About me
Hello, and welcome. I am a warm, approachable and experienced therapist and have been working for 35 years with clients in a variety of settings, 15 years of which were spent within the NHS as a Registered Mental Health Nurse.
Are you finding life so overwhelming, that you feel rooted to the spot, remaining stuck, and feeling helpless and hopeless?
Maybe you are struggling to build emotionally safe and trusting relationships, or find yourself having family or work difficulties. There maybe bereavements , losses, disenfranchised grief , painful estrangement, or deep seated childhood issues and traumas, that continue to have an impact on your day to day living, relationships and quality of life.
You may feel chronically unhappy, but are unable to pinpoint why. You might be suffering from depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem for instance.
Reaching out for help can be immensely difficult and frightening, and so many people try and battle on alone.
I offer a confidential, empathic and peaceful space, where you will be listened to with respect and understanding.
I can offer longer term open ended or short term therapy. I mainly work within the psychodynamic model, which recognises how your experiences in childhood may still impact on your life today.
Counselling is not about fixing you, or giving advice, but offers an empowering experience, to enable you to find answers within yourself. It is an opportunity to begin a journey of discovery of who you are, and your individual patterns in relationships and attachments.
Together, guided by your pace, we can gently begin to explore your personal story.
I do appreciate it may feel daunting choosing a counsellor, and believe the relationship between us constitutes the central part of the work. With this in mind, I offer an initial session that may take up to 90 minutes. This will give us the opportunity to decide together whether I am the right counsellor for you, as well as looking at the difficulties that have prompted you to seek help, and to address any questions you may have.
Training, qualifications & experience
As a Mental Health Practitioner, I worked for many years with people who struggled with disordered eating. I also worked within Transcultural Psychiatry, and I have a specific interest in how our cultural background influences who we are and how we relate. As well as working with individuals, I ran psychodynamic therapy groups for many years.
In the past 23 years, I have gained in depth experience working with adults and children with disabilities. I have become familiar with the many issues facing families and carers, and I have provided counselling sessions at Orpheus College, an innovative performing arts provision for young adults with special needs.
I also worked at a counselling organisation in Greater London for 5 years both as a Counsellor and Assessor.
I hold a diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling from the University of Surrey.
I am a qualified Mental Health Nurse and General Nurse.
As a member of the BACP, I am committed to working within their ethical code and guidelines.
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
Additional information
Initial session - up to 90 minutes: £60
Ongoing therapy - 50 minutes: £60-£70 .
When I work
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursdays, daytime, until 6pm.
Further information
Email address: r.birdcounselling@gmail.com
Telephone: 07523 496139
If I am unable to take your call, please leave a message with your name, telephone number and whether it is appropriate for me to call you back or leave a message.
I do understand it may feel incredibly difficult to pick up the phone whilst taking these initial steps, and you may prefer to email me instead.
