Nicola Woods
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am passionate about the power of psychotherapy in helping us develop greater self-awareness, compassion and acceptance. It supports us in moving away from living our lives in survival mode to thriving in life and being able to access more joy and freedom.
How I work?
Starting therapy for the first time can feel like a daunting experience, it takes a lot of courage to start on this journey. I will meet you where you are with kindness, compassion, acceptance and non-judgement. We will work together to slowly explore and unpack the patterns of thought and behaviour that are preventing you from living your life fully and authentically.
I work in a mindful, embodied and relational way. We will pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations without judgement bringing awareness in the present moment to the coping mechanisms and relational patterns that possibly once kept you safe as a little one but are now a hindrance in adulthood.
I support clients experiencing a wide range of difficulties such as anxiety and panic attacks, depression, a sense of feeling lost, addiction, childhood developmental trauma such as emotional and physical abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse, sexual assault, PTSD, working with feelings of fear, anger and shame, obsessive and intrusive thought patterns, imposter syndrome, working with a strong inner critic, struggling with work/life balance, stress and burnout, social anxiety, issues with intimacy and relationships, bereavement, grief and loss, bereavement of a beloved pet.
I am a Mindfulness-based Core Process Psychotherapist, I am accredited and registered with the UK Council of Psychotherapists (UKCP) and the Association of Core Process Psychotherapists (ACPP).
I am also a trained EMDR Therapist and working towards accreditation with EMDR Europe.
My background prior to training as a Psychotherapist, is in the corporate world as an Organisational Development Consultant working with senior leaders across multiple industries supporting them in designing and implementing change and culture programmes, and wellbeing strategies to improve and enhance the employee experience. I also work as a Leadership Coach.
Through my experience, I have an acute understanding of the stresses and challenges of the corporate world. My own personal therapy helped me recover from stress, burnout and anxiety and provided a deeper awareness as to my own relational patterns.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have a Professional Certificate in Counselling Skills from Maynooth University, Ireland, an MA in Mindfulness-based Core Process Psychotherapy from the Karuna Institute. I’m a fully accredited member of the United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapy (UKCP) and adhere to their ethical codes of conduct and practice.
I have also completed all parts of EMDR Europe Accredited Training from The EMDR Academy and am currently working towards accreditation with EMDR Europe.
Mindfulness-based Core Process Psychotherapy
Core Process Psychotherapy (CPP) is an integration of both Buddhist and Western psychological principles and practices. CPP is one of the original mindfulness-based approaches to therapy, directly informed by Buddhist psychology and is greatly influenced by its principles and practices with a focus on mindfulness, developing greater self-awareness, compassion and acceptance. By working in the present moment, CPP can help facilitate the process of moving beyond our conditioned sense of self and become more authentic through awareness and compassion. It teaches us that at any given moment we have the potential for healing. It is with greater self-awareness that we can have more self-acceptance and learn that we are “enough” just as we are.
EMDR Therapy
EMDR utilises the natural healing ability of your body. After a thorough assessment, you will be asked specific questions about a particularly disturbing memory. Eye movements, like those during REM sleep, will be recreated simply by asking you to watch the therapist’s finger moving backwards and forwards across your visual field or a bar of moving lights. The eye movements will last for a short while and then stop. You will then be asked to report back on the experiences you have had during each of these sets of eye movements. Experiences during a session may include changes in thoughts, images, and feelings.
With repeated sets of eye movements, the memory tends to change in such a way that it loses its painful intensity and simply becomes neutral memory of an event in the past. Other associated memories may also heal at the same time. This linking of related memories can lead to a dramatic and rapid improvement in many aspects of your life.
EMDR can accelerate therapy by resolving the impact of your past traumas and allowing you live more fully in the present. It is not, however, appropriate for everyone. The process is rapid, and any disturbing experiences, if they occur at all, last for a comparatively short period of time. Nevertheless, you need to be aware of, and willing to experience, the strong feelings and disturbing thoughts, which sometimes occur during sessions.
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 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.
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
£80.00 per session
Free initial online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Sessions and Fees
My fee is £80 per session. Sessions are 60 mins and are usually at the same time every week. I only have space for online sessions.
I offer an initial 30-minute meeting, free of charge, so we can start to explore what is bringing you to therapy at this time, how we would work together and see if I am the right therapist for you. It is an essential step in the healing process to find the right therapist for you.
When I work
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I have availability coming up for online sessions only on Tuesday afternoon, and Wednesdays.
