Lucy Van Praag

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MA - Counselling and Focusing-oriented Therapy
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

location_on OXFORD, OXFORDSHIRE, OX2
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

I specialise in working with highly sensitive people. 

I work with Individuals who experience life sensitively and deeply and who are wanting weekly support. 

I offer a complimentary initial consultation (50 minutes).

I offer a safe space in which to explore what being highly sensitive means for you. 

Client testimonial
"Right from the start I felt I was in safe hands with Lucy. I never knew what would come up for me. I was repeatedly amazed by the depth and gentleness of those sessions. It felt like with every one I got an extra piece back of myself."

In our work together you will have the opportunity to look freshly at yourself and your life story through the lens of high sensitivity, coming to appreciate and to better understand some of the forces that have shaped who you are. This can be a very freeing experience that opens us to new inner and outer horizons. 

Within this work I offer a safe space in which to explore what being highly sensitive means for you.

Client testimonial
"I came to you after having tried other forms of counselling and psychotherapy that had never really helped me to get to the bottom of what was wrong. I had almost given up hope of being able to change. The work I have done with you has strengthened me and enriched my life".

'The curious paradox is that when I can accept myself just as I am, then I can change.' Carl Rogers

Through this process of self-discovery and what I sometimes call ‘self recovery’ you may find yourself over time feeling more resilient and more YOURSELF. 

The spirit that underpins and informs my work 

I deeply believe that the world needs sensitive people and the gift of that sensitivity. I offer sessions Online and by Phone. For more information about this please email me.

For more information on high sensitivity and the way that I work you can go to my own website at www.wholebodycounselling.com

Client testimonial:
“Sensitive. Deep. Life changing.
From the word go you always helped me to get right to the heart of the matter.
I would recommend you in a heart-beat to anyone in need of support in their lives.”

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Working together

How do Online and Telephone counselling sessions work?

They work very much like traditional face to face Counselling, providing a safe and confidential space in which issues that may be causing you concern or distress can be explored together.

We meet on a weekly basis Online or by Phone and I will hold that space for you for the duration of the time we contract to work together. (For Online meetings I use Zoom and will send you a private link to you by email just before our meeting).

Your engagement can be either short-term, or long-term open ended work. If you are not sure what you want, this is something we can discuss together during the initial free consultation (or feel free to contact me with your questions in advance).

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Therapeutic Approach

I work within the Person-Centred Experiential approach (as a Focusing-Oriented therapist) which is informed by the understanding that each person is unique, and underlined by a profound faith in each individual’s innate capacity to heal from the inside out when met in a spirit of true respect and empathic valuing.

Working at depth
Engaging in a course of Focusing-Oriented Therapy provides an opportunity to work at depth, discovering and dissolving limiting core beliefs and patterns within the supportive context of a safe and confidential relationship.

Here, in our work together, we will find out what is YOUR natural way to do things and we will go at your own pace.

Who might be particularly drawn to engage in a course of Counselling and Focusing-Oriented therapy by Telephone or Online?

What distinguishes the service that I offer from face to face sessions is that it can be accessed from the comfort of your own environment at a time that is convenient to you.

What you need is a telephone OR a computer and an internet connection and an hour just for yourself.

The opportunity to access a counsellor by telephone or online can be useful for people who, for any reason, can’t easily travel to and from sessions, or who can't find a way to fit face-to face sessions in to their busy schedule.

Other people prefer to have access to a counsellor from the comfort and the privacy of their own environment.

My work is supervised in accordance with the BACP ethical framework for good practice, by supervisors who are themselves accountable to the same regulating body. They act as an extra layer of support and insight for the work we do together, and serve to support me in my commitment to providing a service that is safe, ethical, and effective.

OTHER SERVICES I OFFER:

Guided Focusing sessions (a Mindfulness-based approach) by Telephone and Online

Feel free to call or email me for more information

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Client testimonial:
"I have found Focusing with Lucy to be one of the most embodying and deep practices
I have discovered."

