Liz Hawkins
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
Often life events challenge us and affect us in many ways and on many levels. As a health professional, I have worked with clients experiencing many forms of distress and facing a wide range of challenges over the last thirty years leading me to view emotional health as fundamental in our well-being and resilience. I believe talking therapies are a way of helping to make sense of experiences, becoming aware of who we are, developing strategies to enhance resilience & well-being to empower us in the journey of life.
My clients come to therapy for a wide range of reasons often related to stress, loss, bereavement, fear, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, domestic violence, fertility, pregnancy, post natal depression, parenting, chronic illness, pain, burnout, feeling stuck - not moving forward in life.
I work in a way that places emphasis on the therapeutic relationship through awareness, sensitivity, respect, non-judgement and empathy. Mindfulness both underpins my approach and may also be incorporated into therapy If appropriate.
As a member of British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy I work within their ethical framework ensuring that I maintain confidentiality and am competent to practice.
During the first session I listen to the reasons that you are seeking therapy and you decide what changes you want to make and we agree the way forward. We will then work together in a way that will help you to understand yourself, your interpersonal dynamics and your inner processes enabling you to feel clearer, more positive, energetic and have more coping resources.
The ways in which we can work together include:
Psychotherapy tends to be long term work and is about understanding your inner processes and how these affect your life. We bring experiences and influences from childhood into awareness then explore how these may still have an effect on feelings, emotions, behaviour patterns in the present. By being more aware you can choose to do things differently rather than repeating patterns that are no longer helpful.
Counselling tends to be shorter term work and can help you to understand and work through issues that are causing problems in your life, focusing on the present, looking for solutions to problems rather than the cause.
Cognitive behaviour therapy may help with specific symptoms associated with anxiety, depression or phobias. CBT aims to help people manage their problems by changing the way they think and behave through testing unhelpful beliefs. CBT is a time-limited therapy although specific techniques can be incorporated into either counselling or psychotherapy if appropriate.
Mindfulness means becoming more aware of what is happening right here right now. Being mindful can help us be less caught up in our powerful repetitive thoughts and emotions which often manifest as stress, anxiety, depression, anger, resentment, self-doubt, low self-esteem. Being mindful develops through the practice of meditation this can be incorporated into therapy or taught as a stand alone stress management technique.
Training, qualifications & experience
I was a nurse for 20yrs and worked with a vast range of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, mental health, chronic illness, cancer and HIV. I completed a Masters degree in Psychotherapy with the Society of Psychology and Healing (validated by Middlesex University) in 2010 and have been in private practice since then. I furthered this with Mindfulness Cognitive Therapy training with the same organisation and have since completed further training in mindfulness. Because of my experience I am able to draw on a range of approaches including Person Centred, Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness and Energy Psychology.
I currently combine my private counselling/psychotherapy/supervision practice with teaching counselling & therapeutic relationship skills, reflective practice, supervision and practitioner development to healthcare students at a leading university in London.
Qualifications:
Mental Health First Aid
Certificate in Supervision Skills (BPS approved)
PG Diploma CBT / Mindfulness
MA Psychotherapy
PGCHE post grad cert in higher education
BA(Hons) Therapeutic Bodywork
RMN - Registered Mental Nurse
RGN - Registered General Nurse
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.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Supervision
I offer supervision to therapists, student therapists and healthcare professionals.
Please read my supervisors profile for more information.
Therapies offered
Fees
£50.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
30 minute introductory session - free
Follow up & ongoing sessions - £50 per session. Concessions are available, please ask.
Session time is 50 mins.
Please note I am unable to provide card payment facilities however accept payment via bank transfer in advance (24hrs) of sessions, payment secures your appointment.
When I work
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Mondays, Tuesdays & Fridays. I work face to face in person or online through zoom.
I aim to respond to queries within 2 working days.
Further information
For less than 24hrs notice of cancellation I ask for a cancellation fee of £25
I ask that clients do not arrive for sessions under the influence of alcohol or recreational drugs. If a client appears intoxicated the session will be ended and full charge will be made.