Robynne Wood
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
There is no one type of personal issue, or approach, that counselling works better with and sadly there isn’t a magic fixing wand for us to wave. However, if you are reading this in the hopes of finding someone who is a good fit for you (or a loved one) then maybe my creative style would appeal to you. I offer counselling sessions to people of all ages – primary school aged children (reception upwards) using play/art-based therapy and more traditional talking therapy (with creative approaches as needed) with teenagers/adults. My main skill as a therapist is being adaptive to your needs and my curious and gentle approach often draws on creative tools to create a safer environment to explore difficult topics. I have particular experience working with Neurodiversity (particularly Autism & ADHD), Young People, Domestic Abuse and working with issues linked to anxiety. I’m also happy to work with a wide range of issues including depression, loss/grief, experience of relationships (in childhood and adult), impact of medical diagnoses, sudden life changes, uncertainty around the future and self-esteem related issues.
My counselling style could be described as the classic "how does that make you feel?" type of therapy – also known as the Person-Centred or Humanistic approach. But don’t worry, I’m not the kind of therapist that will sit nodding and repeat everything back that you say! However, what we would do is build a supportive relationship where we look at the world from your perspective and then work together to make changes that you want. You are the expert in your own life but I recognise that having the support and view of an “outsider" can be helpful in finding the answers we need. I help do this by giving you a safe space to explore your world using empathy, honesty and importantly with no judgment! This helps us to work through the thoughts, feelings and issues that are impacting you and giving you the power to make any desired changes.
If you would like in person counselling then my counselling space is at Astley Park Estate, Chaddock Lane, Astley, M29 7JY. This is one minute drive off the East Lancs (A580) (close to junction 13 of the M60) meaning that I’m easily accessible to people living in the Salford, Bolton, Wigan, Warrington and Greater Manchester areas. If you live outside my local area, then I am also available to work through video and telephone sessions throughout the UK. Also, I have some clients where we do a blend of face-to-face and online sessions so if you have particular needs or preferences please do get in touch to see if I can accommodate them.
Please feel free to contact me to discuss whether we could work together on the areas that you wish for support in addressing. If I'm not able to accommodate them, then I'm more than happy to offer suggestions or signpost you towards more appropriate help.
Training, qualifications & experience
I'm a therapist trained in the Humanistic (Person-Centred) approach to counselling. I have a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, a member of the BACP, enhanced DBS and a registered teacher. I have my own dedicated counselling space which allows me to offer flexibility with sessions and access to all my creative materials. I have previously counselled for Fortalice (Bolton based domestic abuse charity), the Simeon Centre (Bolton based charity seeing NHS clients) and a primary school in Salford for Place2Be all on a voluntary basis.
A large proportion of my client work is working with people that either have a diagnosis for Autism/ADHD (or other Neurodivergence) or wanting to explore the possibility that their brain may work differently. Many of these clients have arrived at my room counselling room having been told that they are not suitable for therapy or having had negative experiences with other therapists. This is a common misconception – therapy is for everyone but you do need a therapist that is open minded to working flexibly and can cope with the idea that brains don’t all work the same! This is exactly why I love working in this area because I get the pleasure of exploring someone else’s world but also helping people getting to know themselves. But most importantly helping people see that they are different, not broken, and supporting them to gain understanding and be empowered to move better within the world. I’m able to draw on my own personal (lived and family) and professional experiences of Autism/ADHD to work with this client group in an affirming, supportive that help demystify the neurotypical world.
I have a passion for working with young people (from reception age upwards) and being an ex-teacher and my ability to speak “teacher” puts me apart from other therapists. Young people’s counselling works the same as adult’s counselling in that we explore the world from their perspective, but it often needs an additional element of detective work! This depends on the age of the client (and how talkative they are) but we can understand a lot from the way that we play, create and interact with each other. My job is help get a feel for their world and then act as a bridge to help the client, parents/carers and even schools to understand and adapt to their needs. It isn’t unusual for me to go into schools or offer advice on adaptations - again it isn’t my job to fix but to help the young person to understand and work with their emotions. This area of work is really rewarding, and I often find myself transferring these skills and experiences across into my adult work.
I also have experience working within Domestic Abuse and the impact of unhealthy relationships through my work at Fortalice and the Simeon Centre. I don’t offer couples therapy but do often work with people wanting to understand past relationships and ongoing patterns. I’m also happy to work with a wide range of issues including depression, loss/grief, experience of relationships (in childhood and adult), impact of medical diagnoses, sudden life changes, uncertainty around the future and self-esteem related issues.
Many counsellors offer the kind of therapeutic relationship provided by the Person-Centred approach but what makes me different is my creativity and adaptability to create the space that you need to achieve what you want. This comes from drawing on my experience working in adult and children's counselling services but also my skills gained from my years spent teaching at a range of ages and abilities. I approach my counselling with a balance of gentle, playful curiosity and robust, calming demeanour meaning that I am able to go with you to the places (light or dark) you need to go.
If you aren't sure if counselling is for you then please feel free to visit my website for more information and answers to FAQs about therapy.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
I have particular experiences in counselling adults (talking therapy context) , children (play and art mediums), working with neurodiversity and domestic abuse. I am happy to work with a wide range of issues including anxiety, depression, loss/grief, experience of relationships (in childhood and adult), impact of medical diagnoses, sudden life changes, uncertainty around futures and self-esteem related issues.
Please feel free to contact me to discuss whether we could work together on the areas that you wish for support in addressing. If I'm not able to accommodate then I'm more than happy to offer suggestions or signpost you towards more appropriate help.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£50.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Concession rates are available upon discussion and dependent on individual circumstances.
Please feel free to contact me to discuss any particular preferences or requirements that you may have. If I'm unable to accommodate then I may be able to suggest other options.
When I work
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I aim to offer a flexible approach to the time and frequency of therapy sessions. Please feel free to contact me to discuss any particular preferences or requirements that you may have.
Further information
It's not uncommon for people to retrain in counselling later in their careers and in my case I was a secondary school teacher. I taught Geography for 13yrs at schools across Lancashire and Greater Manchester. My last post was teaching A-level at a sixth form college in Wigan and it was here that my journey into counselling began.
My eureka moment came when I offered the services of my Bearded Collie Mink to work as a stress therapy dog. She was perfect for the job as a retired show-dog who loved everyone and a regular ambassador of the breed at events. Mink came to college once a week to co-teach my lessons, run library drop in sessions and booked classroom visits. The visible impact on student and staff well-being was instant and I could see that people were talking to me through Mink. I did an introduction to counselling course so I could be confident of not doing harm. However, I realised that counselling gave me the opportunity to connect with and support people in the ways that I'd hope to do in teaching.
I followed my heart and left teaching to complete my counselling training but my experiences continue to enrich my practice. I'll always be thankful to Mink, and her successor Evie, for starting me on this path and I'm hoping to reintroduce my dogs into my work in the future.
