Paula Carter

Hi, I'm Paula and a very warm welcome. I am registered with the National Counselling and Hypnotherapy societies. My commitment to you as a qualified and experienced psychotherapeutic counsellor and hypnotherapist is to support your journey from suffering to flourishing, from surviving to thriving regardless of the reason, root, cause, symptom, or behaviour you are struggling with, together we can navigate how to over come challenges to reach your desired goals.

Whatever you've experienced or haven't experienced does not define your identity but is a testament to your coping mechanisms and resources available to you at that time. Together, through insight, we can enhance your skills and resources to restore your natural balance, to heal attachment wounds, repair relationship fractures, update defence strategies and core beliefs  to allow your true self to shine through as nature intended.

I commend your strength and courage in taking these initial steps toward positive change, signalling your readiness for growth. 

My vision emphasises on companionship rather than advising or fixing, but guiding you step by step while attuning to your needs to facilitating insight and awareness towards beneficial solutions and resolution. 

I aspire to cultivate a warm, secure, and confidential space where we can nurture a relationship built on mutual trust, respect, and integrity, allowing you to safely share and navigate your challenges, emotional states and traits. 

I believe in you. Every individual has the right to feel safe, acknowledged, heard, and validated. You possess the freedom to assertively communicate your needs, express feelings, opinions, and values openly and honestly, and prioritise your well-being as an independent and responsible individual. You also have the right to ask questions, set boundaries, make choices, and change your mind without guilt or the need for external approval.

My aim is to intuitively integrate a diverse set of theories, techniques, and interventions tailored to enhance your unique qualities and desired goals, this will empower and strengthen your skills and resources. Through this approach, I aim to support your autonomy in reaching your full potential and fostering self-acceptance and growth.

When you're ready to embrace the next chapter of your life and pursue success, I invite you to embark on this healing journey together. With  presence, patients and persistence, I will support you to face your past present and future challenges and vulnerabilities with calm curiosity and compassion, you'll increase your creativity and confidence, you will gain clarity as you deepen your connections and relationships with yourself and others on multiple levels.

I deeply value our time together and I am dedicated and passionate to supporting you, whether you choose to meet face-to-face in my private studio in Billericay or prefer online sessions from the comfort of your own confidential space. I offer flexibility in session types and durations to accommodate your needs. 

Initial and further sessions £50 per 60 minutes, extended sessions £70 per 90 minutes, and £90 for 120-minute sessions

I understand that sharing troubled experiences can be challenging, but rest assured, we'll navigate through them at your pace. We'll explore your current situation, the journey that led you here, your aspirations for the future, and identify the steps needed to achieve them, empowering you to make new choices along the way.

At times, we may find ourselves feeling lost, stuck, or obscured from view, much like clouds that hide the sun. Throughout life, we all encounter ebbs and flows, highs, and lows, with some experiences more intense than others. Our fundamental need to belong influences our beliefs, behaviours, personality traits, and emotional states, shaping our reality. I firmly believe that beneath the surface, your authentic self awaits, though it may be obscured by cultural conditioning and external pressures and expectations.

Our journey begins with our initial assessment, where we take the time to get to know each other, determine if we're the right fit to work together, address any doubts or fears you may have about therapy, gather your details and confidential information, assess any risks, and collaboratively develop a flexible safety and treatment plan tailored to meet your unique needs and preferences. If agreed therapy will commence with an open time contract agreement and can incorporate some of the following interventions. 

I like to utilise breathing, relaxation, mindfulness, imagery, and visualisation exercises and techniques to support emotional regulation, aiming to calm your autonomic nervous system. This creates distance and separation to review meanings and feelings, enabling a clearer insightful viewpoint to explore experiences and fully processes  them safely. Ultimately, these practices increase your awareness empowering you to make satisfactory and beneficial changes in your life without reliving the past trauma.