Lucy Theo
Verified Professional
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently
verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
( MBACP Accred.) (UKRCP Reg.) (BPS)
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
About me
COVID19 UPDATE: During these unprecedented times, I can continue to offer phone counselling sessions or online counselling via Skype or Facetime.
'Space To Talk, Time To Listen'
Confidential and Effective Counselling and Psychotherapy.
My name is Lucy and I am an accredited, experienced and supportive counsellor/ psychotherapist working in the NHS and in private practice in Cardiff and The Vale of Glamorgan. The talking therapy space I offer is welcoming, relaxed and confidential and fosters a feeling of emotional security, so that you will feel able to explore worries and concerns, both past and present and together we can discuss the link between events, thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Counselling can help to make sense of life difficulties, loss and change and create new ways to communicate in order to develop inner confidence, personal happiness and psychological balance. I have been supporting adults and young people through unique experiences of anxiety , relationship and body image difficulties, phobias and panic symptoms for the past fifteen years in various settings such as a hospice, a family bereavement service , as a school counsellor, with expectant parents in an ante-natal unit and for a nationwide charity. In addition to working in private practice , I am currently in post as a Psychological Therapist in the NHS in the Primary Care Counselling Service.
My role is to listen attentively and with commitment and care in order to ' see the world through your eyes' and create a sense of relational trust. My belief is that this then inspires greater psychological strength and personal equiibrium, and in turn, the possibility to create new life choices, harness personal potential and a positive, meaningful existence for every individual regardless of class, gender , age or sexuality.
How I work
I work Integratively with clients, which means incorporating a range and blend of theoretical ideas, (CBT, Psychodynamic, Humanistic) to suit the personality, needs and concerns of each individual in order to respect their unique experience and life story. I believe that the fundamental mechanism for change and choice, is not simply what is offered theoretically by the counsellor, but the way in which this is transmitted, by a positive therapeutic interchange; ultimately with kindness and curiosity.
Counselling needn't simply be talking about difficult things at difficult times, but it also gives us the opportunity to strengthen our Thinking and Feeling 'Selves', as well as our Physical Self , and of course, the chance to explore the relationship between all three. Thankfully society is now recognising the benefit of making time to talk and the value of strengthening our emotional health, just as we may visit a personal trainer or physiotherapist, and I am passionate about helping people to understand the How, What and Why of physical pain and illness and how this relates to and impacts our psychological health , especially in relation to current and past experience.
Approaching a stranger for support can feel daunting, but I always suggest a short telephone conversation, as a chance to connect in the first instance, and then an initial no-obligation consultation where the opportunity to feel comfortable is established.
I offer weekly or fortnightly sessions depending, and both short-term and longer term options for counselling are considered depending on individual need. Session times are flexible in order to accommodate lifestyle demands. I also offer sessions in conjunction with the Employee Assistance Programme.
My Bonvilston therapy room is situated in a private and peaceful rural setting surrounded by trees and spacious fields and offers a convenient 'escape' from the bustle of the city, although is easily accessible, being only eight minutes from Junction 33 of the M4 (Culverhouse Cross) and ten minutes from Junction 34 of the M4. There is ample, free parking and the entrance is on the ground floor of a self-contained building.
(I also specialise in Psychological Support for Pregnancy and Postnatal Period, Loss in Pregnancy and Birth through my practice: MIND& BABY and have a separate profile page for this.)
Training, qualifications & experience
(MBACP Accred.) (UKRCP Reg.) Accredited and registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and as such , subscribe to their code of ethics and good practice.
(Adv. Dip. Coun.) Advanced Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling
Solution Focused Trained
Brief- Therapy counselling Trained
CBT Trained
Psychodynamic Training in Working With Eating Disorders
Re-Processing Trauma Training
Systemic Family Therapy Training
ASIST Suicide Prevention Training
Currently training to become an accredited Interpersonal Therapy Practitioner
Member organisations
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.
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)
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
Accredited Register Scheme
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
Additional information
£55 per fifty minute session (Bonvilston)
When I work
Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Further information
I have extensive experience of working with adults, older adults and young people of all ages and from all backgrounds, helping them through various life changes and challenges in settings such as:
Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead
Age Concern, Camden
Barnet Community Counselling
Winston's Wish
Primary Care Counselling Service (GP Practice)
Whittington Hospital, London
Action for Children (primary and secondary school counselling)
Barnardos
Haberdasher's Askes' School for Boys
Mind & Baby - please see www.mindandbaby.com for more information on pregnancy and postnatal counselling and support
