Mary Gillham

Verified Professional Verified Professional
Verified Professional

Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.

Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

Duns, Scottish Borders, TD10
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am then I can change"

This quote is by Carl Rogers. ( The founder of Person-centred therapy )

I am a fully qualified and experienced person-centred counsellor.

I have worked with people in different settings for 30 years.

I am a registered and accredited member of the BACP and adhere to professional standards and also work within the ethical framework.

I provide one-to-one counselling to adults and young people aged 18 plus.

Most of my clinical work is now online. I work for BUPA, betterhelp and the MS Society. I also have a private practice.

I am also an experienced Somatic massage therapist and use this to focus on the nervous system. The mind and body are intimately linked and emotional pain manifests as physical pain. Sometimes unprocessed pain stays in the body and shows up as aches and pains or other ailments.  

I have a type of Synaesthesia Or I like to call it 'A gift' where I can feel the other individual's physical pain within my own body. I am highly sensitive.

This has become very clear to me over the years, especially within my work in Holistic Therapies. 

I can sense where the trauma or the root of the pain is and work with my client to help initiate healing in the body and mind.

I like to use my Earth cards using my intuitive gift to support my sessions to provide insight and understanding. 

Sometimes in our life circumstances can lead us to difficult and emotional places and it can help to have someone to turn to that is impartial and will hear you and listen to what is important to you.

The ability to focus on how things are for you and really hear how you feel can be a unique, profound and helpful experience.

Counselling offers a safe space to talk about the things that matter to you, to open up at your own pace and experience a non-judgemental, confidential and honest therapeutic relationship.

Therapy involves talking about life events, feelings, emotions, relationships, and patterns of behaviour.

I often work in a way where we look at the different parts of you and give each part a space to be heard and cared for. For instance, there may be an anxious part or a depressed part. An angry part.

All these parts of you are welcome in the space and I will help you explore them to facilitate growth and change. The key to change is awareness of these parts and starting to have compassion for them. To understand them.

I also help the individual understand the nervous system, how it operates and how you can manage your anxiety through this knowledge.  

I aim to ensure that when you take that step into counselling, which can be extremely difficult you are met with warmth, genuineness and compassion.

Within my training, I spent much time and commitment looking at my issues, patterns and behaviours. This is a huge part of the training.
If I am to sit with a client in their distress it is essential I have explored my own issues.
It's a continuous journey and I have welcomed it.  I welcome it each day.

I look forward to working with you!

Training, qualifications & experience

Counselling Skills C.O.S.C.A
Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy.

I was a volunteer at Crossreach in Dunbar for 4 years.
A generic counselling service.

I worked within Social Services for 20 years with Adults with learning disabilities and mental health challenges.  

I have worked with children, adults and teenagers in various settings within the social care sector.

I have qualifications in social care, pain management and teaching in adult education.

I have extensive training and qualifications in complementary therapies and have been a practising massage therapist for 25 years.

I find massage therapy very valuable when working with clients to help soothe the nervous system and safely release trauma in the body.

I have used massage therapy with adults with learning disabilities, people living with MS, People living with Parkinson's and now mostly with clients who are holding pain and tension in their body due to overwhelm and anxiety.  

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

Areas of counselling I deal with

Other areas of counselling I deal with

As a person centred counsellor I work with all aspects listed above.

Therapies offered

Photos & videos

Fees

£45.00 per session

Concessions offered for

  • Trainee counsellors

Additional information

£45 per session 

Or 

£160 payment for 4 sessions ( save 20 pounds ) 

Somatic massage- I hour and a half. £65

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

I can be flexible with availability to fit around your work or home commitments.

Duns, Scottish Borders, TD10

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Adults
Older adults

Key details

Wheelchair user access
Wheelchair user access

Wheelchair-accessible premises should have step-free access for wheelchair users and individuals who are unable to climb stairs. If a Counsellor's premises aren't step-free, they may offer alternative services such as telephone/web-based appointments, home visits, or meeting clients in different location, so you can choose the option that suits you best.

You can contact the Counsellor to discuss the options available.

Under the Equality Act 2010 service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that individuals with disabilities can access their service. You can read more about reasonable adjustments to help you to access services on the CAB website.

Online platforms

Skype
Whatsapp
Zoom
Mary Gillham
Mary Gillham