Maria Bradley
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am a British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists, (BACP), and NHS Accredited psychodynamic counsellor/psychotherapist. I am NHS Accredited through The University of Nottingham in Person-Centered-Emotion Focused Therapy and am registered with AXA Health seeing their members. I am trained with NAPAC to work with adult survivors of childhood trauma and have particular interest in abusive relationships of all kinds.
Whatever brings you; depression, anxiety, family issues, childhood trauma, bereavement/loss or relationship problems of any kind, I can help. These are some unsolicited comments made in the past weeks: "I wish I'd done this 20 years ago". "I was in a coma! Everyone should have therapy". "My relationships are better than they've ever been". "I always feel better when I leave here".
That does not mean, to paraphrase a children's book, that these clients have not had to push through some long grass to get there, you need to feel feelings so that they lose their power and you need to feel completely safe and supported to do that. There are many things that can derail us, but a less than happy childhood can be most destructive as it changes the natural unfolding of the self and these adaptations can control how freely you live. You can't change the past, but you can understand how you protected yourself when the world of others might not have been worthy of trust. As a therapist I listen at depth, aware of unconscious processes and importantly, I talk with you about it. We do this together for better self-awareness builds a stronger back, a softer front and a wilder heart without the need for strong defences. Children take in poor experiences; any bad done to them as their own shame until they can leave the past where it belongs. It is never too late. I am happy to chat by phone, or you can email and we can take a first step. I see people in my room in Hemel Hempstead or via video.
Training, qualifications & experience
BACP Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist in Psychodynamic Counselling
Accredited Person-Centred Experiential Counselling for Depression, (PCE-CfD) University of Nottingham, (NICE / NHS License).
NAPAC qualified. Trauma-Informed Therapist. Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse and Neglect.
Accredited NHS Psychotherapist working in NHS Talking Therapies
Clinical practice with The Counselling Foundation (BACP Accred.) Charity.
Private Practice Hemel Hempstead and St Albans
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
Qualified in childhood Trauma-Informed Therapy: Trauma in adults resulting from emotional, sexual and physical abuse and neglect in childhood.
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
Initial consultation; £60
Fifty Minute Weekly Counselling; £60.
When I work
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Although my availability changes things, I work Monday to Friday 9am-7pm.
Further information
How I work: As a psychodynamic and emotion-focused therapist I look for what's beneath playing a part in everyday life, so deeply 'me' that it goes unnoticed. I work with past and present at the same time. Clients usually come weekly and open-ended, but short-term focused therapy is also possible, if you prefer. I am never the expert on you and your life but I do bring new ways of looking at things with you to bring more self-awareness to allow for change. A trusting therapeutic relationship is so important in all this and in the first meeting you will get a chance to assess that. I work with people who might not know why they are feeling troubled as well as those who do. Whatever is troubling you, we can talk. I am happy to talk by phone to help you decide the next step.
- Relationships of all kinds
- Childhood abuse or neglect.
- Trauma and other adverse childhood experiences.
- Bereavement/Grief and loss.
- Eating Disorders
- Family life; coming to terms with a child's behavioural problems, medical diagnosis or educational label.
- Ill health or disability.
Whatever the 'problem', we work together to build strength and resilience.
