Leonie Coles
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello, my name is Leonie, I am a qualified BACP Registered Counsellor based in Sussex, very close to the lovely village of Storrington. I would be really happy to help you with any issues that you are facing, resulting in trying to find a both happier and stronger you in a safe, warm and calm environment.
There are lots of different types of 'counselling' out there and it can all become really confusing. In my experience, the majority of people who want to have some counselling, just want to be helped.
For me, the most important part of being 'helped' involves having a good relationship with your counsellor. And what I mean by this, is having someone with whom you feel is comfortable, and safe and can open up to them without feeling like you will be judged. This is often referred to as the 'therapeutic relationship' and the research shows that counselling is likely to have more than a 50% chance of being successful if you have a strong therapeutic relationship with your counsellor. This comes from feeling comfortable in their presence and feeling that you can open up without being judged.
The second element of successful counselling comes down to dealing with the actual issues that you are experiencing. I am an 'Integrative Therapist' which means that I will look at the client's issues and draw on a variety of different counselling techniques to help the client in the best way possible given their circumstances and needs. This could mean just listening to the client and reflecting back to them, or it could mean being more challenging with questions to make the client think differently about their position.
Either way, the counselling that you have with me will be a team effort, working together to ensure that we find, working the best way forward to help you reach your goal of where you would like to be.
I also specialise in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which is a more directive type of counselling that helps clients overcome specific problems, often relating to patterns of negative thinking. We use techniques to try and reframe those negative thought patterns, making the outcome in their lives much more positive.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a qualified counsellor with a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and a Degree in Psychology with Sociology, BA. I am due to complete my Advanced Diploma in CBT, Level 5 this coming summer.
In addition, I have the following relevant qualifications;
- CPCAB Counselling Children, Young People and Families
- Working with Women and the Menopause in Therapy
- Trained Mediator with FMA
- Online and Telephone Counselling Qualification, BACP
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder - Body Distress
- Child Protection Training Sussex County Council
- Member of British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists, BACP
- Walking and Talking Therapy, Creative Counsellors
Member organisations
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
£55.00 per session
Additional information
With concession prices of £45 for blue light workers, police, nurses, firefighters and other government services.
Further information
I work from home in Thakeham, West Sussex in a tiny village with a lovely village coffee shop at the bottom of our close, enabling you to have a coffee if you arrive a little early. Plenty of easy off street parking right outside. Equally, online appointments can provide clients with flexibility as to time and location, as well as feeling secure within their own environment when having the session. Lastly, I am, trained as a Walking and Talking counsellor which can be a fantastic way for people to find comfort and vulnerability in less intense situations, this can be especially helpful for teenagers.
