Lucy Large
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello, I'm Lucy. I am an Integrative Counsellor – which just means that I draw upon a variety of therapeutic theories and modalities to best help you. My work is very much client based. At the heart of this is providing a safe, confidential, non-judgmental and compassionate space for you to explore and make sense of challenges that arise in life. I see this as a collaborative process where my job is to actively listen, attune and accept, in order to walk alongside and act as a guide as you come to understand the context for the choices you might make in life.
My practice is best described as relational counselling. It is a non-directive way of working which acknowledges that I am not the expert on your life, you are. That doesn't mean I just sit silently, however, our work together will involve me sharing observations, asking questions, listening carefully, but always led by what you need to share.
Deciding to seek help when we experience emotional distress takes time and a lot of courage. Sometimes it’s a specific event that prompts us to ask for help, but it might also be a longstanding sense of things not being ok.
Trying to find the right person to help you navigate difficulty can then feel very daunting. I believe that the therapeutic relationship between a counsellor and a client is the most important element in effective therapy and subsequent healing. I aim to offer a space where you will be listened to fully. I also offer an initial meeting, free of charge, where we find out if I am the right counsellor for you.
So, what will counselling or therapy with me be like?
I am an integrative counsellor which means I have training in a range of theories, so I can adjust my approach to meet you and your situation. I believe that, given the right conditions, people are able to make decisions and changes that improve their lives. My role is to help you to notice and increase your awareness of factors impacting on your life.
I will encourage you to talk about what is troubling you at the present time. I believe that our early experiences in childhood can affect us later in life – often showing up in relationship difficulties, patterns of behaviour, anxieties or fears. Together we will begin to notice patterns or discover links between the past and the present. In this way, you get to see the context in which things have happened and are happening in your life. Using compassionate curiosity to look at your situation, we start to form a path through the pain or difficulty and we do that together.
My approach aims to help you become aware of the strengths you have and through this process develop and build a trusting relationship with your own decision-making. In this way I support you in making positive, long-term change. I have experience working with grief and bereavement, trauma and relationship endings and problems.
I am also an artist, so can bring a creative approach to thinking about difficulties – this might mean for some people the opportunity to draw or collage, for others it might be using metaphors or stories to help make sense of situations. It can also mean learning to listen to how our own bodies communicate emotional discomfort.
How long does counselling/therapy last?
A session with me lasts 60 minutes and generally happens weekly, at the same time and place. How long a person decides to stay in therapy differs for each person and each situation, but this is something we also discuss together – we will regularly review how the work is going.
Where does the counselling take place?
I work from a warm and welcoming ‘pod’ in my garden in the village of Roadwater. The village is not on a bus route, so access to a car would be necessary. There is easy parking available.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling (Level 5) from Iron Mill College, Exeter
- I am a registered member of the BACP and adhere to their Ethical Framework
- I undertake regular CPD by attending training workshops and regularly reading up on topics that clients bring to sessions
- I undertake regular, monthly supervision
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£50.00 per session
Free initial in-person session
Additional information
Sessions are £50.00 for individuals and last 60 minutes
When I work
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