About me
Hello, my name is Hazel and thank you for considering my profile. I have several decades of experience in the helping professions and use a blended approach to therapy which focuses on you as a person and your needs as they emerge.
At the heart of my practice is the belief that you are the expert on your life and the issues that you are experiencing. When we meet, I aim to offer you a warm, accepting, and compassionate approach that supports you to explore what is ‘on your mind’ in a safe and confidential space. Clients who choose to work with me come from a wide variety of backgrounds and bring a range of issues and challenges that they want to explore.
I am committed to creating an inclusive and affirming environment for all clients, regardless of background or identity. My practice is LGBTQIA+ positive and neurodiverse affirming, ensuring that everyone is welcomed and respected for who they are. I understand that each person brings their own unique experiences and perspectives, and I strive to honour this diversity in every session.
There are many different types of therapy but at the heart of all of them is a focus on building a therapeutic relationship based on trust, empathy and respect to support the work that you want to do. I believe that it is the quality of this relationship that will help you to explore difficult experiences and emotions, gain new insights and find a way forward. It can also take some time for this relationship to build and for the work that you want to do to emerge.
I am trained in both person centred and psychodynamic approaches to therapy and in addition I am a trained coach. This enables me to work with you in an integrated way which means that I can draw on a range of theories and approaches depending on the nature of the issues that you would like to explore. Rather than feeling that you must ‘fit’ into my process or way of working, I want to find a way of working that you find helpful.
I provide both short and long-term therapy depending on your needs.
My clients
People that choose to work with me come from diverse backgrounds, genders, sexualities, religions and races and are looking for help to understand and manage a broad range of issues.
Some people come to therapy with a clear idea about what they want help with. This might include:
- Relationship issues
- Difficult family dynamics
- Processing painful emotions from past events and trauma
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Bereavement
- Life transitions such as leaving home, entering a partnership / marriage, parenthood, divorce, retiral, ageing
- Dealing with illness
- Coping with stress and difficult emotions
- Work related stressors
- Making decisions on next steps in life
- Self-esteem and confidence issues
Other clients are less clear about what they are looking for from therapy and may come with:
- A sense of not being as happy in life as they might be
- Feeling that something is missing but unclear about what this is
- Wanting to understand themselves better, build self-esteem and achieve personal goals
- Feelings of loneliness, isolation or not ‘fitting in’
- Wanting to discover their ‘real’ self and live in a way that reflects this
I understand that it can feel daunting to come to therapy and clients can feel worried if they are not too sure about what they are looking for or what to expect. It often takes time to settle into therapy and my focus when we meet is to support you in this process by answering any questions that you might have and building a positive relationship with you. Very occasionally, clients might be looking for some specific or specialised support that I feel might be better met by a different therapist. If this happens, I will support you by signposting you to other services or therapists that you might prefer to work with.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have always been passionate about working with people and supporting them to feel fulfilled in life despite the difficulties that they might face. All my work experience has been in the helping professions in the NHS, Higher Education and other parts of the Public and Voluntary Sector. Over the last 10 years I have worked independently in these sectors with a focus on individual, team and organisational development. Alongside this, I have personal experience as an unpaid carer, respite foster carer and Children’s Panel member. I have worked as a volunteer counsellor at PF Counselling for a number of years alongside my private practice.
I am a registered therapist with:
- A Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling awarded by the CPCAB Counselling and Psychotherapy Awarding Body
- A Certificate in Counselling Studies awarded by the CPCAB Counselling and Psychotherapy Awarding Body
- Membership of the BPS British Psychological Society (Membership number 253265)
- Membership of BACP British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (Membership number 399172)
In addition, I have several coaching qualifications including a Masters in Mentoring and Coaching Practice (2007) awarded by Oxford Brookes University and I hold Membership of the EMCC European Mentoring and Coaching Council (membership number M134902ID).
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
- managing life transitions
- work related issues
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Additional information
Fees
I understand how difficult it can be to take the next steps in therapy, and I imagine that you will have questions that you would like to discuss. It can take time to find a therapist that you feel comfortable working with and that is why I offer a free 30-minute consultation via phone or on-line to answer any questions you might have and help you find out if I'm the right fit for you.
If you decide you would like to go ahead, I see clients in person in Edinburgh on Tuesday afternoons in a beautiful venue called A Quiet Room by the Shore. I also work with clients online on other days.
I offer both short- and long-term therapy. Sessions are weekly and last for 50 minutes. Each session costs £60
Mobile: 07867382348
Further information
Commitment to clients
Looking for a counsellor and coming to counselling can feel difficult. People need to be able to participate freely as they work with their counsellor towards their desired goals. This requires clients to be able to trust their practitioner with their wellbeing and sensitive personal information. As a member of the BACP, I take being trustworthy as a serious ethical commitment. This includes the following commitment to clients :
- Put clients first
- Work to professional standards
- Show respect
- Build an appropriate relationship with clients
- Maintain integrity
- Demonstrate accountability and candour
