About me
Counselling can provide a place for you to process difficult emotions arising from events which occur in most people's lives at some time, such as relationship break down, family relationship issues, bereavement, or work related problems. The way we manage these difficulties can be affected by our previous experiences, including how we learned to cope with challenges in childhood. In this way, 'everyday' problems may leave us struggling to cope and can sometimes result in emotional difficulties such as low self-esteem, depression and anxiety or in behavioural problems such as aggression, addiction, self-harming behaviours, OCD or eating disorders.
I can offer you the opportunity to gain some clarity as we work together to understand the origin of your issues. While you search for solutions, the experience of being heard, of hearing yourself (perhaps for the first time), and of having the freedom to deeply explore what has been causing your anxiety or unhappiness, will bring about its own answers. As you reach a greater self-awareness, you will discover the solutions which are right for you.
I am a BACP registered Person-Centred and Integrative Counsellor with 13 years experience and over 6000 counselling hours accrued. I will offer you a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space in which you are free to explore your difficulties in the knowledge that you will be listened to, understood, and genuinely heard.
I work with adults, adolescents and couples, and have worked within the NHS and agency settings. I have a particular interest in mental health and wellbeing, and the power that a mindful awareness of our own internal state can have in providing us with self knowledge and helping us to regain a sense of control of our lives.
I have worked as a specialist counsellor for a local charity, as the lead counsellor for their Eating Difficulties Team, and as a Parents Helpline Advisor and facilitator of Parent Support Groups, for parents and step-parents, supporting teenagers through the challenges of adolescence.
I find that parents are so often overlooked in an attempt to meet the needs of their children... If you are either a parent, step-parent, or grandparent, I welcome the opportunity to support you as you try to make sense of your experience and the emotional challenges of your teenager's adolescence. You may be looking for a way to try to understand their behaviour, the extent to which they have changed from the little person you have had such an easy relationship with, or simply a place to offload and experience your own support.
I also have a particular interest in helping parents and step-parents to negotiate the difficulties faced when creating a blended family.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have a Degree in Psychology from the University of Gloucestershire and a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling from South Gloucestershire and Stroud College.
I am a member of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
I have worked for the NHS 2gether Trust as a Person-Centred Counsellor, supporting people with depression and anxiety, as well as for a local Mental Health Support Charity. I have also worked as a specialist counsellor for TIC+ and have volunteered for a Suicide Prevention Charity in Cheltenham.
I have experience of supporting young people with eating disorders and their parents in a group setting, as well as having worked for a Parent Support Helpline for 6 years, and a facilitator of Parent Support Groups.
My additional training involves:
Seminar programme in working with young people
Assist Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
KUF Personality Disorder awareness training
Compassion Focused Therapy for Trauma
Post-Qualifying Advanced Certificate in Working with Eating Disorders
Transactional Analysis 101 introduction
Advanced Specialist Training in Counselling Children and Young People
Certificate in Couples Counselling
NCFED Foundation Course in Practitioner Skills for Eating Disorders.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Step-Parenting
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
My current fees are:
£60 for individuals (hourly sessions offered)
£75 per hour for couples (sessions can be either an hour, or an hour and thirty minutes)
When I work
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Further information
The counselling I offer can be either time limited, or open ended, to be discussed in the initial session and guided by what is best for you. Sessions usually take place weekly but I am happy to remain flexible to accommodate those with busy lives or who feel that weekly sessions aren't for them.
Please feel free to contact me to discuss what counselling involves and whether or not you feel it could be right for you.
I currently work from counselling rooms in Central Cheltenham.
