About me
I am an experienced and compassionate therapuetic counsellor accredited with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
I have a particular interest in supporting people to heal from trauma and negative experiences and I offer a safe, confidential place to process events. External influences such as abuse can erode our sense of who we are, leading to a loss of self confidence and feelings of anxiety. My aim is to support people to believe in and accept themselves so that they can lead fulfilling lives and experience healthy relationships with others. Taking the time to heal from difficult external influences means we can start to embrace who we are and begin to live the lives we choose.
Why Counselling?
People enter into therapy for lots of different reasons:
Present Day Situations
You may have experienced a trauma; you may have a dilemma or challenge you need to explore or you may be facing a change in your life which feels frightening to you. You may be feeling anxious, stressed or unable to cope with situations. Even something which others deem positive, such as marriage, moving home, pregnancy or retirement, can feel overwhelming and challenging.
I will provide you with a safe and confidential place for you to explore your situation and will help you to deal with anything which, at the moment, feels too daunting or difficult to overcome.
Past Experiences
It’s not only things that are happening today that can cause problems. Past experiences can also have an effect on the way you feel and they can continue to influence your present day situations, even when the events are over.
You may have experienced something in the past, such as trauma, which has caused you to have a negative view of who you are, creating difficult feelings such as shame or guilt; or you may be aware that you are using unhealthy coping mechanisms to get you through each day.
Negative messages from others may also have helped to form the way you feel about yourself, eroding your self confidence and stopping you from achieving your full potential,
I will support you to resolve the past, allowing you to recover and move forward without being negatively affected by previous events.
Self Exploration
You may be questioning who you are or what you believe. You may be feeling that life could be different and more fulfilling. There may not be a specific event or situation which has caused you to question things and you may not know what you want to change but somehow you simply know you would like things to be different.
I can help you to explore unanswered questions and provide clarity so that you can make decisions which support you to live a life you choose.
Relationships
As relational beings, we thrive on experiencing supportive and trusting relationships. However, it is very easy for communication to break down or for differences to occur.
If you are experiencing difficulties in a relationship or perhaps in many relationships, then I can help you to explore your feelings and help you obtain clarity on what is causing the rift(s).
Parent/Carer/Teacher Support
Caring for others can be challenging and it is vital that you remain well enough to be able to continue providing the much needed support. Looking after children can also be difficult, especially if the young person is experiencing problems themselves. As a parent, carer or teacher you can be under enormous pressure on a daily basis which takes its toll.
I can support you to build resilience so that you feel better equipped to deal with the daily pressures and provide the best possible support for those you are caring for.
Confusion and Distress
Of course, at this moment in time, you may not even be able to understand why you want support...but somehow know that you do! Your emotions may feel overwhelming and out of control and you find yourself crying, getting angry or hurting yourself and/or others. There is no wrong reason for deciding to obtain support and I believe that if your situation is important to you, then it is.
My Approach to Supporting You
Each counselling session with me will give you the opportunity to explore anything which feels important to you in a confidential setting without fear of being judged.
I aim to help you to explore your feelings, emotions and behaviour and to support you to understand why you are feeling certain things or behaving in certain ways. I do this by understanding what you are experiencing from your perspective, without judgement and with genuine compassion.
To be completely heard and understood is therapeutic in itself but once you understand more about yourself and your experiences, you can then decide whether or not you want to make any changes...and if this is what you choose to do, then I will support you to achieve this.
What happens next?
If you feel I might be the right person to support you, I usually suggest that we have an initial appointment together. This gives you ample opportunity to meet me, to ask any questions and to experience a counselling session with me (I advise you allow up to 75 minutes for this initial meeting). If after this, you decide you would like to work with me then we can arrange another appointment but you are under no obligation to do so. Subsequent sessions will normally be weekly or fortnightly and will last 60 minutes.
Appointments can be on a fixed day at the same time or, if this is difficult for you due to shift patterns or family commitments, I can work flexibly. Evening and weekend appointments are available if you can't make daytime sessions.
Training, qualifications & experience
CPCAB Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills
CPCAB Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies
CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
CPCAB Level 5 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling
I have worked for a number of community organisations including a local branch of the mental health charity MIND where I was Director of Counselling and Support Services. Here I set up and managed a counselling service, facilitated wellbeing groups and introduced an allotment to allow participants to connect with nature.
I’ve also worked in a refuge providing counselling for survivors of physical, emotional, financial and sexual abuse and volunteered for the bereavement charity CRUSE, undertaking their Awareness in Bereavement Care course.
More recently, I was project manager and lead counsellor for a local organisation offering support to young people. I have recognised that parents, teachers and carers also require support and have been able to facilitate this within my private practice.
To ensure that my skills and knowledge are maintained and updated, I am committed to ongoing professional and personal development.
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.
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£55.00 per session
Additional information
Initial Session: 75 minutes long
Further Sessions: 60 minutes long
When I work
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Daytime, Evening & Weekend appointments. At present, I'm offering more evening/weekend sessions so that you have the best chance of finding a suitable time to receive support.
Further information
I have a valid enhanced DBS certificate.
I am a recognised provider for Aviva, VitalityHealth and Aetna Global Benefits.
I am able to work with organisations to offer support to their employees.
At present, I am only able to offer in-person sessions at my room in Street. However, I am able to offer online or telephone counselling for those unable to travel to Street.
