Polly Dexter

Hello and welcome to my profile, my name is Polly. I am a fully qualified, UKCP registered and professionally insured Person-Centred and Experiential Psychotherapist and Counsellor. I offer short, medium and long term individual counselling and psychotherapy to adults and young people (aged 16 years and over), in a warm, comfortable and private environment.
 
People seek therapy for any number of reasons. Perhaps you are feeling depressed, anxious, overwhelmed or ‘stuck’ in some way. It may be a specific issue or goal, or perhaps a more general 'feeling' that might not make much sense to you. Whatever your reasons, psychotherapy can help. 
 
I firmly believe that we each have the potential to change, grow and heal throughout our lives, when we are offered the right support at the right time. Trying to work through our difficulties alone can feel overwhelming. It might be that the right kind of support is not there for you, or that you don’t want to burden your family or loved ones. Even when we have family and friends around us with the best intentions, we can still experience an overwhelming sense of isolation, and feel stuck in some way, or in pain.

Therapy offers you the time and a safe and non-judgmental space to explore your issues, with someone not entwined in your life.
 
I offer a warm and genuine relationship based on trust, respect and compassion. Together we can explore the issues that are important to you, at a pace that is right for you. Feeling heard, understood, valued and accompanied can be very powerful, helping us hear and understand ourselves in new ways. Gaining a deeper understanding of ourselves can cultivate self-compassion and boost our self-esteem, empowering us to discover better and more fulfilling ways of coping and living.

My approach is both professional and also very personal. I work to meet you where you are at, and respond with flexibility and sensitivity to your unique needs and wants. I won’t tell you how to live your life, but I will support you to explore and make sense of your experience, and discover your unique path towards growth, change and healing.

I have supported a broad range of people to work through the issues that are important to them. Themes have included anxiety, depression, trauma, abuse (both current and historical), addiction, bullying, self-harm, loss, relationship difficulties, eating issues, suicidal ideation, neurodiversity, perfectionism, among many others. 
 
Some have discovered what they needed in terms of solutions or some relief in a few sessions. For others the work has been longer term and more in-depth, encompassing changes to their sense of self, their identity and how they may relate to themselves, others and the world.
 
I appreciate that considering therapy can feel like a big and daunting step. Finding the therapist that 'fits' for you is important. The right therapist will help you feel safe, understood and not judged. It might be that you try a few before finding the one that feels right for you. If you are wondering whether I might be a good ‘fit’ for you, please feel welcome to get in contact by email or phone (text message or voicemail) and we can arrange a free initial appointment - this can be on the phone, online or in person.  This is a good way for us to meet and have a chat, and for you to get a sense of what working together may feel like. We can talk about your needs, wants and goals and discuss how we might work together, before you decide if what I offer as a therapist sounds helpful to you. If you are looking for something different to what I can offer, I won’t feel offended, and am happy to discuss referrals with you, if that is helpful.

My therapy room 

I work from a warm, comfortable and private therapy room, situated on the ground floor of my home with its own separate entrance and toilet facilities. 

Location
My practice is based in Whatton, a small village in the Vale of Belvoir, close to Bingham (approx. 3 miles), just off the A52 between Nottingham (12 miles) and Grantham (11 miles), and 12 miles from Newark. There is a train service from Bingham, Nottingham and Grantham to Aslockton station which is a 5 minute walk away from my therapy room along a public footpath. I can provide specific directions on request. 

Parking is available on the drive next to my therapy room, or on the street outside my home.

Initial consultation - free

I offer a sliding scale payment option for sessions between £40 - £60.

Students and therapists in training - £40

If you are unemployed or have a low income, please don't hesitate to discuss alternative fees with me.

My approach to counselling and psychotherapy

A deep valuing of human difference and diversity
 
We each experience our world in unique ways, shaped by where we land in the world, the relationships and communities within which we grow and develop, and the broader social, cultural, historical and political context within which we live and are deeply affected by. The culture and context in which we develop can be a source of great strength – but it can also be discriminatory and oppressive. 
 
I feel strongly my commitment to honoring, valuing and respecting human difference and diversity. I will strive to be sensitive and respectful towards how you experience the world and yourself in it, and attentive to the realities of prejudice, discrimination, exclusion, oppression and alienation that may form part of each person’s experience.

I feel honoured and privileged to have worked alongside a broad range of people of multiple diversities through my life, all have been important in shaping my own development. I have personal and professional experience of supporting neurodivergent children, young people and adults. I am committed to listening deeply and empathically, and responding sensitively to value and honour each unique person’s subjective experience of being in this world. I hope to collaborate with each person with an openness and flexibility, to find ways to work together that best suits us.

The centrality of the therapeutic relationship

Central to my practice is a firm belief that it is in the relationship between us where healing and transformation unfolds. Despite decades of research aimed at identifying which ‘type’ of therapy or technique works best, the findings consistently indicate that it is the quality of the relationship between therapist and client that is the best indicator of positive outcomes in counselling and psychotherapy. 

It is difficult, with words, to do justice to the unique magic of what goes on between therapist and client in practice: Trust deepens; safety is cultivated; feelings and thoughts emerge to be heard, valued, reflected upon, and transformed; new perspectives and deeper understandings evolve; and new ways of being are discovered.

A safe space, time and presence

Our relationship will offer a safe, unhurried and non-judgmental space that is committed to you. We live in a society where the demands on us are often multifaceted and busyness can be revered. We are bombarded with information and communications...emails, social media, news, phone calls, TV and so on, all of which can overwhelm our brains processing capacity, leaving us feeling flooded at times. For many of us, it may seem that time for leisurely and sustained face-to-face connection is being ‘squeezed’ out of our daily life, and true presence can be a rare experience. Therapy offers you time, space and the attuned presence of someone not entwined in your life, who is committed to being fully there with and for you, giving you their full attention, and listening deeply to understand. 

An evidence-based and research-informed approach
 
My practice is always guided by and responsive to each unique person, their needs, wants and goals, and their moment-to-moment experience. I draw on various theories to support my understanding of people including neuroscience, the trauma-informed literature and the field of attachment and developmental psychology. I am committed to continually developing my practice by maintaining a critical engagement with contemporary research and theory relating to psychotherapy.

A trauma-informed approach: building our understanding of the effects of trauma and finding better ways of coping and living

I believe it is helpful to understand trauma by the effect of an event rather than by the event itself - the simplest and perhaps most helpful way of defining trauma is that it’s an experience we have that overwhelms our capacities to cope. 
 
There are many sources of trauma, including but not limited to early relational trauma, accidents, sexual assault, physical abuse, domestic violence, natural disasters, medical trauma, transgenerational and historical trauma, war, racism.
 
If you have experienced trauma in your history you may experience an overwhelming and confusing array of emotions, thoughts and physical symptoms that can leave you feeling powerless and out of control.
 
My approach to working with people suffering from the impacts of trauma, is based on compassionate listening, understanding and collaboration. I hope that together we can explore your experience in a safe and calm environment, at a pace that is right for you. As we work together, understanding, awareness and compassion for yourself can develop, empowering you to discover better and more fulfilling ways of living and coping.

A holistic approach: sensitive to your unique way of being 
I will always be guided by you and your subjective experience of how it is to be you in the world. We experience and respond to our world in unique ways. Some people feel strongly the physical sensations of their experience, others find themselves caught up more in their thoughts, or may feel lost in their emotions, and others react with behaviours that don’t always make sense to them.  I hope to work with you in a holistic way, sensitive and attentive to all aspects of your embodied experience, to honour the integrated nature of our mind, our body, our spirit (where this feels relevant), our relationships and the social/cultural/historical context within which we live and grow.