About me
Hello. I'm Maggie, and I'm really keen on Early Intervention, so I specialise in Face-2-Face Counselling with Children aged 5 to 12 years. As an experienced, BACP-accredited child counsellor, I offer therapeutic play, creative work and talking to children whose behaviour, confidence, feelings, relationships or school work have been affected by adverse events such as loss, trauma, family breakup, health problems, school issues and others. I've also worked with children who are neurodivergent and experience certain differences to their peers, for example, hyper or hypo-sensory differences. Some of these children may experience difficulties with their peers, leading to loneliness or bullying.
The heart of my work is about connecting with the child by building a safe relationship with a range of activities to help them express themselves as naturally as possible, to help them be themselves and to work out their strengths. I use puppets, toy models, Lego, writing, drawing and arts & crafts. Even knitting.
When appropriate, I work closely with parents or carers and sometimes offer separate support to them. This is their child, and they know them best. The parent - child relationship is crucial. Collaboration with parents or carers can ensure joined-up support.
Lastly, I've always had a great love of nature, and believe that our brains evolved for lives lived embedded in social groups in natural settings. I've spent many years pursuing all kinds of nature-friendly outdoor activities, and may be able to offer some work outdoors with some children if circumstances allow. Please ask if you're interested in this option.
For further enquiries, I offer a free 20-minute phone call or Teams call.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have Current disclosure Scotland PVG membership, gained a COSCA Supervision Counselling Certificate in 2023, became BACP accredited in May 2017 and got my Diploma in Counselling Children and Young People from Middlesex University in 2014.
I've worked with children for over 20 years, first as a teacher abroad with the British Council, and then since 2014 in a wide range of primary, some secondary schools and in private therapy rooms. At first, I worked for a variety of charities and school counselling agencies, and then as I became more experienced, I worked freelance. For 10 years, I ran a consistent face-to-face counselling service for a school in Glasgow.
My core approach is Integrative therapy. which means that I adapt my work to meet the child's needs. I'm both person-centred and psychodynamic, interested in the whole child, and in understanding how the past might have affected the child's present. I work intuitively, using embodied knowledge by looking at your child's feelings, thoughts, energy, movement, attention span and behaviour.
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£55.00 per session
Additional information
For further enquiries, I offer a free 20-minute phone call or Teams call. If you decide after speaking to me that you'd like to go ahead with face-to-face work, I charge £65 for the first longer-lasting 60-90 minute consultation.
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning | |||||||
| Morning | |||||||
| Early afternoon | |||||||
| Late afternoon | |||||||
| Evening |
