realistic goal for any of us! Together we can work through what is causing you difficulty, pain or suffering, and explore how we might move forward with it, and find ways to bring more fulfillment, purpose or enjoyment to your life along the way too. Perhaps you have suffered a significant loss, a bereavement, a life change, a new diagnosis, are unhappy at work or, perhaps you do not know what is causing you to struggle at the moment. That is OK too.
Existential therapy does not have a focus on diagnoses (such as depression or anxiety) and I am not able to provide you with a diagnosis or medication. Some people find having a formal diagnosis helpful, and you may feel medication is a helpful tool, whereas others do not. There are no right or wrong answers. You are the expert in your own life and I am there to support you make the best decisions for you.
Existential therapy does not use rigid tools, techniques and homework in the way a therapy like CBT might do. However, no one type of therapy has all the answers, and so where there are tools or techniques that might benefit you, I will incorporate those. And if I think another type of therapy might better serve what you are looking for, I will always be honest with you and you can always be honest with me.
A bit more about me. Therapy has been pivotal to making me the person I am today, and has transformed my life for the better. I, like everyone else, will always be a work in progress but I believe my life experiences have made me the therapist I am today and motivates me to do the work I do. I have worked for a wide range of mental health charities, the NHS (both with patients and staff, including during COVID-19) and with students, researchers and academics in Higher Education.
I am happy to work with anything you wish to bring including anxiety and depression. I have significant experience in working with life change, career/work difficulties, bereavement, chronic and long term illness, reproductive health (including abortion, miscarriage and menopause), perinatal mental health, student mental health, neurodivergence, exploring your identity, thoughts of suicide and feeling in crisis.
Part of being a responsible therapist is acknowledging my limitations. I am happy to work with the long term impact of sexual assault or abuse (childhood or adult), however if you feel you may have PTSD and are experiencing significant symptoms (such as 'dissociation' or 'flashbacks') then this is not my primary area of expertise. If you are looking for a therapist with this specialty then I will gladly recommend one to you free of charge. Therapy being accessible to all is important to me, so I offer concessions to students (in higher education or psychotherapy trainees), those on low incomes an anyone claiming benefits.
If you think that I might be the right therapist for you then I am really looking forward to working together soon.
Training, qualifications & experience
BSc (Hons) Psychology
MSc Health Psychology
MSc Counselling Psychology & Psychotherapy
Existential Psychotherapy Training (New School of Counselling & Psychotherapy)
ILM Level 3 Certificate in Coaching
I have worked extensively within the NHS with both patients and staff and have a broad range of charity experience including Mind, Maytree Respite Centre and Samaritans.
Some areas of speciality including: navigating life change, student mental health, health care workers, work stress, burnout, cancer, chronic illness, women's health, abortion and pregnancy support, end of life support, carers, bereavement and suicidal crisis. This is not an exhaustive list.
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.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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.
Universities Psychotherapy & Counselling Association
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£40.00 - £65.00
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
I can offer discounted fees to students in training, those on benefits, low incomes or on maternity leave.
I offer a free, no pressure 30 minute telephone call to discuss my services and whether these would be right for you.
I am registered psychotherapy provider with WPA, Vitality, Aviva and AXA
When I work
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I work in person or remotely on Tuesdays 9am - 4pm and online only Thursday and Fridays 9am - 3pm.
Further information
At present I work in-person and online on Tuesdays and online the rest of the week. I work from 9 - 3pm (last session 2pm).
If you would like in person sessions in West Essex or East Hertfordshire on another day, please reach out and I can see if I can accommodate this.
