Mary Carr
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am a BACP accredited registered counsellor and have worked in both the voluntary and statutory sectors and in private practice for over 25 years. I have also practised as a clinical supervisor for the past 16 years. I have taught on both the certificate and Diploma Counselling courses at Sheffield Hallam University
For the past 15 years I have been an external counsellor for South Yorkshire Police Authority. More recently I have been a counsellor for Victim Support and taken referrals from Nomad
How I work
Relationships are in my view what helps us to heal. I will hope to build a relationship with you that is based on trust and free from judgement. Within that you will have the opportunity to express feelings that are troubling you. Also, without exception, there will be humour as I see this as a key aspect of all good relationships
I believe that we share basic human dilemmas. This means that although I will not have experienced your life events, i will have experienced similar emotions at some time that will allow me to empathize with you. My training is in an integrative, relational approach and is underpinned by an existentialist philosophy as I believe that we all share the same problems of human existence.
Counselling isn't ,I feel, about 'curing'. Time and again, however, I have seen how the opportunity to express feelings in a safe confidential space allows perspectives to emerge, that were not apparent before. Change does not have to be the goal of therapy but people often do make changes when they see things differently.
The first meeting
I charge a discounted fee for the first session This gives us a chance to meet and see if we both think I could be helpful to you. You can explain what you are hoping for from the counselling and I will tell you if this is something I feel I can help you with.You can then decide if you would like to arrange to meet again.
Frequency of meetings
I think counselling is more effective when we meet weekly but if that is not possible it doesn't mean that we cannot work together.
Although I work in an open ended way and sometimes see clients for a few months or more, I find that most clients experience improvement between 6 and 12 sessions.
Where I have worked for some months with people sometimes they are confident that it is the right time to end. Sometimes however people request meetings that are more spread out, perhaps monthly so that they can experience integrating the changes they have made and the ending can is this way be tapered.
The space I offer you to explore feelings is safe and everything you say will be confidential
Training, qualifications & experience
- BACP accreditation 2010
- Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling SupervisionSheffield Hallam University 2006
- Graduate Diploma in Counselling Bretton Hall College 1998
- Certificate in Counselling Sheffield College 1996
- Certificate in Creative Writing Sheffield University 1997
- Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language Sheffield Hallam 1989
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education Huddesfield University 1987
- LLB Law Degree Sheffield University 1982
I have 20 years post qualifying experience following my Diploma in Counselling in 1998. This training was integrative and a further development from my person centred certificate. I subsequently obtained a number of short course certificates, including working in solution focused and CBT approaches and courses working specifically with anxiety, depression and addiction.
I am a qualified teacher and have taught Law, Communication studies and modules on Counselling courses including Therapeutic Writing and Personal Development groups
Supervision
As a supervisor i have considerable experience of working with counsellors in training as well as with more experienced practitioners. My supervisees work in a variety of settings; both statutory and voluntary. This includes working with counsellors in GP surgeries, colleges, domestic violence, sexual abuse ,addiction projects, local authorities and hospices.
I have successfully supported supervisees through the BACP accreditation process, and offer sessions dedicated to this where criteria to be met can be specifically focused on.
Creative writing
I have an extensive experience of creative writing and am a published poet. I believe in the value of therapeutic writing and I nurture creativity as an important aspect of the ability to self heal.
This, along with a personal experience of body focused therapies, have led me to work in a holistic way with clients.I think it is very important for me as a counsellor to have an experience of being in the client's chair, so to speak. This brings an equality to the relationship between us.
I have a particular interest in the ways our emotions are held in our bodies.I have found that helping clients understand how their feelings are,'embodied', can lead to an improvement in both mental and physical well being.I encourage supervisees also to be in tune with this,'embodiment'.
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
Body focused therapy helping individuals to gain understanding and control of psychosomatic symptoms.
Extensive experience of working with young people from aged 14 upwards.
I have worked in the voluntary sector of Mental Health and whilst I have an understanding of diagnosis I do not think this needs to be the starting point of therapy. I am aware of the affects of various medications and I would work as a counsellor with this in mind.
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Counselling £60 per hour
Supervision £90 per 90 minutes
Sessions are chargeable where I am given less than 24 hours notice.
I will give you as much notice as possible of any holidays I might take.
When I work
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As I am self employed I am able to be flexible as to when I meet with clients. I will try to accommodate you where possible.
Further information
I have a significant experience of working with people with a Mental Health diagnosis. I have a working knowledge of certain conditions through my work within the Mental Health system. I respect diagnosis though I do not regard this as either a block or the necessary starting point for therapy.
In working with people as a counsellor and a supervisor, I believe in the primary importance of the relationship. That is to say that it is the quality of our relationship that is the key aspect of our meetings. I will use all the skills available to me, through my experience and training, to work with you at any given time but the process relies on your trust in me and how well I am able to foster this.
It is also important that we have a shared understanding of the process of counselling/supervision. This means that I acknowledge your expectations and we look at any ways that our perceptions might vary and see how we can work with this.
My experience has taught me about the importance of understanding the connections between emotional states and our bodies. I have worked productively with people with a range of conditions who have found improvement.
As a BACP accredited counsellor I work according to the Ethical Framework for Good Practice.
