Kirstie Allan
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
For me, counselling is about giving space to the wholeness of you.
It rests on the simple, yet too often elusive values of feeling truly seen and heard; where judgement is replaced by deep empathy and compassion, especially for the most challenging parts of ourselves. It is about making greater sense of the here and now – often in relation to the there and then of our past – in a way that facilitates greater self-awareness, self-compassion and grounded self-confidence in who we are today.
In the counselling sessions you and I share together - either in person or online - the space and time will be yours to bring whatever is currently presenting for you. It may be used to reflect on and offload the complexities and challenges of everyday life or to explore a diverse range of issues which might be affecting you, including anxiety, depression, shame, loneliness, grief, loss, childhood experiences, panic, low self-esteem, stress, relationship challenges, work/study difficulties, family challenges, bullying, self-harm, living with (neuro)diversity, suicidal thoughts, attachment patterning and trauma.
The practice of therapy encourages you to dictate the pace and content of your sessions, allowing your journey to unfold at its own pace within the insightful, supportive, unconditional holding space of the therapeutic relationship.
Training, qualifications & experience
Counsellor & Therapist
(MSc, Prof. Dip, MNCPS Accred.)
Having spent many years committed to understanding myself and my own story more fully, I have at the same time been honoured to share in the softening and working through of the stories of others - family, friends, colleagues and young people in a variety of professional and personal settings, including teaching, youth work and third sector engagement with young people and their carers. As a mother of two, I am also keenly aware of the complexity and depth inherent in the mothering role, the subject of further, in-depth study for me.
From here I have gone on to train extensively in a pluralistic approach to counselling, completing both the Professional Counselling Diploma and a Research MSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy. The pluralistic approach embodies a person-centred practise based on the qualities of deep empathy, non-judgement and acceptance, whilst at the same time drawing on a range of counselling modalities including psychotherapy, attachment theory and part work (IFS) to create a safe, upholding and confidential talking environment.
The direction of my work from this point onwards has been with adult clients aged 18+, drawing on the wisdom of these different modalities and fuelled by my client’s immense bravery and capacity to speak into the fullness of themselves - however complex their story.
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.
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
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
Free initial online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
- All therapy sessions are 50 minutes in length, regardless of price bracket.
- Regular sessions are £50 per session.
- Some concessional daytime rates are available before 3pm at £40 per session.
- Limited low-income spaces are available for a block of 6 sessions at £25 per session. Please contact me if you feel you could make use of these.
When I work
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Sessions available in person and online. There is the possibility of some online availability on Wednesdays, outside documented working hours.
Further information
Most of us can feel uncertain about taking this initial step into the counselling room, and inwards towards ourselves. It can feel like a daunting and unknown prospect and there are often a host of valid, compelling reasons not to. In my experience, if you have brought yourself this far then the struggle is real enough for you to hear it - already you might thank yourself for listening. You’ve taken many small, initial steps towards yourself by looking into counselling and making the time to read this. Perhaps your next step will be into the counselling space, or perhaps not, but either way know that another pathway exists for you if/when you feel able to take it.
If you sense that this time might be now, please do reach out and make contact with me to arrange an initial online 30 minute appointment, free of charge, where we can talk more about what counselling might be able to offer you and whether you feel I may be a suitable companion to accompany you on your important journey.