For more information please email

Training, qualifications & experience

EXPERIENCE:

I have worked from the Tom Allen Centre, the renowned Counselling service in central Glasgow and for the NHS at The Homeopathic Hospital, Glasgow.

I am now in private practice and I specialise in working with highly sensitive people.

We meet weekly Online or by Phone.

I work within the Person-Centred Experiential approach with individuals who are looking for an approach that is sensitive, gentle and deep.

I have been offering therapy through my private practice since April 2013

I have a background in bodywork and Focusing-Oriented therapy (a somatic therapy) and I am currently engaged in a diploma programme in Process-Oriented Psychology (rooted in Jungian depth Psychology) - all of which underpin and inform my deep respect for and curiosity about the relationship between the mind and the body and of how they constantly inform one another.

I listen out for this relationship across my work.

In the Focusing and Focusing-Oriented therapy sessions I explicitly invite you to join me in this special kind of listening.

Member organisations

BACP
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

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Areas of counselling I deal with

Other areas of counselling I deal with

I specialise in working with highly sensitive people.

Therapies offered

Fees

£85.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session

Additional information

I OFFER A COMPLIMENTARY INITIAL CONSULTATION (50 MINS).

Working together:

Fees: £85

Sessions are weekly. We will find a regular time that will be yours and I will hold that space for you for the duration of the time we work together. Sessions are one hour long. 

If you prefer to meet more frequently that can be arranged.

Extra Costs: There is no extra expense for working over the telephone (as long as you're based in the European Union) as I cover that cost, calling at our pre-arranged time. If you are based outside of the EU and want to work by phone then we can use whatsapp or FaceTime audio only to ensure that calling costs are kept low to zero. 

Do you offer reduced rates for Counselling and Focusing-oriented therapy or Focusing?

I do have a limited number of spaces with reduced rates for people on low incomes. Please don’t hesitate to inquire.

Note : currently all these spaces are full.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

Daytime Appointments are available Tuesday to Friday. Early morning appointments are sometimes available for people with an early start.

Further information

I’m interested. How do I get started?

I OFFER A FREE 50 MINUTE INITIAL CONSULTATION

This will provide an opportunity for me to share with you a bit about the way I work and for us to discuss what you are seeking and what you are hoping to gain. It also gives you the opportunity to ask me any questions you may have and to get a sense of whether you would feel comfortable working with me and whether you feel comfortable with working over the phone.
If I feel that I am unable to help you or that therapy is not the most suitable type of support for you at this time I will make every effort to refer you to the appropriate support.

How does telephone/online counselling work?

It works very much like traditional face to face Counselling, providing a safe and confidential space in which issues that may be causing you concern or distress can be explored together.

We will arrange a time to meet on a weekly basis by phone and I will hold that space for you for the duration of the time we contract to work together. If you would prefer to meet more frequently, extra appointments can be arranged.

The same applies to the other services I offer of Focusing and Focusing-Oriented Therapy.

Will I have extra phone charges to pay?

No. There are no extra phone charges for this service (as long as you're based in the European Union). I make the calls at our pre-arranged time to whichever number is most convenient for you.

Many of my clients have a mobile or cell phone rather than a land line. This is not a problem for our work together. You will find it helpful if you are able to arrange to have a calm and private space where you will be uninterrupted for the duration of the session. A place where you can get comfortable and where you feel safe is ideal.

Can I be the one to call you for my sessions?
Certainly. If you would prefer to, we can set it up so that you call me to my number listed at the top of the page at the time we have pre-arranged.
In this case any extra phone charges you might incur would need to be covered by yourself.

If you have questions about any of this please don't hesitate to contact me.

OXFORD, OXFORDSHIRE, OX2

Type of session

Online
Phone

Types of client

Young people (13-17)
Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)
Employee Assistance Programme

Additional languages

Working level of Italian

Lucy Van Praag
Lucy Van Praag