This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello, I am Otter - a Gestalt Counselling Therapist offering In-Person sessions in Bedford & St Albans, and online.
Have you been feeling lost or stuck, anxious, depressed, or stressed?
Do you feel alone, like nobody really ‘gets’ you, or that you don’t ‘fit in’?
Have you been struggling with decision-making, having difficulty trying to change unhelpful patterns/behaviours, or wondering why similar challenges arise in your friendships & relationships, time after time?
If these experiences resonate or you are looking for an accepting, warm, validating, and secure space in which to connect, and explore your current challenges, past experiences, sense of self, or identity - get in touch for an initial appointment.
Some of my areas of experience and interest:
- Self-esteem & confidence
- Identity & belonging
- Gender, sexuality & relationship identities and expressions
- Loss, bereavement & grief
- Addiction, Substance Use, & Sobriety
- Stress, anxiety & depression
- Trauma & PTSD
- Neurodiversity
- Mental health experiences & labels
- Kink, Sexual Dynamics, & Sex-Work
- Amongst other life circumstances...
My approach is warm, connected, and non-judgemental - tailored to you with no agenda or time limitation - we will work together at a pace that suits you.
I chose the Gestalt modality, specifically due to its open-ended and holistic approach.
The philosophy behind the approach is that we are more than merely the sum of our parts, and are best understood when considered in our entirety - mind, body, spirit, emotions & experiences.
Through raising our awareness in each of these areas, we can come to understand our subconscious patterns and processes and effect meaningful change in our lives.
Once you get in touch I will contact you to arrange a brief, complimentary, initial appointment - online - at which you can share what brings you, we can establish whether we feel that we are 'a good fit’, and can explore how I may be able to help.
If we decide to continue together, I will send you my Client Agreement, along with a brief assessment form for you to complete, and we will arrange our first session - at which we can discuss in further detail your circumstances and requirements.
Thereafter, we will meet weekly at a regular time slot - either in-person or online - for a full 60-minute session.
There are no imposed time limits on our work together - your therapeutic journey will be as individual as you are - and we can review how you feel things are going regularly.
Training, qualifications & experience
In addition to my Professional Diploma in Gestalt Counselling (Dip.Couns), I also hold a Post Graduate Certificate In Embodied Therapeutic Practice and a City & Guilds Certificate in Community Mental Health Care.
Over the past 22 or more years I have worked within private, charitable, and NHS Mental Health Services, in addition to youth work, Sexual Health outreach, Community Counselling placements, and Private Practice.
I have extensive experience of supporting and relating to people from various cultural, social, theological, and economic backgrounds, affected by and responding to a variety of challenges and experiences.
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
£60.00 - £75.00
Additional information
Due to the difference in overhead costs, my fees differ from location to location.
- My fees in St Albans are £70 per session
- My fees in Bedford are £65 per session
- My fees for regular online sessions are £60 per session
Weekly payment in advance, by Bank Transfer is preferable, however, I am open to discussions around monthly payment, if this is your preference.
Missed appointments, and cancellations with less than 24 hours notice, will require full payment.
Further information
Open Up In Confidence
I offer sessions in a calm, private space in which you can share and explore your thoughts, feelings and experiences freely, and open up in confidence.
Whilst listening with empathy and sensitivity, I can support you in identifying your patterns of thought and behaviour, connecting with your embodied experience, growing your awareness, and discerning your choices and opportunities.
See The Woods And The Trees
Our work together can support you in gaining greater insight into your current, (and past) challenges; in understanding your innate responses, reactions & defaults, and identifying opportunities for change - where desired; and in exploring alternative perspectives - to inform your choices and responses going forward - helping you to see The Woods and The Trees!
