Kerstin Mueller-Pullin
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
Choosing a counsellor with whom to connect and build a trusting therapeutic relationship can feel daunting, even risky, yet also empowering and hopeful. What does it feel like to take off masks, shedding protective layers that keep the authentic, vulnerable self safe while navigating through challenging or traumatic times? Together we can explore what you feel ready and safe to share - whether these are current, buried or almost forgotten experiences. I will be at your side to listen; endeavouring to relate to your unique circumstances and way of being; facilitative of your change and growth process.
I am a qualified integrative counsellor rooted in humanistic, person-centred practice. My approach is, with your consent, to use therapeutic techniques that follow the natural path of your journey, while being mindful of our differing experiences, your expressed needs and vulnerabilities. Some people come for counselling because they are going through a challenging time (e.g. work, family and friendship related) or experiencing themselves as being misfits, lonely, stuck, anxious, depressed or alienated from the world.
I am open to adapt my approach to suit your personal preferences and needs, as you might at times prefer a rather directive, creative, reflective or experimental way of therapeutic exploration. This could include contemporary, compassion focussed cognitive behavioural therapy (CF-CBT), mindfulness, music, artwork, guided imagery, voice and body work for example. To ensure you feel safe and benefit from the sessions, we will review the counselling process at regular intervals. Wether you seek short term counselling, would like to work towards specific goals or start a long term journey to explore something you can’t quite put into words or make sense of - together we can discuss the way forward.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours (BSc Hons) in Counselling and am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Academically, I undertook research in social constructionism and empowerment initiatives and their impact on professionals working with children and adults affected by sexual abuse; primarily incorporating aspects of gender, linguistics, neuroscience, diagnostics (e.g. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and to some extend sexuality (e.g. fluidity) and cultural influences (e.g. attitudes to gender, gender fluidity).
I have been working in the field of mental health in various capacities since 2005, before choosing to pursue an academic path within the psychology sector in 2012. During this time I had the privilege of working in the UK and abroad, with many individuals from all walks of life and a variety of cultural backgrounds.
Other qualifications and experiences
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
Body Image, Body Connection and challenges associated with Body Dismorphia
Sexualised Trauma, the neurobiology of threat and working with guilt and shame
Childhood Sexual Abuse and complex trauma
Sex and intimacy after sexual violence
Accreditation in Understanding and Working with Sexual Violence provided by Gloucestershire Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre (GRASAC)
Tackling Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in mental health services, Department of Health
Certificate in using counselling skills with the telephone as the medium of Communication
Self-awareness in relation to social services work certificate
Applied Suicide Intervention Skill (ASIST)
Working with Relational Trauma: Dealing with Disorganised Attachment
Alcohol Addiction, co-dependency and motivational interviewing, SWAN Training Certificate
Organisation and facilitation of contact groups for individuals and couples who face infertility challenges
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention
Memberships and Networks
Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)
University of Bristol, Gender and Violence Research
Durham University's Centre for Research into Abuse and Violence (CRiVA)
Positive Outcomes for Dissociative Idendity Disorder Survivors (DID)
Violence, Abuse and Mental Health Network (VAMHN)
Member organisations
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.
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
Highly Sensitive People (HSP), Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), disorganised attachment, empowerment, Substance Use Disorder (SUD), Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), gender diversity and identity, Sexual Violence and Abuse, values based counselling, compassion fatigue, emotional exhaustion, Body Image, Body Dismorphia, cultural sensitive, cultural diversity and identity, menopause, health anxiety, existential anxiety, entertainment industry, trauma informed practice, intersectionality, pluralistic, feminist, nationwide online counselling
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Face to face
I can offer an initial 30 minute session at a reduced rate of £25 to discuss what you are looking for, what I can contribute and gauge if you feel safe and comfortable working with me. My fees from then on are £60 for a 50 minute face to face session and pre/post session admin time.
Locations and transport
Bristol
This location offers excellent public transport connection and is only a short walk away from the main bus station on Marlborough Street (BS1 3QY).
Stroud District
By car: There is free street parking available at this GL11 location with easy access to the M5 (Junctions 14 and 13) and A38.
Public Transport: There are good bus connections to Thornbury, Stroud, Gloucester.
Online/Phone Sessions
Please enquire for available dates and times via email.
Concessions
I also reserve a limited number of counselling places at a reduced rate for individuals on low income and those on benefits (please enquire about availability and if and how you qualify).
For more information or bookings - please email me or call on: 07434 618 587
PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER FOR RESPONSES TO YOUR ENQUIRIES
When I work
Monday-Friday with limited evening slots available in Bristol, Bishopston, Gloucester Rd
Wednesday at Stroud District practice, Dursley, GL11
Further information
I am fully insured and offer short and long term counselling in Bristol and the South Gloucestershire area. I also hold a Certificate of Registration with the Information Commissioner as a controller of sensitive data under the Data Protection Act and an enhanced DBS certificate.
Confidentiality
As far as I am concerned, what goes on in the counselling room is confidential; except extreme circumstances. The process of our relationship will only be discussed with one other person, my supervisor who will similarly be bound by a confidentiality agreement. If you would like further information about the level of confidentiality or any other matter, please ask me at the beginning of the session.
