Melissa Holian

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St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 3LD

About me

"You cannot go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending" CS Lewis

Are you feeling stuck, misunderstood, unmotivated, lacking in confidence, sad, frustrated, overwhelmed, anxious or like you are "not enough?" 

Do past experiences feel weighty and continue to impact your present day?

Does breaking old patterns currently feel impossible? 

I am a Gestalt trained therapist who will help you understand yourself more clearly, make connections and discover ways to remove barriers so that you feel empowered to live the life you desire. By raising awareness of how you are in the world, where this may have come from, and what is currently in the way, you will feel confident to make changes that have previously felt impossible to make. 

My therapy room is a warm, inviting space where you will feel seen, heard and understood- perhaps for the first time. Through our therapeutic relationship, processing past experiences brings healing, questioning current beliefs brings change and an increased confidence in your ability to navigate the future, empowers you to live your life fully. Our work together will not always be easy, but ultimately the awareness you gain, and possibilities we explore - will be life-changing.

I work with clients in a broad range of issues- specialising in helping clients to understand their family and relationship dynamics and working with anxiety. 

As well as supporting clients privately and in a secondary school, I am also a Clinical Supervisor, supporting therapists and other professionals. Here I create a collaborative space where supervisees feel supported, safe to explore, gently challenged and inspired to develop their client/professional work.  

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Training, qualifications & experience

I am a registered member of the BACP and have a Professional Diploma in Gestalt Counselling I am also enhanced DBS checked.

I am also a Clinical Supervisor working with trainee therapists, qualified therapists, therapists working in organisations, and professionals working in a school. 

As well as my private practice in Chiswell Green, St Albans, working with clients aged 16+, I also have several years experience working as a student counsellor in a secondary school.

I continue to have regular CPD training and supervision in line with BACP guidelines and follow their ethical framework.

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.

NCPS
National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS)

The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society This Not For Profit association of counsellors and psychotherapists aim to support the counselling profession, members and training organisations. In 2013 the NCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under the Accredited Voluntary Register Scheme. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.

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

National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society
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.

National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society

Areas of counselling I deal with

Therapies offered

Photos & videos

Fees

£65.00 per session

Concessions offered for

  • Students
  • Trainee counsellors

Additional information

I offer concessions for supervision and therapy to those who are currently in education or those who work in education.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Early morning
Morning
Early afternoon
Late afternoon
Evening

Further information

I am a Gestalt therapist, trained in looking at how clients feel in the present moment in order to help them gain a greater self-awareness so that they can more confidently reach their full potential.

I work face-to-face at my private practice in St Albans or remotely, online via Zoom. I offer a free 30-minute initial Zoom/telephone consultation to discuss what would be useful for you and for you to ask any questions. 

28 Ragged Hall Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 3LD

Type of session

In person
Online

Types of client

Young people (13-17)
Young adults (18-24)
Adults (25-64)

Key details

DBS check

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

Free parking outside the practice

Online platforms

Zoom

Supervision

Online

I am currently training to be a supervisor and offering lower cost supervision as part of my training. Please get in touch if this is of interest

View supervision profile

Melissa Holian
Melissa Holian