About me
Hello and welcome.
If you are reading this, you may already be taking an important first step towards finding support. Reaching out can feel daunting, and it often takes courage to begin looking for help. Life can present many challenges, and at times it can feel overwhelming trying to manage everything on your own.
Alongside humanistic counselling, I integrate awareness of the nervous system, breathwork and grounding techniques to support emotional regulation and deeper, lasting change.
2. You May Be Feeling…
You may be finding life difficult right now, even if it is hard to explain exactly why. Perhaps you recognise some of the following experiences:
• feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or constantly on edge
• struggling with low mood or a sense of emptiness
• feeling stuck or unsure about the direction of your life
• carrying grief or unresolved experiences from the past
• noticing stress showing up in your body through tension or fatigue
• using ways to cope that no longer feel helpful, such as alcohol, food, overworking, or other behaviours that help manage difficult emotions
Counselling offers a space where we can begin to slow things down, make sense of what you are experiencing, and explore new ways of supporting yourself.
3. My Approach
My approach to counselling is humanistic, which means I believe each person has the capacity for growth, healing and self-understanding. Sometimes life experiences can make it difficult to access our own inner resources, and having a supportive therapeutic relationship can help reconnect us with them.
I aim to offer a warm, empathic and non-judgemental space where you feel safe to explore whatever feels important to you, at a pace that feels comfortable.
4. Working with the Body and Nervous System
Our experiences are not only held in our thoughts and emotions — they are also expressed through the body and nervous system.
When we feel overwhelmed or stressed, the nervous system can move into protective responses such as tension, shutdown, or constant alertness. Many people develop ways of coping with these states, sometimes through alcohol, food, overworking or other behaviours that temporarily help regulate difficult feelings.
Part of our work together may involve learning to notice and understand the language of your body. Becoming aware of physical sensations and nervous system responses can help develop greater emotional regulation and a stronger sense of safety.
Where helpful, I may incorporate:
• gentle breathwork
• grounding techniques
• body awareness practices
These approaches can support you in feeling more present, understanding your emotional responses, and developing practical tools you can use in everyday life.
5. The Counselling Relationship
Research suggests that the quality of the relationship between counsellor and client is one of the most important factors in effective therapy.
For this reason, I offer a free initial session by phone or online. This gives you the opportunity to see how it feels to talk with me and to ask any questions about counselling before deciding whether you would like to continue.
6. Practical Information
I offer both short-term and longer-term counselling, and we review our work together every six weeks.
I currently work with adults aged 18 and over.
Testimonial:
"I am a 71 year old man , just finished a year of chemotherapy treatment for leukaemia, having previously had treatment for both prostate and bladder cancer. Following the chemotherapy, my self confidence was shattered and my mood very low. I was referred to Niki Ralph for counselling, something that I had never experienced before, but I was open to the idea.
As soon as I met Niki I just knew that our sessions were going to be helpful, I didn't realise just how helpful. Niki's calm and confident manner immediately filled me with confidence as did the amount of effort that she put in to prepare our sessions. She listened, suggested and questioned my attitudes, all the time working to improve my flagging self confidence and to lift my mood. Niki showed me that my thoughts were actually quite rational and common in cancer sufferers and she used her counselling skill to alter the way that I thought about various matters.
My appointments with Niki were specifically related to my cancers and treatments, but I am sure that her experience could be equally applied to other matters.
My heartfelt thanks to Niki Ralph for helping me to regain my 'old self'. Anon June 2025"
"My experience with Niki has been transformative on a personal level. In our time together, I have moved from a place of initial reluctance to being able to bring my whole self to the experience. Niki is a wonderful counsellor to work with as her warmth and genuineness are felt in every session. She inspires trust, confidence and connection which enabled me to open up and therefore get the most out of our sessions. I would not hesitate to recommend Niki to others looking to take that step into counselling."
Training, qualifications & experience
I have over 15 years of experience working within Higher Education, Drug and Alcohol services, Carers, & Cancer support services.
- Accredited BACP 2023
- BUPA registered
- BA (Hons) Humanistic Counselling – University of Chichester 2015
- Diploma Humanistic Counselling – University of Chichester 2013
- Certificate in Counselling skills level 3 – Guildford college 2010
- Certificate in Conscious Connected Breathwork (400 hour training programme @Breathguru)
Some of my training includes:
- Conscious Connected Breathwork
- Level 1 Oxygen Advantage Functional Breathwork
- Grief & loss
- Depression, the Brain and Recovery
- Certificate in Facilitating Therapy Groups
- Anxiety and Single Session Therapy
- Mood and Food -The Connection
- Sexualised Trauma Workshop
- Mindfulness for Professionals
- Trauma within Substance Misuse Counselling
- Attachment as a Therapeutic modality
- Clinical notes and Supervision & counselling tools
- Cycle of Change
- Safeguarding Adults
- Safeguarding Children
- Counselling Contracts
- Brief Solution focused Therapy
- How to end with clients
- “Keeping it in the family” drug and alcohol family training
- Telephone and Online Counselling training
- Safeguarding and Managing risk through digital media – Practitioners
- Relationships and Regulation – Neuroscience
- Polyvagal Theory - Neuroscience
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.
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 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.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Breathwork
Nervous System Regulation
Therapies offered
Fees
£70.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
Free initial 20 minute assessment session via telephone or online
£70 for subsequent sessions (50 minutes)
On BUPA's register for clients with insurance
When I work
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Further information
I offer counselling via online platforms, phone or face to face in Emsworth @ Apollo Practice and Bosham @ Green Door Centre (formerly Hamblin Hall, PO18)
