Heather Benbow
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello, my name is Heather, I am a qualified counsellor offering face to face therapy in the heart of Sutton Coldfield and Lichfield.
I also am able to work on the telephone or online.
Life can feel challenging at times, you may feel overwhelmed and anxious. If you would like extra support, I help clients understand their stress and anxiety.
I specialise working with clients that have encountered trauma, I offer empathic, non-judgemental support counselling and personal therapy in the following areas:
- Dealing with loss
- Coping with major life changes
- Stress at work or home
- Relationship issues
- Coping with ill-health
- Rape & sexual violence
Or to address on-going emotional/psychological issues e.g:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Unhealthy relationship patterns
- Anger
- Self-esteem/confidence
I use an integrative approach, combining elements of person-centered and psychodynamic therapies and CBT. This means I can adapt the way I work to suit your individual needs and time-frame.
I work in Sutton Coldfield and Lichfield to work face to face or on the telephone or online to suit your needs.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Diploma Level 4 in Therapeutic Counselling (CPCAB)
- Diploma Level 5 in Psychotherapeutic Counselling (CPCAB)
- Registered Member of British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
I have worked extensively with victims of rape and sexual violence, as well as their supporters. I also have experience of working within a family support and bereavement service within a hospice.
I have previously worked within business and have seen first hand how the stresses of deadlines and workloads can translate into difficulty working with colleagues and clients, trouble concentrating, preoccupation over the fear instead of focusing on work, and turning down assignments because of fear of failure, or public speaking. All of these stresses can impact on home and work life.
I also have the ability to work within business too.
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£55.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Additional information
I offer a free 30 minute initial telephone consultation, to ensure therapy is suitable for your needs. Sessions are charged at £55.00 thereafter.
Sessions last no more than 1 hour.
Payment via bank transfer 24 hours before session.
If a client cancels without giving 24 hours notice full payment is still required.
When I work
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Monday all day
Tuesday all day
Wednesday pm
Friday all day
Further information
I believe in the value and uniqueness of each individual. I also believe that within each person there is a core, genuine Self. This is what some might refer to as 'potential'. That potential can only find fruition if the conditions for growth are just right, but sadly this is often not the case because of the imperfections of the significant people in our lives, the society around us, and so on.
The counselling work is centred around the creation of a genuine, non-judgemental and empathic therapeutic relationship where there is no agenda. It allows for the real self to have a voice and enables the individual to explore inner tensions and anxieties. This exploration enables the person to realise his/her self-worth and re-assess the various issues and the feelings that exist.
My approach is based on the Person-Centred model of counselling, which as the name suggests is focussed on the individual rather on a set agenda of mine.
I may also employ techniques from other schools of thought, for example, the Parent/Adult/Child theories from Transactional Analysis. I may sometimes suggest some creative methods, but that will be agreed upon with each person.
It's my privilege to help facilitate the exploration of feelings and issues. I do this not by offering solutions or strategies but by offering empathy, encouragement, supportive challenge, and helping to identify links so that hopefully the individual be able to see things differently.
