Melanie Richards
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
At any stage in life, people may be affected by problems that feel overwhelming and difficult to bear, such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, loss of confidence or simply feeling stuck.
Whilst it may feel difficult to ask for help, I have found that providing a safe, supportive and confidential environment allows clients to feel that they can be open and to work through what has brought them to therapy.
Why people come for therapy? This may be a specific issue; a present difficult circumstance; or something that has been affecting clients for a very long time and which is impacting their lives, their relationships and how they feel about themselves.
My approach is collaborative, where I listen very carefully to clients and work alongside them to help them to understand themselves, their feelings and their circumstances better.
To gain this understanding, it is important to understand the relationship between early experience and current problems. This doesn’t mean that we just talk about the past, but unless we understand how the past continues to exert an effect on the present, we cannot identify what needs to change now.
This deep sense of understanding and self-awareness gained through psychotherapy can facilitate autonomy, which can lead to meaningful change and growth. This in turn enables an increase in self-esteem, better personal and professional relationships and a sense of healing and contentment in life.
Training, qualifications & experience
I’m a psychodynamic psychotherapist and EMDR therapist and have had many years of training and experience in treating clients of all backgrounds, presenting with a wide range of problems including; anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, relationship issues, bereavement and loss, sexuality, trauma and those who feel that they have become stuck and have lost meaning and direction.
I am accredited by the BPC, UKCP, BACP and EMDR Europe and work within and abide by the strict ethical standards issued by these professional bodies.
Some problems respond well to open ended psychodynamic psychotherapy and others to EMDR, but we can discuss this during your consultation.
Outside of private practice I have worked within the Trauma Unit at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust.
Member organisations
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.
The British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) is a professional association, representing the profession of psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
The organisation is itself made up of fourteen member organisations and BPC accredits the trainings of its member organisations. An individual who qualifies from one of these trainings is then eligible for entry into the BPC's register.
BPC registrants are governed by a code of ethics, a policy of continuing professional development, a statement on confidentiality and a complaints procedure. The BPC is a Member Society of the European Federation for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in the Public Sector (EFPP). Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
£75.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Starting therapy can feel daunting, so I suggest the first step is to meet for one or two sessions to get a feel of what it would be like to work together and to establish whether I would be the right person to help with the problem.
I offer a free initial telephone call to establish what has brought the client to therapy and to arrange an initial consultation.
I charge £80 for the initial face to face consultation and then if we agree to work together, the fee will be discussed and agreed between us. This will be in the range of £75 depending on your financial situation. Some low fee concessions are available for students, trainees and for those on a low income.
When I work
Monday - Friday - 8am to 7pm
