Heather Coombe
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is currently not accepting new clients and may not respond to general enquiries at this time.
This professional is currently not accepting new clients and may not respond to general enquiries at this time.
About me
I have always liked the adage “if you change nothing, nothing changes” but it can be hard to know where to begin. I believe it starts with you being heard and valued. Having your story and your feelings witnessed and validated is extraordinarily powerful and provides the catalyst for change. Talking to me will feel different from talking to a friend or family member. I will offer you insights and reflections, not opinions or solutions. I am interested in you and your experiences and they matter to me but, as I'm not involved, I remain open-minded.
Whether you come to counselling as an individual or as a couple, we will look at what is bringing you to therapy and explore a new way forward. Our work will offer you a clarity, giving you a better understanding of why you may find yourself repeating negative patterns in life. As an integrative counsellor, I will use different skills to facilitate this shift, tailored to your personal needs.
I have experience in most areas of counselling as well as specialist training in:
- Couples Counselling - Further information below
- Eating Disorders - Further information below
- Bereavement - I have worked as a bereavement counsellor for my local hospice for 5 years
Couples Counselling
Very few relationships exist conflict free. When we choose a partner we have no idea of how we are going to cope with the challenges that life throws at us. I will support you as you explore why things have gone wrong and look at how you address your difficulties. Each of you may have very different approaches and we will look at these in more detail.
Communication is one of the most important aspects of a satisfying partnership. However, I find that when a couple are going through a rough patch, it is communication that often fails first. Using practical exercises, I will help you to reestablish better communication with each other so that you feel heard and understood. You may also find that the safety of the counselling room allows you to talk about issues which have been difficult to address at home. If you don’t know how to ask for what you need, you are less likely to have your needs met.
Together, we will see how past relationships affect how you act and react to each other in your current relationship. My approach is to work with you to highlight what is helpful in your relationship and what is not. As your understanding of yourselves and each other deepens, you will be able to decide what you would like the future to hold for both of you.
Eating disorders
I believe that eating disorders can take control of your life, making you feel as though you've lost your identity. There may be feelings of worthlessness, shame, and perhaps self-loathing. It can cast a dark shadow over your life.
We’ll work together collaboratively to change the way you feel about yourself. It's hard to recover until you believe that you're worth it, and therein lies the heart of the therapy. Building self-esteem and confidence is key.
My aim is to help you to reestablish a healthy relationship with food and to have the freedom to find and maintain a healthy weight without disordered eating or dieting.
My work is two fold; practical interventions, including nutritional guidance, combined with core counselling in which we'll explore your feelings and beliefs around food and your body.
I can help with following eating disorders:-
- Anorexia
- Bulimia
- Binge/Compulsive/Emotional Eating
- Obesity
- Sugar/Bread addiction
Training, qualifications & experience
Training & Qualifications
- Learning to work with Couples - 2018
- Working with the Shadow - 2017
- Sand tray Therapy - 2017
- Transactional Analysis - 2016
- Master Practitioner of Eating Disorders and Obesity - 2015
- Excellence in Practitioner Skills for Eating Disorders - 2015
- Essential Obesity - Psychological Approaches - 2015
- Diploma in Humanistic and Integrative Counselling, Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling (BCPC), 2012 - 2014
- Nutritional Interventions for eating disorders - 2014
- Certificate in Bereavement - 2014
- Foundation Certificate in Psychotherapy and Counselling - UKCP and BACP accredited course. 2011 - 2012 (BCPC)
- BA (Hons) in Sociology - 1985
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
£60.00 per session
Additional information
Please feel free to contact me for an informal discussion if you would like to talk more about how counselling could help in your situation.
Individual Counselling Sessions: £60.00 for 50 minutes
Couples Counselling: £70.00 for 60 minutes
Concessionary rates are available.
It is entirely up to you how long you come for counselling. At an initial session we can discuss what feels right for you.
Location
I work from a comfortable private room, situated at the top of a garden path. It's a peaceful setting with views over the local valley.
When I work
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Morning | |||||||
Afternoon | |||||||
Evening | |||||||
Night |
Early morning, afternoon and evening appointments are usually available but I am currently full.