Mary Whitaker

Every storm will pass, but sometimes when things get tough it helps to have someone you feel completely safe with to confide in. This is your time and space to work towards reaching your true and authentic self, however small those first steps might be. I will be by your side to support you on your journey. This is a safe and ethically bound opportunity for your self-discovery and recovery and to reach a calm and peaceful mind, a relaxed body and a contented future. Through brave, whole-hearted reflection and a positive approach you can move forward leaving negative issues from the past behind you. Or this may simply be a space to offload current stresses and pressures of life free from criticism or judgement. It's your call. 
 
In our sessions we can explore at your own pace the circumstances that have brought you to counselling. I work from a holistic and 'pluralistic' approach which means paying attention to your whole self with consideration to how the mind and body work symbiotically and drawing on aspects from different types of therapy tailored to suit your unique and individual personality, experiences and needs in a way that feels comfortable to you. 
Whatever you chose to bring to the room, we will work together with warmth and empathy. This may involve reaching back in more depth to root causes and explore how past experiences have affected your current state of being and your core beliefs. Perhaps evaluating childhood experiences, aspects of your character, identity, culture, sexuality, gender, traumatic events, relational or family dynamics, low self-esteem, bereavement, physical or mental health issues, or anything that makes up 'you' and which may have led to unhelpful responses or behaviours for example; anxiety, depression, uncontrolled anger, suicidal ideation, disordered eating. Perhaps we may work on setting and maintaining healthy boundaries and finding practical coping skills and strategies that work for you, or practise using mindfulness and relaxation techniques. Whatever.... It's your call. 
This is your opportunity to take care of you, your mental health and your emotional well-being - which can in turn have a positive effect on your outlook on life and your physical health. I am here to give you the time and space you need to use to your fullest advantage to move forwards towards becoming a happier you. 
We can have face-to-face sessions, meet online or talk over the phone. 
I look forward to meeting you soon, 
Mary 

I offer a free 15 minute first phone call so that we can discuss why you have chosen to seek counselling, what you hope to gain from having the sessions and whether we are able to work together.

The first session will be more of an introductory session - a chance for us to introduce ourselves further and start to get a feel as to how we would like to work together. We will dicuss how the therapy works, our responsibilities (mine, as a counsellor working under the BACP Ethical Framework are many, yours - being the client are fewer and basically around your commitment to coming to the sessions and focussing on what you hope to achieve). This may be your first dip into talking therapy and you may have questions or anxiety as to what is expected of you. Or, you may have experience in this area and know what to expect.

As the relationship between us is key to good practice, this first session will provide an opportunity to begin to build a safe, reliable and consistent therapeutic relationship where you feel comfortable to bring whatever you chose to the therapy room. The focus on future weeks being that this is your time and space for you to use to your fullest advantage.

The sessions are 50 minutes and generally once a week at the same time/day/venue. Although I can offer some flexibility (for instance if you do shift work) this does need to be discussed and planned for in advance. We can discuss whether you are seeking short-term counselling with a set number of sessions and a focus on exactly what you want to achieve and how we are going to go about that. Or perhaps you want to have an open-ended amount of sessions and see how it goes and what comes up for you. You may have a specific issue you want to tackle, or you may want to learn more about yourself and where your behaviours and responses are rooted. I can be flexible on how we work together and am able to tailor our sessions to what suits you best.

My counselling room is accessible and on the ground floor with parking (limited) onsite. There is also roadside parking nearby and a variety of car parks locally. We are situated a mile from Chelmsford station and buses run past the property.