Dr Harriet Challoner
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
I am trained in multiple therapies to help with a wide range of difficulties. My specialism is trauma-informed therapy. Viewing people with a trauma-informed lens means instead of asking "what is wrong with you?" I ask "what has happened to you?"
Most difficulties have an origin, or multiple moments in your life that have contributed to them. It is also important to recognise society and contextual pressures shape all of us over time too. My approach to therapy looks at the past, present and future, to build an understanding of the factors that have led you to where you are today. Many people struggle to accept that they have had difficult experiences in their lives and that these may have impacted upon them - clients often come to therapy telling me that they know "other people have it much worse," or unintentionally minimising the difficulties they have been through in other ways. Taking a trauma-informed approach is not only for those with a diagnosis of PTSD or Complex-Trauma (although I have extensive experience of helping people with these diagnoses). 'Small-T' traumas are quieter moments that have often built, impacted and shaped you over time. This can include others consistently not relating to you the way you needed them to at key moments in your life, for example. Trauma can be something you didn't realise was damaging at the time but impacts you now for some reason, and you feel yourself reacting now from the past, not the present. This approach is also not limited to events you would necessarily consider 'traumatic' at all. Exploring these moments, understanding them, being truly validated and heard (perhaps for the first time) about what these were like for you, and then sometimes processing or working directly on those experiences, can be the start of meaningful healing and change.
In therapy I work with clients on the three aspects of your past, present and future as much as you want to. So, if you want to deeply explore and process the past, we can do that. If you would rather only touch briefly on the past and focus on the present and future aspects of your life for example, that's absolutely fine too.
Common difficulties I can help with include low mood, anxiety, relationship difficulties, improving communication, low self-esteem, coping with chronic health conditions and physical pain, stress, burnout, PTSD and complex-trauma, and bereavement.
However, first and foremost I do not see people as categories or labels; it is likely that you are looking into therapy because you have a mix of problems, or it may even be because you don't know exactly what the problem is. Whatever your needs, you're welcome to discuss them with me to see if I can help.
Above all I believe that the therapeutic relationship between therapist and client is the most important and effective factor in successful therapy. Plenty of research also backs this up. I therefore pride myself on creating a safe, compassionate, collaborative, authentic and reliable space for you.
When you decide to work with me, we will create a collaborative understanding of your difficulties, and a tailored plan of how we are going to work on them together, which can be in short, medium or longer-term therapy.
My approach to psychological therapy is integrative, which means I am trained in and often blend a range of therapeutic approaches, so therapy is tailored to you. I decide which therapies to draw upon depending on the issues you bring to therapy, your preferences and personality, my own expertise, and the evidence-base. I only integrate and draw upon evidence-based therapies. The therapies and approaches I may integrate include:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Humanistic, Existential and Person-Centred Therapies
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Trauma-focused therapies, including Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)
DBT informed-therapy (I am DBT trained but cannot offer full DBT due to not working within a team at this time)
I usually like to contract for between 16-30 sessions with clients, as I feel it is good for everyone to have a timeframe to work towards. If we both feel it's needed we can extend beyond this of course, but I find working to an approximate time frame helps both myself and the client to focus, and means you can budget for therapy more effectively.
Therapy can be the most valuable gift we can ever give to ourselves and those around us; however, it can also be daunting and hard to know where to start. I believe it is essential that you feel comfortable and confident in your therapist, so if you'd like to have a brief chat to see if I am the right therapist for you, please feel free to message me.
Training, qualifications & experience
Doctorate in Counselling Psychology (DPsych).
Additional training completed in EMDR, DBT, MBT & ACT.
I have extensive experience working with varied client groups and difficulties both via NHS and the private sector. I am particularly experienced in and passionate about working with trauma, including complex trauma.
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 HCPC are an independent, UK-wide health regulator. They set standards of professional training, performance and conduct for 16 professions.
They keep a register of health professionals who meet their standards, and they take action if registered health professionals fall below those standards. They were created by a piece of legislation called the Health Professions Order 2001.
Registration means that a health professional meets national standards for their professional training, performance and conduct.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£110.00 per session
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
Sessions are 50-60 minutes long, for individual adults (18 years old and above).
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning | |||||||
| Morning | |||||||
| Early afternoon | |||||||
| Late afternoon | |||||||
| Evening |
From April 2026, I will be seeing clients on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with appointments currently available between 09:30-13:30.
