Lisa Waterhouse UKCP (reg)

Hello and welcome.

At times life can be filled with challenges, disappointments and sadness. Events or experiences may happen in our daily lives that are unexpected or we find very painful and difficult to recover from. You might be suffering as a result of a trauma in your life and are struggling to cope with painful and difficult feelings. Perhaps you are grieving, or struggling with feelings such as anxiety, distress and hopelessness and it can seem too much to deal with alone. Maybe life looks fine on the surface, but you feel you've lost your sense of enthusiasm, joy and pleasure in life. You may keep going, but know things are getting worse and find yourself at a place where you wonder if there is a way forward. ​Whilst it can be helpful to turn to friends or family, there are times when our experiences are more difficult to understand and resolve. We can lose touch with who we are now and who we want to be and are caught up in our past experiences or worries about the future. This can lead to us feeling exhausted, constantly stressed and disconnected from ourselves and each other.  ​Everyone comes to counselling for his or her own reasons: we all have our own story and our own unique life experiences. I offer a confidential and non-judgemental space to support you when life is at its most difficult and to help you achieve lasting, positive change in your life. In my experience, change really is possible.

I provide a supportive, non-judgemental, and confidential space for you to focus on the difficulties you are facing. It is a place in which you can explore your past and your present, and also look at future aspirations and possibilities.

I bring warmth, creativity and compassion to my work, and will support you to make sense of what may be contributing to the unhappiness, distress or suffering in your life.  My aim is to develop a trusting, genuine relationship which helps you to feel at ease, where you can talk freely about what is worrying you, what matters to you, and the experiences that have shaped you. Working together, we will explore your unique qualities, strengths and difficulties and focus on how you can move forward in your life. We will consider various strategies or approaches and different perspectives to help you develop the resources you need to accomplish your goals. Whatever brings you here, together we can explore where you are now and find the best way forward in your life.

Couples counselling:

Our sessions together help you to cultivate a sense of understanding and curiosity for yourself and your partner, rather than focus on who is right or wrong. We will explore habitual ways of communicating or dealing with conflict and help you to consider different approaches to accomplish the changes you wish to see. I aim to ensure you both feel comfortable and accurately heard, without judgement.  My hope is that by working together we can explore what’s not working and what is, and identify strengths to build on. The difficult aspects of your relationship can become an opportunity for growth, healing and connection, helping you both to develop a positive and satisfying relationship. A relationship doesn’t have to be in crisis before you engage in counselling. Perhaps you are considering marriage and want to be sure its right for you both, or you are expecting your first baby and want to keep your relationship in a good place. For some people, counselling is a safe forum to discuss issues openly.  Every couple is different. You are welcome whether you are married, living together, separated, short or long term relationships, divorced and whatever your sexual orientation or identity.

Beginning counselling:

Your first session is an opportunity for us to get to know each other and for you to get a sense of how it feels to work with me. When we first meet, we will look together at what is happening for you, how it is affecting different areas of your life, and what you might like to be different. By the end of the session you will have a clearer understanding if beginning therapy is right for you and be able to decide if I am the right therapist for you to work with. If you prefer, we can begin with a telephone consultation. Calls are free and take about 15 minutes. I will ask a little about what you are looking for from therapy and you can ask me any questions you may have. From there, you can take some time to think about it or we can schedule your first session.

I currently work with individuals, couples and young people. Some in-person sessions are now available, or I work online by video call.

Sessions are usually weekly and last for 50 minutes.