About me
COUNSELLING: As an experienced counsellor psychotherapist, I offer a nurturing environment where you will be listened to, valued and accepted as you work through issues. Start your journey of change today by contacting me to book sessions or for a free 20 minute chat to ask questions you may have about counselling with me.
I am an integrative counsellor which means I use a range of counselling approaches. This will enable counselling to be tailored to you as an individual, the issues you want to focus on and the goals you want to work towards.
Why have counselling?.......Sometimes our ability to keep going can feel undermined by ongoing issues or something happens that can make life feel very challenging. You may struggle with negative self-beliefs, such as 'I'm a failure' or 'I'm not good enough'. Counselling can help you understand how your thoughts, beliefs, emotions, choices and behaviours impact on each other and are lived out in your everyday life. Gaining this self-awareness can help overcome controlling negative self-beliefs and open up new choices and now approaches to life issues.
You may have identified that you are in habitual relationship patterns. Through counselling you can explore how you work in relationships and what has impacted your development as a person. This can help uncover aspects pf yourself which cause you to feel and act the way you do. This self-knowledge can support you to develop reactions and responses that are understood and desired, increasing relational confidence and self-acceptance.
Counselling and creativity:
Sometimes finding words to describe experiences can be challenging, especially when something is very painful to talk about or we stuggle to remember aspects of an experience.
If this is your experience, we can work together using a range of creative interventions such as art, representational objects like toys or work with drama to tell and explore the narrative you hold about yourself.
You may be a creative person and enjoy art and craft....and this can support your work in counselling. However, you might not think of yourself as artistic and be uncertain about engaging with this in counselling. Using creativity in counseling is not about creating a masterpiece of art - it is about using creativity to support the process of knowing yourself and your story more.
For creative sessions, we could meet at an art gallery or museum, if you wish, where we can view artwork or historic artefacts and reflect on what these different images or objects mean or say to you. (Note: meeting at an art gallery or museum is offered to age 18+ clients.)
Creativity combines well with mindfulness.
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications:
MSc Counselling Children and Young People (2020)
Diploma Counselling Children and Adolescents (2018)
BA(Hons) Counselling and Theology - BACP accredited course (2012)
Diploma (Level 7) Supervision (2017)
Continual Professional Development and Training:
I am committed to ongoing development as a counsellor. This has included further training regarding: emotional regulation and resilience, addictions, eating disorders, personality disorders, trauma, including developmental trauma, self-harm, depression, anxiety and working with suicidal clients; challenging behaviour and conflict resolution.
Solution Focused Training
Creative Gestalt Training Safeguarding training.
Other qualifications:
Registered Midwife
Registered Nurse
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- Relational wounding from childhood
- Close relationship conflict and/or abuse
- Spiritual formation
- Cross-cultural counselling
Other Therapies offered (besides those listed below)
Sometimes it is hard to find words to describe your feelings or experiences, especially when they are painful, hard to remember or unclear. It can be helpful to use other ways of exploring your story, as follows:
- Creative therapy: using a range of interventions including toys, pictures, creative writing, drawing, painting, sand, clay, craft, masks, games. We can also use drama to create and explore stories. For some sessions, we could meet at a local museum or art gallery where we can view art work or historic artefacts and reflect on what these different images or objects mean or say to you. (Note: meeting outside of my therapy room is offered to age 18+ clients).
- Walking therapy: you may find that it helps you to talk when walking rather than sitting in the counselling room. If so, we can meet, and talk as we walk. This will be at a place agreed between client and counsellor, for example a park. The first session would be at my counselling room/via remote counselling. (Age 18+ clients).
- Any of these therapies may be combined. For clients aged 13-18, although walk and talk therapy is not offered, we can still work well towards your goals using all other therapies mentioned.
Therapies offered
Fees
£50.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
COUNSELLING Fee per hour:
Individual: £50
Six session block booking available: Individual: £280
SUPERVISION Fee:
Individual: £50 per hour
Trainee counsellors: £45 per hour £40 per report
Group: £40 per counsellor for a one and a half hour session (up to 4 counsellors in a group). Please contact me if you wish to have group supervision, even if you do not have others to make a group with, as others may do the same and a group can be created.
Further information
I adhere to the BACP Ethics and Principles for good practise framework.
I attend regular supervision to support a high standard of counselling service.
I have enhanced DBS (formerly CRB) clearance.
Client comments:
"I talked with Philippa online and even through the computer screen I felt keenly her strength to hold what I was saying, without rushing. She allowed space and helped me unpack stuff with gentle authority. I also saw in her face genuine empathy as I spoke and no judgement. Thank you Philippa. "
"Philippa helped us through what was a terribly distressing and traumatic time in our son's and therefore, our life: her patient and gentle manner were so welcome. She did not tell us what to do, but listened as we tried to understand and process what was happening, helping us to think around the situation, giving ideas and advice as necessary. Her loving compassion is tangible."
"Philippa came highly recommended to me and now I can see why! Her friendly and calming manner put me at ease and gave me a space to talk about difficult emotions and experiences. Together, we worked through my goals and Philippa's guidance and reflections enabled me to develop a greater understanding of myself. I have finished feeling happier, more confident and more aware of who I am. I would certainly recommend her!!"
"I would recommend Philippa as a counsellor - she is friendly, empathic, supportive and has encouraged me to recognise the significance of losses that occurred during my early life which has given me a greater understanding of myself."
