Naomi Aoife Bowers
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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
You’re trying to keep on top of daily life – looking after the kids, keeping up with work pressures, managing the house, maintaining your relationships. It’s relentless and overwhelming. No matter how much you do, there’s always more on the list, and you’re exhausted. You’ve started feeling more panicked and anxious about everything you need to do, more tearful or irritated by small things - like you just want to escape from life, and then feeling guilty for that.
You want to be a different kind of parent than the ones you had, be a good partner, and do your job well - so you keep going, pushing, trying harder - but you’re just burning yourself out even more. Often, when clients come to me, they are highly motivated to change things but don’t know why they feel stuck in these patterns in the way they think and behave.
In therapy, we can work on noticing where these patterns come from – understanding the cause without trying to blame or shift responsibility – so that we can change thinking patterns, be more accepting of ourselves, and find new ways of coping.
All so you can feel like you have more capacity: to be patient with your kids, to spend time with your partner, to enjoy your family and friends, and ultimately, feel more like a person again – like yourself.
I have experience with a wide range of challenges, including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem from working as a therapist in the NHS. I have helped people to reduce their anxious thoughts, and feel in control when they do come up; to improve their mood so they can better engage in and enjoy family life; to set boundaries with those around them out of love to improve relationships. Some people come to therapy knowing what is distressing them, and some people need the space and support to figure it out. I often focus on helping clients understand and accept the emotions they are experiencing and show themselves the compassion we often only give to others.
Training, qualifications & experience
- BSc Psychology, University of St Andrews
- MSc Foundations of Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Bangor
- COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills
- Diploma in Counselling & Groupwork – a Cognitive Behavioural Approach
I have devoted more than seven years to studying psychology and mental health. My experience encompasses working with generalised anxiety, health and social anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, setting boundaries, and OCD. In addition, I have spent over five years in roles assisting individuals with chronic conditions or adapting to changes in their physical health.
Health anxiety and chronic illness
As someone who has experience chronic pain and fatigue, I get how hard these can be to explain. Changes to our bodies, whether an unexpected illness, or an anticipated change, like menopause, can be tough to deal with. When we have a health diagnosis, it might be hard to talk to those close to us without worrying about burdening them, or managing their emotions as well as our own; therapy can be a safe place to explore what we’re thinking and feeling, without judgement.
As a result, I have a particular interest in working with people experiencing health anxiety, chronic pain, fatigue, going through menopause or living with long-term health conditions.
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
Fees
£45.00 - £80.00
Free initial in-person, telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer an initial free consultation, which gives you an opportunity to ask any questions you might have, and see if you feel like we would be a good fit. This can be in person, if you'd like to visit the space, or over the phone if it's more convenient.
My fee is £80 for a 50 minute session.
I offer a small number of sessions at a reduced price of £45, for students and those on low or no income.
