Madeleine Bentley


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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I offer one-to-one counselling to adults who are experiencing emotional difficulties. You may currently be feeling anxious, low, stuck or overwhelmed or it may be hard to pinpoint how you are feeling. We will work together, at your pace, to try understand and improve things.
I am particularly experienced at working with younger adults (18-40), students, LGBT people and people with autism. As well as working as a private therapist I am also a university counsellor.
Counselling
Counselling give your a confidential space to talk about whatever you need to. It can give you the freedom to focus on concerns that you don't feel able to speak about with friends and family.
Talking about difficult experiences can help you to process feelings, make connections, see things afresh and learn more about yourself. This increased understanding can help you to make changes that improve how you feel.
Contacting me
The key to successful therapy is finding someone with whom you feel comfortable.
If you feel my experience might match with what you are looking for, you are welcome to email me, using the button above, to see if we might be a good fit. Let me know a couple of lines about yourself and your availability.
What happens in the sessions?
In your first counselling session, we will start by talking about what has brought you to counselling and what is feeling difficult at the moment.
In future sessions we will focus on these concerns. My counselling style is conversational. My aim is to listen and respond to you in ways that you find helpful. We will regularly review our work together.
How long will I need to have counselling?
It is your choice how many sessions you have. I see most clients for between 6 and 20 sessions and also work shorter and longer term.
What kind of counselling do you offer?
I offer person centred counselling. Often family and social pressures mean that we lose touch with our own needs, preferences and values.
A core belief of person centred counselling is that if we can explore our lives, without judgement, we can (re)discover these. We can then make positive choices about how we want to live.
I really want to understand your concerns as fully as I can. I will carefully listen and respond to you in ways that, I hope, help you to work through the difficulties you are facing. We will focus on what you chose to, at your pace.
Where are you?
My practice is based in my home in a quiet residential street in Heworth, YO31. Free street parking is always available. There is space to park your bicycle. Local bus stops are a 5 minute walk away.
I see clients from across York and the surrounding area. I am well located for both university areas.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
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
- Family estrangement, parental estrangement
- Low motivation
- People pleasing
- Perfectionism
- Procrastination
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
Fees
£45.00 - £50.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
£50 Standard fee
£45 Concessionary fee - also includes students who have graduated in the last 12 months.
When I work
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I work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I work from my home in Heworth. My counselling room is on the 1st floor.
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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.