Michaela Kirchem
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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
Life has ups and downs and most of the time we cope well, adapt and get on with things.
And then there are times when "getting on with things" starts to feel difficult. Thoughts or worries might keep us awake at night. Relationships at home or at work may change and it may not feel quite possible to put a finger on what it is that has changed. Situations that felt like welcome challenges in the past may start to feel like mountains that are impossible to climb.
As a person-centred counsellor, I offer a counselling space that is entirely focused on you, your experience and your self-care.
Counselling can be a confidential space to speak about things that can feel difficult to voice, to re-connect with your emotions and to explore your feelings and thoughts with a person who is not part of your day-to-day life.
Is this your first time thinking about counselling?
The thought of starting counselling might feel really daunting especially if this is your first experience of counselling. Together we will take it step by step at a pace that feels comfortable for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications
I hold a Level 5 diploma in person-centred counselling and also studied aspects of existential therapy and CBT as part of my training.
Experience
Before starting in private practice, I worked with clients in community services, a drug and substance misuse support agency and a bereavement service.
I have studied different forms of meditation and mindfulness and completed a level 1 teacher training retreat in Mindfulness-based Stress-Reduction (MBSR).
Languages
I am bi-lingual and offer counselling in English and German.
Special Interests
I have a particular interest in
- how loss and change shape our experience and relationships,
- the impact of high-control relationships and groups (spiritual, religious, ideological, financial, or emotional) on the individual, and
- how psychoeducation can support the recovery process after experiences of coercive control.
Recent Professional Development
- The Traumatising Narcissist's Relational System of Subjugation, May 2023
- Working with soul - creating a healthy culture, demystifying spiritual abuse, February 2023
- Working with ADHD, February 2023
- Faith and Bereavement - The Islamic Perspective, December 2022
Professional Memberships
I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), whose code of ethics I follow.
Member organisations
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
£70.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
My fee is £70 per session and I see clients on a weekly basis.
All sessions are 50 minutes long and cancellation policies for online and in-person counselling are in place.
I offer a free 20-minute phone consultation as an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have, speak about availability and get a first feel of what it might be like to work with me.
There is no pressure to commit at this stage and you can decide during or after the phone consultation if you would like to make a first appointment.
When I work
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Please email to enquire about current availability.
- Thursday and Friday evening NW5
- Early morning slots Tue, Wed and Thu online
- Saturday morning until 1 pm
Further information
Please contact me via email to arrange a free 20-minute phone consultation. The phone consultation is an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have and get a first feel of what it might be like to work with me. There is no pressure to commit at this stage and you can decide during or after the phone consultation if you would like to make a first appointment with me.
You may wonder how many sessions you may need or how long counselling will take. I offer time-limited as well as open-ended counselling and we will frequently review our work together.
