This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About us
We are a low-cost counselling agency offering sessions at a reduced rate for those who could not otherwise afford private counselling. This is made possible through the use of student counsellors and access to concessionary rate slots with qualified practitioners, depending on your needs as a client.
We are picky about the students that we take on - preferring to work with counsellors who are training in person-centred or integrative approaches. This means that our counsellors are focussed on meeting you as a whole person, seeing beyond the difficulties that you may be facing and holding a space where you can feel safe to talk.
Our counsellors aim to support you not by telling you what to do or giving advice, but by really hearing what's going on for you. Often when you can feel safe to share things, you can explore parts of yourself or your life that perhaps are too difficult to approach on your own or with other people in your life who often have their own agendas.
Our Counsellors
In our society we can assume that those with more qualifications or more experience are "better" - but in the counselling world, this is far from accurate. Research has shown that students can be some of the best practitioners as they often have much smaller caseloads, are constantly reflecting on the work they are doing as part of their studies and have a lot of support from tutors, peers, agency managers and supervisors.
Our counsellors are all working towards nationally recognised diploma level qualifications at local colleges and training providers.
Our Process
Our process begins with an assessment with a qualified counsellor for a fee of just £25. This is to establish the reasons you're seeking counselling, to get an idea of your history and your needs and to determine who might be best to support you.
Depending on your needs, a student counsellor may or may not be appropriate for you to work with. Sessions with student counsellors range from £20-£40 depending on your circumstances. If a qualified counsellor is a better fit for you, we liaise with qualified practitioners offering concessionary rates from £20-£50 per session. Fees will be discussed together at your assessment and agreed upon.
If we cannot support you, we will let you know as soon as possible, and refund the £25 assessment fee, as well as advising you what next steps might be appropriate for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
All counsellors working with River Counselling Services are members of professional bodies, i.e. BACP or NCPS, and our service abides by the BACP Ethical Framework. When you meet the counsellor that you will be working with, they will share their registration details with you.
Counsellors are all working towards nationally recognised diplomas and are completing their practical experience hours as a requirement of their course. There are strict guidelines as to the amount of supervision and support required whilst training.
If you need support from a qualified practitioner, rather than a student, we only work with qualified counsellors who are members of regulatory bodies, DBS checked and members of the ICO for data protection/GDPR purposes.
Our services are run by Emma Charlick, a qualified BACP registered practitioner. Emma has her own practice 2-3 days per week where she sees private clients. She has counselling qualifications accredited by CPCAB up to Level 5, a degree in psychology, a further degree in religious studies and a background working in business administration and office management. She has undertaken additional training in trauma, suicide awareness and group facilitation and has an interest in working with trauma and integrating parts of self.
More information about our service is available on our website, https://www.rivercounsellingservices.co.uk
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.
Areas of counselling we deal with
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£20.00 - £50.00
Additional information
- Assessment fee: £25 per assessment.
- Sessions with student counsellors range from £20-£40.
- Sessions with qualified counsellors range from £20-£50.
- Fees can be paid in cash or by bank transfer.
When we work
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We are currently seeing clients Mon-Fri daytimes only. We have availability for in person sessions as well as working online.
