Madeleine Bentley
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello and welcome. I am an experienced BACP accredited counsellor based in Heworth, York.
I provide one-to-one therapy for young adults who are finding life, relationships, work and study difficult for a wide range of reasons. I am particularly experienced at working with 18-30+ year olds, university students, LGBT people and people with autism.
Counselling can help you to deal with difficult emotions and experiences.
You may find counselling helpful if:
- You are feeling anxious, depressed or have low self confidence and are finding it hard to shift these feelings.
- You want to make sense of current or past difficult experiences including family problems, bereavement, bullying or a traumatic event.
- You are dealing with a difficult life transition including starting or finishing university, a job or relationship.
- You are unsure about what is wrong exactly, but would and like to improve things.
What is counselling & how does it help?
Counselling is where you can talk about your experiences, thoughts and feelings. We can look at whatever is causing you difficulty. Our conversation is confidential. This can give you the freedom talk about things that you might not usually feel able to.
Counselling can help you make sense of your experiences and gain fresh insights about yourself and your relationships with others. This increased awareness can help you to better understand what you need to live in a way that is helpful for you.
How often will I have counselling...and for how long?
Counselling sessions are 50 minutes and are held either weekly or fortnightly.
Most clients I see have between 6 and 20 sessions. I also work shorter and longer term than this. If you want to focus on a current concern a few sessions may be enough. If you have a long standing emotional difficulties or want to focus on difficult past experiences longer term work may be needed.
What happens in the sessions?
In your first session I will ask you to tell me about yourself and your difficulties. Together we will start to develop a shared understanding of what is wrong and what it might be helpful for us to focus on in our first sessions. After this session you will choose what we explore each week. We will regularly review our work to check that you are getting what you need from your sessions.
What kind of counselling do you offer?
I offer person centred counselling. A core belief of this kind of counselling is that everyone has an innate capacity for growth. This means that, if you think there are ways you currently approach your life that feel unhelpful to you, you will be able to make changes.
My counselling style is conversational with an emphasis on carefully listening to you. We will focus on what you chose to, at your pace.
Person centred counselling is likely to suit you if you want to choose the content and pace of your sessions, and use them to explore your experiences and gain more self understanding. It may suit you less if you prefer the counsellor to lead the session, make suggestions or offer homework.
Where will I have my counselling?
My welcoming practice is based in my home in Heworth, YO31. There is plenty of free street parking available. There is also space to park your bike. Local bus stops are a 5 minute walk away.
I am particularly well located for both university areas, The Groves, Heslington, Huntington, Fulford, Layerthorpe, Osbaldwick and Tang Hall.
Booking a first session
If you would like to book a session with me, send me an email using the "Email me" button at the top of this screen. Let me know a little bit about yourself and your preferred session day/time of day (the days and times I work are in the "When I work" section) and we will go from there.
If you would like to talk to me before booking a first session please use the "Book an intro call" button. You are welcome to use this initial conversation to ask any questions you have.
If you are not sure about booking a first session at the moment but would like to find out more, please send me an email with any questions you have.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. This means that I work in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy. I am required to engage in continuing professional development (CPD) and attend monthly clinical supervision to ensure that my practice meets the professional standard that you should expect.
I am a Mental Health Practitioner at the University of York providing counselling to students at all levels of study. I have worked in higher education for 12 years and have an in depth understanding of the academic, social and relationship pressures university students face.
I have been a tutor for York City Council for five years. I currently teach the CPCAB Level 3 Counselling Studies qualification.
I previously worked as a counsellor at Phoenix Health and Wellbeing in Leeds and was a Young Person's mentor at York Mind.
I hold a CPCAB (Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body) Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling. I am trained in person centred counselling.
Fully insured
Enhanced DBS certificate
Registered with the Information Commissioner's Office.
I undertake a minimum of 30 hours Continuing Professional Development annually, in line with my BACP accreditation.
I hold an MA and BA from the University of Sheffield.
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
I also work with the following issues:
- Academic stress and failure
- Anxiety and depression dual diagnosis
- AuDHD
- ASD
- Family estrangement, parental estrangement
- Finishing university
- Gender identity - All aspects
- Leaving home
- LGBT
- Low motivation
- People pleasing
- Procrastination
- Sexual identity & sexuality
- Shame
- Shyness and feeling shy
- Starting university
I work with people with and without a formal diagnosis of anxiety, depression or both.
I have lots of experience of working with clients with autism and ADHD.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£45.00 - £50.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
£45 for students and recent graduates
When I work
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Sessions available Tuesday and Wednesday daytime.
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Further information
I hope you have got the information you need after reading this far, but please email me if there is anything more you need to know.
My office hours are Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. During the week I respond to all emails within 24 hours. If you don't see a reply from me, please check you spam folder.
I look forward to hearing from you.
