About me
I practice trauma-informed care; my priority is to create a calm, compassionate space with genuine care for you as a person, where you feel comfortable.
I have completed an extensive 7-year training with my background in psychology and neuroscience. This has given me a deeper understanding of how the brain and nervous system influence our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. I am committed to helping you become more in tune and at ease exploring your relational patterns, emotional experiences to encourage growth and empowerment.
I view therapy in a holistic way, recognising that your emotional wellbeing is influenced by the connection between your mind, body, and your wider sense of meaning in life. I am also open to exploring deeper parts of your experience through a transpersonal and existential lens, such as your sense of meaning, purpose, or connection to something beyond the self, if that feels important to you. Where helpful, we might gently notice how your feelings show up in your body, as stress, past experiences, and emotions can often be felt physically in the body.
How I work as a Therapist
My approach is Relational and Integrative; this means I draw on different therapeutic approaches to support your individual needs. My work promotes your autonomy, underpinned by Person-Centred Therapy, a gentle and supportive approach where you set the pace.
At the heart of my work is authenticity and trust in building a therapeutic relationship that feels safe, non-judgemental & co-creative where you can explore your emotions & experiences openly. I offer a calm, steady presence, being alongside you in your emotional experiences and supporting you as we make sense of them together. I have a strong drive to help create a space where you feel safe to explore your experiences and work towards self-understanding, self-compassion and empowerment.
Together, we can gently explore how your experiences have shaped the way you see yourself & move through the world. Our sessions will be collaborative, always guided by what feels most helpful and supportive for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
Academic Qualifications:
- Postgraduate Diploma with Merit in Counselling and Psychotherapy (Level 7) at Leeds Beckett University.
- Master of Science in Counselling Studies with Merit at The University of Edinburgh.
- Bachelor of Science in Psychology with International Experience with First Class Honours at Bangor University.
- International year studying Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Professional Experience:
I have experience supporting adults 18+ through a range of experiences including complex trauma, relationship difficulties, anxiety, attachment issues, narcissistic abuse, and domestic violence.
I am committed to ethical practice and engage in regular professional Supervision and Continued Professional Development to ensure my work remains safe, evidence-informed and client-centred.
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
£50.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Standard 50-minute session: £50
Low income: £40
Students: £40
Further information
Therapeutic approaches that inform my practice
I integrate aspects of Psychodynamic Theory, exploring how unconscious processes, early experiences and relationships may influence how you think, feel and relate to others in the present. I also work from an attachment-informed perspective, recognising how early relationships can influence your experience of closeness, trust, and emotional safety in adulthood.
Alongside this, I draw on Gestalt therapy, which focuses on your present-moment experiences - your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. It encourages awareness of bodily sensations and where emotions are felt physically, helping you give voice to these experiences.
Where it feels helpful - and if you are open to it - we can incorporate creative approaches to support exploration and expression, particularly for emotions that may be difficult to verbalise.
If you would like to find out more about the way I work and my approach to therapy, feel free to visit my website www.hollyportztherapy.co.uk.
How can I support you?
Finding the right therapist can feel overwhelming, I am happy to offer a free, no obligation initial 20-minute online consultation.
This gives you space to explore what you are looking, for or wanting out of therapy. You might want to ask questions and get a sense of how it would be for us to work together and see if my approach feels right for you. There is no pressure to share more than you feel comfortable with, or commit to sessions during the consultation.
If you think you would be interested in working together, please get in touch for a chat.
