Laura Swarbrigg MSc. MBACP
About me
Are you a woman who has been upset or anxious about adjusting to motherhood? Or maybe you've been feeling overwhelmed or drained by the changes in your life and not feeling like yourself anymore? You're not alone - 15% of women experience post-natal depression in their first year of motherhood and 30,000 women in the UK experience birth trauma each year. Counselling with me, offers you a secure, non-judgmental environment to talk through you're experiences and understand your emotions. In therapy, together we can work on identifying what you need to feel better, how to get it and what that means for your life and your future.
Although mental health and wellbeing has become a more common conversation between friends and family, I am still often told how lonely women feel when they are experiencing tough times. Often there is a feeling that talking about it will reveal your not good enough in some way or that other mum's will judge you. In therapy I want to support you to develop the confidence in yourself and your intuition as a mum to know that you are enough and that you don't need to be the same as other mum's or to seek their approval.
As a mum I can understand the reluctance to put ourselves first or do something just for us BUT taking time to engage with therapy as a mum isn't selfish. It's an investment in your wellbeing and will have a positive impact on your family life. If you're thinking about this then let's have a brief, free call to see if I'm the right therapist for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
MSc. Psychological Therapies - University of the West of England
PGDip. Pluralistic Counselling - University of Abertay, Dundee
PGCert. Counselling Supervision - University of the West of England
Cert. Online Counselling - Acadamy of Online Counselling and Psychotherapy
Cert. Counselling Skills - University of Abertay, Dundee
Children's Accelerated Trauma Treatment Protocol (level 2) - AWP NHS
Since training as a counsellor I have worked in many different environments from voluntary agencies to a Russell Group University to the NHS (IAPT and Psychological Therapies Service). This wide background has allowed me to work with a variety of clients, leading me to having extensive experience in working with trauma, depression and relationship difficulties. It has also developed in me a desire to ensure you get a tailored therapeutic experience and find what works for you. For me your feedback is essential for the process of therapy and I will regularly seek your opinion of our progress.
Member organisations
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
BACP is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Therapists registered with the Association fall into a number of different membership categories such as Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP and Registered Member MBACP (Accred), each standing for different levels of training and experience. MBACP (Accred) and MBACP (Snr Accred) members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association.
Registered members can be found on the BACP Register, which was the first register to achieve Accredited Voluntary Register status issued by the Professional Standards Authority. Individual Members will have completed an appropriate counselling and/or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but will not appear on the BACP Register until they've progressed to Registered Member MBACP status.
All members are bound by a Code of Ethics & Practice and a Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
I have a lot of experience in working with postnatal depression, birth trauma, parental burnout and the life transition of becoming a mum.
Therapies offered
Fees
The fee for each appointment is £80, payable via paypal (website) or bank transfer (contact me).
During the cover-19 coronavirus pandemic the cost will be reduced to £50 to facilitate clients who are being financially impacted.
To secure the appointment the fee needs to be pre-paid between 48-24 hours before the agreed time. Each appointment is between 50-60 minutes unless otherwise specified.
Available appointments are online in the evening and I have limited weekend availability.
For many people, having therapy is an important and worthwhile investment for their health and well-being. This will have benefits long after their therapy has ended.
Further information
I recognise how tough it can be for mums to carve out the time to go to therapy, between finding childcare, work and family and the logistics of managing schedules. Therapy online solves many of these roadblocks.
For online therapy to maintain its privacy I ask clients to ensure they are in a private space with as few interruptions as possible. We will then speak over a platform called 'Zoom". This software is encrypted and protected from 3rd parties and complies with GDPR. 'Zoom' has apps for Apple and Android and can be accessed on a laptop also.
I am a member of ACTO - Association for Counselling and Therapy Online, membership number 534 which refers to a profile on their verified register.
I work within the BACP ethical framework & follow stated guidelines for good practice. I receive supervision on a monthly basis to ensure that I am working in the best way I can for each client. I also attend regular trainings and CPD to update and enhance my skills.
