Madeleine Bentley

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BACP Accredited Counsellor, York
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

York, YO31
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

Hello. I am an experienced BACP accredited counsellor based in Heworth, York (YO31).

I specialise in providing therapy to younger adults (18-40s) who may be experiencing anxiety, depression and low self esteem for a wide range of reasons. 

What is counselling?

Counselling helps you to explore emotional issues that are causing you difficulties in your daily life. These may may include struggling with your feelings, problems in your relationships and self criticism. Counselling can also be helpful if you have experienced a loss or are at a crossroads in your life. 

Counselling is a conversation that focuses on you.  My aim is to provide you with a space where you feel you can talk about whatever is causing you distress, concern or confusion.

I will work with you to explore and reflect on your experiences, thoughts and feelings. We can look at what might be contributing to your current difficulties and how you might want to approach these issues going forward. Your counselling sessions will help you to better understand yourself and consider the positive changes you want to make. 

Am I the counsellor for you?

Finding a therapist that you feel comfortable working with is important.  I offer an optional free 15 minute Zoom conversation so that you can meet me and see if we might be a good fit. You are welcome to ask any questions you have about having counselling with me. If you would prefer to move straight to a first counselling session, that is fine too. 

Your first session

In your first counselling session we will start to look at what is causing you distress and how you hope therapy will help you.   By the end of the session we should both have a good sense of what the initial focus of your sessions will be. 

You can choose to have in person, online or telephone counselling or mix and match these formats from week to week to suit you. When you start counselling my commitment to you is open ended. It is your choice how many sessions you have. 

My approach

I offer person-centred counselling. The core idea of this approach is that we all have the potential to trust our own experiences and instincts and make decisions that help us to live better.

However, getting to this point can be easier said than done. Critical voices from our past and present, as well as difficult life experiences, can affect our sense of self-worth, feelings and mood. 

I believe that you know yourself best and so it is important that we find new approaches to your life that work for you.  I won't tell you what to do. Other people's advice is often often not what we need when we are feeling anxious or unhappy; we need to be heard and understood. When we are heard we can usually start to make sense of our experiences, re-frame some of our responses and seeing new ways through. 

My role is to listen to you carefully.  I will step in, where needed, to help you explore and understand how you are feeling, find out what is getting in the way of where you want to be and work with you to find new ways forward. 

How long will I need to have counselling?

This will depend on a number of things including; how you are currently feeling, your past experiences, what is happening between sessions and where you want to be after your counselling. 

Most people start to feel better after a few sessions of counselling. More significant, lasting changes can take longer. 

Location

I offer face to face, online and telephone counselling. 

My welcoming practice is based in my home in Heworth. It is approximately 1.5 miles from York city centre, University of York and York St John University campuses. It is well located for York city centre, Huntington, New Earswick, Osbaldwick & Heslington.

I look forward to meeting with you. 

madeleinebentleycounselling.co.uk 

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 am experienced at working with university students and have a good understanding of the academic, social and relationship pressures they face. 

I have been a tutor for York City Council for the last 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 a Young Person's mentor at York Mind.

I have a CPCAB (Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body) Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling. I am trained in person centred counselling. 

​I am fully insured, hold an enhanced DBS certificate and am 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 had a career working in the library and information sector before becoming a counsellor. I hold a BA (Hons) and MA from the University of Sheffield.

Member organisations

Registered / Accredited

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
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

Other areas of counselling I deal with

I also work with:

  • Academic stress
  • Bullying
  • Course failure
  • Dropping out of university 
  • Estrangement 
  • Exam stress
  • Isolation 
  • Leave of absence
  • Leaving home 
  • Leaving university 
  • Low motivation
  • Mood swings 
  • Pet loss 
  • Procrastination
  • Sexuality 
  • Sleep 
  • Starting university 
  • University counselling 

I work with a range of clients including many university students (18-25), gap year students, mature students and international students. 

I have experience working with clients with autism and ADHD. 

Photos & videos

Fees

£45.00 per session

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

I work between 8.45am and 5pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

8.45am sessions are Zoom only. 10-5pm sessions can be face to face or Zoom. 

Please contact me for current session availability. 

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. 

If you feel like I might be the right counsellor for you, I would be very happy to hear from you. Please get in touch by email: madeleinebentleycounselling@gmail.com and let me know a bit about yourself.

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.

madeleinebentleycounselling.co.uk 

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Young adults (18-24)
Adults (25-64)

Key details

DBS check

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

My counselling room is on the first floor. Getting here Car: Free on street parking is always available. Bike: You are welcome to park your bike on my drive. Bus: The number 9 & Coastliner bus stops are a 5-10 minute walk away.

Online platforms

Zoom