Rachel Bollen
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I currently work with clients on Monday and Tuesday afternoons, throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday, and on Friday mornings. I offer some early evening sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
About me and my therapy practice
I am a therapist working with adults to better understand and improve the relationship they have with themselves and others. As a person-centred, psychotherapeutic counsellor, I work with clients contending with various issues. This may include anxiety, depression, grief and anger or be in relation to a personal or global situation or event, family or a specific relationship. You might feel stuck, unable to imagine a time when this will change.
Carl Jung said: “Problems are not solved, they are outgrown”.
Seeking support reflects your continued desire to grow. Whatever brings you to therapy, you will be met with a compassionate ear and genuine connection, supporting you on your journey toward a more autonomous and joyful life.
I take a holistic view, understanding clients as whole individuals, beyond the immediate struggles that brought them to therapy. I believe in nurturing our innate drive towards self-realisation, healing and growth—what the Greeks called Physis. I encourage clients to explore existential questions, reflecting on life’s meaning, human freedom, isolation, mortality, connectedness, and personal identity. This process helps them articulate their core beliefs and values, fostering a deeper understanding of their essence and purpose in life.
Practice description
Choosing a therapist can feel daunting, given the wide range of terminology used to describe different approaches.
- My practice is integrative, blending methods and philosophies to meet each client’s unique needs.
- I am person-centred, believing in people's innate capacity for self-healing and personal growth, and that this can be realised within the therapeutic environment.
- I don’t believe in an “us” and “them” approach to therapy. Client and therapist meet as equals, each bringing their own unique skills and expertise.
- I am interested in both the here and now, and earlier experiences that shaped us.
- I encourage clients to tune into their body’s sensations to better understand and regulate their physiological and emotional states.
In a non-judgmental, secure and respectful setting, we work to create a therapeutic relationship where clients feel able to express themselves fully. Through honest reflections and collaborative exploration, clients are empowered to examine their beliefs, feelings, and behaviours, encouraging self-acceptance and supporting their journey toward a more autonomous life.
For me, therapy is a collaborative exercise. I work together with clients to help them understand their inner world and identify the changes needed for positive growth. With a trauma-informed perspective, I draw from Transactional Analysis, Gestalt Therapy, Existential Therapy, neurobiology, attachment theory, mindfulness and meditation.
I can also work creatively to access and explore feelings. In session, we may use methods such as guided meditation, therapy cards, imagery and clay to help bring implicit memories into conscious awareness, where we are able to examine and work through them more effectively.
Through insights gained in the therapy room, I support clients to reshape the relationship they have with themselves. As this self-acceptance deepens, clients become more open to spontaneity, awareness, and intimacy.
I typically engage in longer term, relational work but am open to short-term therapy as well.
I offer face to face and online sessions.
Training, qualifications & experience
I'm a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor, having trained at the Northern Guild. I am a registered member of the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) and work in accordance with their ethical framework.
My approach is shaped by my artistic background and extensive experience working in cooperative, community, and DIY settings, and as a wellbeing artist for a charity dedicated to promoting equal access to arts and culture for disabled people in the North East. This has given me a deep understanding of the interconnectedness between our personal wellbeing and the systems in which we exist.
I understand that many of us find it hard to ask for our needs to be met. However, I believe we can achieve great things while working in collaboration with others. I am an inclusive therapist, welcoming all clients regardless of cognitive or learning differences, race, sexuality, gender, class or religion.
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
£60.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer an initial 15-minute telephone consultation free of charge.
When I work
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