Hilary Welsh
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Introduction
You may have been thinking of looking for someone to talk to for a while and I understand that the process of looking for a therapist may be anxiety provoking for you, you may be unsure which therapist to choose, and it can be a mind-boggling experience at a time that it feels important for you to find the right person for your therapeutic journey. I have tried to build this website with as much clarity, transparency and accessibility as possible to support you in this process.
Initial Consultation
I offer an Initial Consultation which provides an opportunity for us to meet, for me to learn about you, what brings you to therapy and what you might like to achieve. I can talk about how I might work with you, and you can decide if you would like to continue working with me. Should this be the case, together we can plan what might best suit your needs. The Initial Consultation is a little different to subsequent therapy sessions. I lasts for a little longer, between 60 and 70 minutes, I ask if I can take a few notes as they help me think about our work together. There will also be a little paperwork to complete at the end.
My Approach
The most important aspect of any therapy regardless of modality is the therapeutic relationship. I work in a relational way offering you a safe space to explore what brings you to therapy, help gain a better understanding of how and where you find yourself now and offer strategies to find and/or support the changes you feel you need to make to lead a more fulfilling life.
I have several therapeutic methods to draw on, whether it be a safe talking space you feel you need, or tools for further exploration such as sand tray, or creative materials such as clay, art materials or metaphor. All the above or some can be used in your therapy at different stages should you wish.
Time is another important aspect of our work, should you wish to continue to work with me we will meet on the same day at the same time each week for 50 minutes. We can decide on time span;
- Short-term or time-limited therapy to support you through a difficult period or to explore a particular issue and gain better understanding of where you are and help develop strategies to navigate difficulties.
- Open-ended therapy to explore in more depth or work with historical issues. The open-ended way of working does not mean that therapy will last for years, rather we allow your exploration to go where it needs to at the pace best suited for each stage. When you feel you have gained what you wished from your therapy, we work towards an ending.
Therapeutic Environment
Environment is also an important factor in therapy. I offer face to face work in my purpose-built therapy room that provides a peaceful, safe collaborative space for our work together. It has parking on the drive and the entrance is through the archway to the right of the house. I do not have a waiting room, so I ask you to arrive close to your session time as this protects client privacy.
I can offer walk and talk sessions in a beautiful green space just outside Sonning Common. It offers wide tracks, private benches away from the track and a shady copse.
Should accessibility or mobility be an issue for you, or if you prefer, I can offer on-line sessions via encrypted online applications.
I see my role as your therapist and facilitator in your journey. I believe everyone has the ability to find the answers they seek and what they need to live more fulfilling life.
Training, qualifications & experience
PGDip in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy (Bridge Pastoral Foundation)
2014 to date I have an established private psychotherapy practice in Sonning Common.
2016 to 2018 I was a Director of Growing Better Lives (GBL), which was a community interest company that developed and researched innovative approaches to mental health care. GBL ran various projects:
- Greencare makes use of the natural environment in therapeutic programmes. Greencare is a therapy for people with a diagnosis of various personality disorders or complex mental health issues. I was psychotherapist for this group.
- Living and Learning runs training programmes for professionals.
- Social Futures, a research programme in partnership with the Institute of Mental Health.
- Diagnosis and Beyond, a service which offered holistic psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, formulations and regulations.
2015-2017 I held an honorary Contract with Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in capacity of Psychotherapist based at ASSIST Team at Upton Hospital, working the EMBRACE group in Slough.
2014-2017 I served as Psychotherapist for Riverside Counselling Service, a charitable counselling service in Henley on Thames, Oxon where I volunteered counselling sessions one evening a week. I was also an Assessing Psychotherapist and member of the Allocations Team.
2014-2016 I was an Associate Psychotherapist with Anchor Counselling Service at the Rosedale Clinic in Reading.
2012-2014 I volunteered as psychotherapist with ARC in Wokingham which offers counselling services.
2008-2009 worked as a qualified Support Worker for the Disabilities Trust.
2004-2008 OCC Youth Service I served as a youth worker and subsequently managed a youth club for 14–16-year-olds. I developed the club from one general session one evening a week to three club nights catering for age-groups 11-13 years, 14-15 years and 16-19 years. My work included (along with my three groups of volunteers) provision of a safe and supportive environment for young people in which they were able to experience safe relationships, learn life skills and take part in activities at a time when they begin to find out who they are, how they fit in their environment, inter-relationships across generations and their place in the community which included attending Parish Council Meetings.
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
£65.00 per session
Additional information
Session Fee is £65. I offer concession rates when available.
When I work
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WhatsApp, Teams or Skype sessions available
Walk and talk sessions also available