Lara Piper
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am a BACP accredited and experienced psychodynamic and embodied counsellor. I also offer EMDR therapy and have membership with EMDR UK Association as well as regular supervision with an EMDR Europe Consultant. I provide open-ended and time-limited counselling/ therapy, both in-person and online.
People take the step to seek counselling or therapy for many reasons. Perhaps you are experiencing feelings of anxiety, overwhelm or depression. You may be facing a dilemma, feeling stuck or lacking a sense of purpose or direction in life. Often people will come because they are struggling with relationship or family issues that feel hard to resolve. A traumatic event, loss or life-stage crisis might lead you to look for professional support.
I understand that it is natural to feel apprehensive or anxious about taking the step to seek support. Whatever you are facing, I provide a confidential, safe and non-judgemental space within which to explore your feelings and thoughts. This gives you the opportunity to reflect and gain greater awareness of yourself and your situation within the context of a supportive therapeutic relationship.
My foundational approach is psychodynamic which means that the counselling relationship forms an important part of our work together. Early experiences help to shape who we are and influence our sense of self, capacity for emotional regulation and how we function in relationships. We will explore your present and past relationships and experiences to develop a deeper awareness of patterns and beliefs and their impact on you and your day to day life.
My practice is trauma-informed and where appropriate I can use EMDR therapy. I have completed the full EMDR UK and Europe recommended training and I am currently completing a Post-Graduate certificate in EMDR. EMDR has many applications and can be used for single event traumas or for more complex or relational trauma.
As an embodied practitioner, I am interested in how our bodies express and contain our past experiences and can be worked with to access and understand our emotions and facilitate growth and healing. I consider counselling to be a collaborative and creative process and sometimes use mindful or creative exercises where this feels relevant and helpful. I believe in our capacity for change and have seen through personal and professional experience how therapy can encourage our natural instinct to grow, heal and find meaning in our lives.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have worked with a diverse range of clients presenting with varied issues and have gained clinical experience within both corporate and charitable sectors. Some of the issues that I have experience of working with include: anxiety, depression, bereavement, relationship difficulties, attachment issues, bullying, childhood sexual abuse, traumatic incidents, PTSD, complex PTSD, fears and phobias, OCD, alcohol dependency, disordered drinking.
I am an accredited member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and abide by the BACP ethical framework for the counselling professions. I am a member of EMDR UK and I attend regular clinical supervision and engage in continued professional development to enhance my practice. I am fully insured with public liability and professional indemnity cover.
In-Depth Training and Qualifications
- BA hons
- Diploma in Psychodynamic counselling
- Certificate in Embodied Psychotherapy
- Certificate in Time Limited Therapy
- Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling
- Yoga Teacher Training 200 hours
- Mindfulness (Eight week course)
- EMDR (all parts of the recommended training)
Additional Training
- Attachment theory
- Adolescence and Attachment
- Attachment and addiction
- Childhood Sexual Abuse
- Working with trauma
- Suicide and self-harm
- OCD and hoarding
- Infidelity
- ACT (level 2)
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£50.00 - £75.00
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Further information
I have availability for face-to-face counselling in Stroud as well as for online or telephone sessions. Sessions will be weekly and will last for 50 minutes/ 75 minutes.
If you would like to get in touch to find out more about how we can work together you can contact me via email or phone or using the contact form on my website.
