Nicole Bender
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This professional is currently not accepting new clients at this time.
This professional is currently not accepting new clients at this time.
About me
Hello. I am an Integrative therapist with 20 years of experience. I specialise in supporting individuals dealing with the effects and symptoms of stress and various traumas. I work with the mind, body and breath, so my approach will vary according to your individual needs, enabling us to address a wide range of problems and challenges you may be facing.
We know that sometimes life is difficult, issues from the past and present can affect us all at any time in our lives, leaving us feeling unbalanced. Symptoms may manifest in many different ways, emotionally, physically and mentally. This can leave a person feeling confused, bewildered, or feeling stuck.
Talking to a trained therapist can help you make sense of certain difficulties and problems, thereby encouraging you to make positive changes and offering you different choices for managing them.
A very important aspect of therapy is the therapeutic relationship. This relationship is different from the ones you have with family and friends. The whole scenario may at first seem daunting, which is completely understandable.
To help with this, I suggest we have a free 20-minute phone/zoom call to discuss what has brought you to therapy and what your goals and aims may be. I can also give you more information about how I work. This will help give you a better idea if I am the right therapist for you. There is no obligation to agree to continue at the end of the call.
About me
My passion for working with trauma began whilst working within the criminal justice sector, supporting individuals dealing with various addictions.
My original counselling training was traditional talking therapy. However, I understood that to work with trauma, it is fundamental to incorporate working with the body and nervous system. Over the last 15 years, I have trained in the following trauma modalities and attended various trauma seminars to create a blend of psychology with a holistic approach.
- Trauma Informed, Conscious Connected Breathworker, trained in working with acupressure.
- Studying at the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, which helped me understand the link between the mind and the body and how to work with trauma symptoms and emotions held in the body.
- I gained specialist trauma training L7 PG Diploma at the Naos Institute.
- Trauma certifications in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- 1 Year studying Compassionate Inquiry with Dr Gabor Mate.
- Understanding Attachment Therapy at the Bowlby Centre.
- Additionally, I hold a Reiki Master's certificate, and I am currently studying the Andean Medicine Wheel. Which blends psychology with spirituality and takes a minimum of five years to complete.
This combination of training and my personal experience with these therapies enables me to draw on a wealth of knowledge to work holistically and create a safe, trusting, and non-judgmental relationship. Our relationship will encourage healing and support you in reconnecting with your authentic self.
Here is a description of some of the different approaches I use:
Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB) 1-1 and group sessions. When we have stress, emotional baggage and unresolved trauma, this will affect the way we breathe. CCB is a dynamic breath in which we breathe in a circular way, with no gaps between inhalation and exhalation. When we breathe in this way, it allows the body to move into a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state, allowing the mind to quieten and the body and nervous system to begin to let go and release what they have been holding. This is combined with acupressure. This breathwork is described as therapy without words.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is a body-centred approach that treats somatic symptoms of unresolved trauma. I create a safe environment for you to connect with your body and release what it is holding. This will support you to regain a greater sense of control and reduce physical and emotional symptoms.
EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing - The primary goal of EMDR is to release traumatic memories and symptoms from the past. EMDR therapy works with emotional responses that are interwoven with our physical or somatic state. EMDR uses a body-based technique called bilateral stimulation. I will guide you through eye movements or taps in order to move a memory that has been stored in a part of our brain (the fear centre, called the amygdala), which becomes activated to unrelated or related stimuli, to a place in the brain (the hippocampus) where the painful memories lose their charge. This treatment integrates past traumatic events and works well in conjunction with other therapies.
Psychodynamic Therapy - This works by understanding how your past experiences (childhood) influence you in the present. I also work with you to understand your attachment style, developed in childhood, and how these play out in your current relationships.
Person-Centred Counselling - Works by building a therapeutic relationship in which you can gain a sense of personal power. This is about identifying how you want to live and then supporting you to achieve your goals.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy CBT - Works by examining the ways that thought, feelings, and behaviour can affect you and how these can influence your actions. We work together to change your behaviour and/or thinking patterns.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Conscious Connected Breathwork (Intuitive Breathwork 400 h)
- EMDR PART 1, 2 & 3 with Sandi Richman
- Compassionate Inquiry Course with (Dr Gabor Mate)
- ICISF Critical Incident Stress Management and Debriefing
- NCP Diploma in Trauma Therapy L7
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute in Traumatic Memory and Survival Defences
- Attachment Theory in Clinical Practice at The Bowlby Centre
- Reiki Levels 1, 2 & Masters
- CPCAB Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
- CPCAB Certificate in Understanding Substance Misuse
- CRUSE Awareness in Bereavement Care
- I am a Registered and Accredited Member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP)
Member organisations
school 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.
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£80.00 per session
Additional information
Counselling appointments are 50 minutes.
I offer weekly and bi-weekly sessions.
EMDR session 90mins £100
Very limited therapy sessions
Group breathwork sessions available (see website)
When I work
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Further information
My location is in Bromley, BR2. It is a 10-minute walk from Bromley South Station. There are great bus links and off-street parking.
Please feel free to telephone or email if you would like any more information.
