About me
Hello, my name is Laura - I am a fully qualified, UKCP accredited existential psychotherapist offering individuals and couples therapy. I have a particular interest in trauma and abuse, and also work across a breadth of difficulties including; anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and low self-confidence, bereavement, stress, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic illness, family issues, gender dysmorphia and LGBTQ+ counselling. I provide face-to-face therapy in Barnstaple EX32, as well as remote therapy online nationally for individuals and couples. Fixed term, open long-term or short-term therapy available.
What is Existential Therapy?
Existential therapy can help you gain a deeper understanding of how you are experiencing life, and what it is like to exist, as you, in your world. It is relational in its approach, meaning curiosity of how you and I relate can reveal insights for how you may be relating in the outside world.
I understand the desire for pain to end, but experience tells me life’s pain cannot be ‘fixed’ and there are (unfortunately) no ‘magic answers’. Existential therapy asks; what then? Acknowledging pain as fundamental to living, existential therapy supports you through a process of finding new ways to live with and bear your pain.
A little about how I work:
I understand that reaching out for therapy can feel a difficult first step.
There are many reasons that might bring you - you may have something specific you wish to work on, or perhaps you don’t know why you are feeling sad, or what is making things feel bleak.
I like to work collaboratively and flexibly, face-to-face and remotely online. Sometimes it can be useful to reflect on how past experiences may be influencing your present; or it may be there are pressing current life events or circumstances that you want to focus on.
What you speak about is your choice and there is no pressure to talk; I believe there is value to be found even in shared silences.
Therapy can be a place of potential and change, where small shifts can make a significant difference. Whatever it is that brings you, I believe through talking, exploring, and reflecting, new possibilities for how to tackle your difficulties can emerge.
Training, qualifications & experience
I completed five years training in advanced integrative and existential psychotherapy. Alongside my private practice, worked for several years with the NHS helping those who experienced childhood abuse. Prior to training in psychotherapy, I previously worked for many years in the arts, and also education, and bring with me an understanding of these particular sectors.
Qualifications include:
- Postgraduate Certificate in Existential Psychotherapy
- Master’s Degree in Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling (Distinction)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Foundation Certificate in Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Awarded Hans Cohn Scholarship from the Society for Existential Analysis (SEA) where I am also a member.
Member organisations
school 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.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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.
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
- Coercion and coercive relationships
- Low mood
- Financial abuse
- Fertility/ Infertility
- Child-free
Therapies offered
Fees
£70.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Free initial introductory session of 50 mins.
Fee for individuals - £70 per 50 min session.
Fee for couples - £105 per 50 min session.
As a UKCP accredited psychotherapist I am able to support training therapist's who require a UKCP psychotherapist to complete their training (a few concessionary rate spaces available).
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | |||||||
| Afternoon | |||||||
| Evening | |||||||
| Night |
I currently have a 5:30pm Monday evening in person session time (weekly)
