Joy Gray

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Pronoun: she
PGDip, BSc (Summa Cum Laude), MNCS (Accred)
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

location_on Newtownabbey BT36 & Belfast BT1
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

I'm Joy, and I offer a gentle environment where I work with clients in three specialised areas: 1) to explore self awareness, purpose, meaning and growth; 2) to provide a safe, compassionate, supportive space for those living with illness and grief, 3) to provide tools and support to process trauma.  I offer a free 20 minute introductory call to discuss how we can work together. If we choose to arrange a first session, we can meet face to face (walk & talk therapy), speak online or speak via phone. During our first session, we will talk through how counselling works, your needs and the support I can provide.  Examples of how I've worked with others includes:

  • Helping people to see their own worth, set boundaries and build healthier relationships
  • Working with people to understand thoughts and feelings, how to process them, and how to have more choices about their reactions and decisions
  • Using grounding techniques, journalling and talk therapy to help people with illness related depression to become more physically healthy and also to improve sleep, mental wellbeing and move forward with purpose
  • Supporting people in grief through compassionate listening; helping them to learn how to live with grief in their lives; supporting them to find meaning, purpose and connection after loss.
  • Using a life path to consider choices, obstacles and outcomes for major life decisions
  • Using the flash technique and EMDR to process traumatic memories
  • Incorporating writing, exercise, nature, yoga and other mediums to help people heal inside and outside our sessions

My counselling approach is informed by:

  • Meaning & purpose, drawing from Yalom, Frankl and Assagioli    
  • Psychosynthesis, focusing on internal parts, integration and transformation
  • Psychodynamic approaches, drawing from Sieff, Jung and Kalsched          
  • Mindfulness, drawing from psychosynthesis, MBSR and grounding techniques
  • Grief, drawing from Cacciatore’s wisdom, Tonkin’s growth model, Kessler and the dual process model of grief
  • Trauma informed therapy, as informed from Bessel van der Kolk’s teachings
  • Holistic healing, incorporating both peaceful and flow-based activities (such as time in nature, yoga, creative activities, exercise, and other activities relevant to my clients)

Training, qualifications & experience

Accreditations:

  • Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology
  • Diploma in Counselling
  • BSc in Human and Organisational Development 
  • NLP Practitioner
  • Previous volunteer counsellor for Fighting All Cancers Together (FACT)

Recent trainings:  Trauma Conference - The Body Keeps the Score (PESI), The Trauma Conference(s) - (Action Trauma), The Flash Technique (Havens), Tuning up your EMDR technique (Havens), Practical Integration of Flash with EMDR (Havens), EMDR4wellness (Bierne), Working Creatively with Autistic Clients (Creative Counsellors), Purpose, Passion and Coaching (Creative Counsellors), Soothing Regulation and Art (Creative Counsellors), Anticipatory Loss and Grief (Creative Counsellors), Walk and Talk Therapy (Creative Counsellors), Mindfulness Based Cognitive Practitioner (Priory Academy), Nightmares and Disturbed Sleep Dream Completion Technique (Havens), Flash Technique (EMDR Third Weekend)

Recent reading:  Existential Psychotherapy (Yalom), Fight Right (Gottmans), A Matter of Life and Death (Yalom), Healing Grief (Ward), A Therapist’s Guide to EMDR (Parnell), Stress in the City (Li), Recovery of Your Inner Child (Capacchione), Ecotherapy Research and Practice (Jordan, Hinds), The Autistic Brain (Grandin, Panek), Greater than the Sum of our Parts (Schwartz), Art and Science of EMDR (Brayer), When the Body Says No (Mate), The Myth of Normal (Mate), The Body Keeps the Score (van der Kolk), Bearing the Unbearable (Cacciatore

Corporate experience:

  • Delivery of mental health awareness week session (bereavement and grief)
  • Design and delivery of resilience training

Member organisations

school Registered / Accredited

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.

NCPS
National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS)

The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society

This Not For Profit association of counsellors and psychotherapists aim to support the counselling profession, members and training organisations.

In 2013 the NCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under the Accredited Voluntary Register Scheme. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.

Accredited register membership

National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society
Accredited Register Scheme

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.

National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society

Areas of counselling I deal with

Other areas of counselling I deal with

  • Mindfulness
  • Meaning
  • Growth
  • Life path

Therapies offered

Fees

Free initial telephone or online session

Concessions offered for

  • check_circle Students
  • check_circle Trainee counsellors

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

I also offer appointments before 9am.

Further information

Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@chatandgrow

Newtownabbey, County Antrim, BT36

Belfast, County Antrim, BT1

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Young adults (18-24)
Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)
Organisations

Key details

AccessNI check info

AccessNI carries out criminal records checks for individuals working in certain roles in Northern Ireland. Find out more at justice-ni.gov.uk , or contact this professional directly.

I offer online and telephone appointments to make my practice more accessible to clients.

Online platforms

Skype

Social