Lisa Waterhouse BSc (Hons)

Hello and welcome.

As we go through life, we inevitably experience challenges that can sometimes be overwhelming and confusing, and you may find yourself at a place where you wonder if there is a way forward. You might be suffering as a result of a trauma in your life and are struggling to cope with painful and difficult feelings. Maybe you are grieving, struggling to cope with negative self-talk or feel you've lost your sense of enthusiasm, joy and pleasure in life. 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.

We all have our own story and our own unique life experiences, and everyone comes to counselling for his or her own reasons. Counselling provides a confidential, safe place where you can talk freely about your concerns, what causes you worry and distress, and the experiences that have shaped you. Whatever brings you to counselling, my work has shown me that, with the right kind of support, difficult or painful issues can be worked through and overcome.

I bring warmth and compassion to my work and will support you to understand what may be contributing to the unhappiness, distress or suffering in your life. Without understanding our own story, it is hard to achieve the change we hope for in the present. I believe that understanding, knowing and believing in who we are as individuals can help us to live bravely in our own skin and live the lives we want.

If your problems are shared with your partner, you may want to consider couples counselling. Relationships can provide us with some of life’s greatest joy and fulfilment, until they start to break down. Conflict is inevitable in relationships, but when we experience difficulties, we can feel sad, frustrated, lonely or depressed. If your relationship is in a difficult place, counselling can help you to move through your difficulties and conflict to improve your current relationship or manage a separation. You are welcome whether you are married, living together, separated, divorced or single 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 always 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 or concerns 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 both individuals and couples by video call and I hope to help make therapy more accessible in our rapidly changing world. In my experience, no matter how troubled you may feel, how challenging your experiences are, or how distant your relationships have become – change really is possible.

Sessions are usually weekly and last for 50 minutes.

Client testimonials

"I was unsure about beginning therapy but I can honestly say it was the best decision I have ever made. I just dont have the words to describe what it has done for me in the past few months.  I have no idea where I would be now without therapy."

"Counselling has been such a support through a very difficult time in my life. It helps just knowing someone understands how you feel and is there for you. It really helped me get through this and has changed my approach to life."

"Lisa is perceptive and caring. I've had CBT before but coming to Lisa for counselling has been a good space to come to talk about what is really bothering me and helped me take into account things I couldn't see before. I can understand my emotions now and how I feel and have lots of tools and resources I didnt have before. It has made a huge difference, especially being able to cope and manage better."