Pauline Straw

I am available for Face to Face, Walk and Talk, and Online therapy.

Whether you are at a crossroads, are in a crisis, or have a longstanding issue, talking therapy can bring a fresh perspective and ways to help you. We cannot change what happened in the past, but we can change the impact this has on our lives.  We are not able to change the people in our lives, but we have the capacity to grow and make positive changes. Counselling gives us space to consider what we want from life, and the knowledge to work towards that. 

This may involve identifying and naming the issue. Sometimes it means adopting new ways of being, or discarding what no longer works for you. You may benefit from learning new skills such as empathy, assertiveness, and understanding your emotions, which may lead to increased confidence. It may just be a matter of expressing your emotions in a safe and confidential space. 

Everyone can benefit from taking time out to think things through alongside someone who shares the desire to understand. I provide a friendly, non-judgemental, safe, easy-to-access, confidential, professional and ethical counselling service for young people over 16 years old and adults.

I offer an integrative approach to counselling and psychotherapy, allowing you more choice in the way you access therapy. I draw on humanistic therapies including existential, person-centred and gestalt modalities. My areas of experience are wide-ranging, including bereavement and different types of loss; anxiety; depression; trauma; abuse; suicidal feelings; and neurodiversity. I can help you to understand and improve your relationships and your own well-being.

I trained at York St John University. I have worked at Pickering Medical Centre and York Mind. I continue to volunteer at York St John Communities Centre at York St John University and Next Steps in Kirkbymoorside. As required by the BACP, I attend regular continual professional development courses, monthly supervision and abide by the BACP Ethical Framework for Counselling Professions. I am also DBS checked.

Before becoming a counsellor, I trained as a registered general nurse. I have also worked in Special Needs Education with young people. I taught English as a foreign language when we lived overseas. This experience helps me maintain a holistic perspective on well-being. 

Initially, I offer a free consultation, which establishes what you want to achieve from therapy, and which method of access you would prefer and we can decide if we would like to work together.

I work from Rest Relax and Restore Kirkbymoorside, and offer Walk-and-Talk and online therapy. 

You can contact me at:

pauline_straw@hotmail.com

www.righttime2talk.co.uk

Free initial sessions are for twenty minutes so that you have an opportunity to ask questions and we can assess whether we wish to work together.

I offer concessionary rates for trainee counsellors and for people on a low income. 

My clinic is on Piercy End, the main street in Kirkbymoorside. It is an old building, so accessibility is limited. However, I offer walk-and-talk therapy, which is accessible for wheelchair users. I also provide home visits and online sessions. 

Testimonial:

I've grown so much thanks to Pauline and I would recommend her services to anyone seeking therapy. She creates a safe, non-judgemental environment which allows clients to explore therapy at their own pace. She has an incredible ability to put you at ease, whilst challenging thoughts and feelings to get to the root causes of behaviour. Working with Pauline was such a positive experience and I came away from each therapy session feeling like I had learnt something about myself.  She is a warm, kind, genuine person and I will happily use her again if and when I need professional support.

Harriet.

:)