Hayley Rivers


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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
If you have found yourself here you are probably thinking about finding someone to talk to about something that is troubling you. You may have feelings of anxiety or depression, experienced a traumatic event(s) either recently or in the past that has caused you distress, have difficulties in your relationships with others, or you might not know why you are feeling what you are feeling, all of it is welcome here.
I offer compassionate, non-judgemental, experienced counselling in the Bristol area at my practice in Bishopston, just off Gloucester Road.
I believe that making the decision to begin addressing things in your life that you are struggling with is an act of courage.
You may have been finding things difficult for a while hoping that things would get better, or the thought of coming to counselling and speaking to someone you don't know about very personal things may feel daunting.
Having someone outside of your family and friends can be really helpful to explore how you feel about something, without worrying that what you are saying may upset them or cause conflict, this is where I can help.
When we are experiencing distressing feelings and emotions with no where to safely process them, it can all become overwhelming and you may start to struggle to cope with everyday life.
You may even find yourself turning to other ways to cope like drinking more than usual, excessive exercise, prescription and non-prescription drugs, or over/under-eating in an attempt to cope or numb the feeling of distress.
Counselling can help by having a space outside of your everyday life to think about how you are coping with things, helping you to navigate difficult emotions and have them heard in a non-judgmental space.
Not being alone in those feelings can reduce the intensity of them and help you gain a new perspective, whilst helping you find a way forward.
There is no doubt that our past experiences has an effect on how we think, feel, and believe about ourselves. As we get older these beliefs can stay with us and this can often be unhelpful and difficult to be conscious of.
Patterns of thinking are like well worn paths in the circuitry of our brain, it can be hard to see that there are other paths we can take especially as we are often not aware of them. This means that the way we see ourselves and the world can start to feel limited.
Each individual person is unique, so I use a different approach to therapy depending on the person, but at the heart of my work is the relationship, I get to know you first and foremost.
I work mainly from an integration of Person-centred, Psychodynamic, and Existential approaches, this means I use different types of counselling theory to help you make sense of things.
I have worked with several organisations in and around Bristol including; NHS IAPT program, The Swan Project, Bristol Drugs Project, Kinergy, Southmead Project, Women’s Aid, SARSAS, Victim Support and Red Horse Foundation, providing supervision to other counsellors, delivering workshops and training people to become counsellors as a lecturer.
I have over 15 years experience of helping people with a wide range of issues including, but not limited to:
- PTSD
- trauma
- abuse; domestic/sexual/financial
- addictive behaviours
- difficult childbirth experiences
- depression/post-natal depression (men and women)
- anxiety
- depression
- life transitions
- loneliness
- relationship difficulties
- parenting children and young adults with ASD/ADHD
- self-esteem/self worth
Therapy is best delivered face to face, but I am also able to offer Zoom or Skype sessions.
Training, qualifications & experience
My training background has been with Bristol University and Severn Talking Therapy. I hold a Foundation Degree in Integrative Counselling (with Distinction) and an Advanced Diploma in Relational Supervision validated by National Counselling Society. I am also an EAGALA certified Therapist offering Equine Assisted Therapy in Stroud.
I am a registered member of British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP Reg), and adhere to their ethical framework.
I have previously been the clinical manager of a low-cost therapy centre in Bristol, provide continual professional development workshops for others in the helping professions.
I am a mother to two Sons, now fully grown and have experienced the many joys, and not so joyous moments, of parenting.
I learnt about life the hard way and use these experiences to inform my practice and compassion towards others trying to navigate life.
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
I have specialist knowledge and/or training in: Autistic Spectrum Disorders, post-Natal depression and trauma through birthing, Early/Peri/Post Menopause, trauma and Addiction
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Additional information
- 1:1 therapy sessions are 50 minutes
- Equine Assisted Therapy is booked in 1 or 1.5 hour slots at Red Horse Foundation in Stroud.
- I am currently practicing from the very accessible Gloucester Road in Bristol, which is served by many bus routes
Please give me a call or drop me an email, I will be happy to talk to you about your needs and arrange an initial appointment.
When I work
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