Ruth Holland
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hi, I'm Ruth, It can be daunting to take the first step towards a better life, but we can work together to begin to understand how you feel and how this affects you. As a fully qualified Integrative and Compassion Focused Therapist, I believe that counselling can help you to transform your life. I have a wide range of experience and am here to support you.
I provide a calm, gentle environment in my private counselling room, where I hope that you will feel safe to explore your feelings and build awareness of the steps you can take to create life-affirming changes.
Being listened to and feeling valued is the foundation for making positive life changes, together we can explore what has happened to you. It can be difficult to make sense of life when you feel overwhelmed but often by understanding the past, we can approach our challenges with compassion, process our experiences and move forward with a greater sense of wellbeing and confidence.
I work with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, neurodiversity, family issues and abuse amongst many other issues. Please give me a call if you are unsure, and we can talk about how I can help.
After I receive your call, text or message, I will reply with suggested times for a free phone call, (please check your spam!). During our initial conversation we can explore your issues and decide the best way to move forward. I offer face to face, on line and telephone sessions. Each session lasts 50 minutes.
For couples counselling
I offer a place of empathy and curiosity, where we can explore what is happening within the relationship. In this safe, non-judgmental space you will be able to listen to each other with respect, even though you may not agree. We will look at approaches for resolving conflict and creating new common ground. The aim is to help you develop strategies so that you can work together more collaboratively and have the resources for dealing with any issue, such as family, money, work, sex, or whatever else you need to bring. Whether you aim to stay together or to part, you will be supported here.
Everyone is welcome irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or religion.
Training, qualifications & experience
As an Integrative Counsellor, I am trained in a range of approaches. I am particularly experienced in Compassion Focused Therapy which can be really helpful if you are very hard on yourself and perhaps speaking to yourself in a critical way.
I am also trained in Person-Centred theory, where you, as the client, are valued and supported, without judgement to find the solutions to your problems. We may draw on Attachment Theory to explore the past and maybe discover how experiences from childhood have impacted you. I also incorporate Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as a useful tool to navigate unhelpful thinking patterns or overthinking.
Our body often holds tension from our life experiences and I have further training in somatic techniques such as breathwork, gentle movement and meditation to help with grounding and emotional regulation. I am happy to incorporate this into your counselling session if you would like me to.
- Postgraduate Diploma Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP Accredited)
- Certificate in Working with Couples - Therapy Institute
- Advanced Compassion Focused Therapy - The Compassionate Mind Foundation
- Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling CPCAB
- BSc Psychology (Hons)
- PGCE
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£55.00 per session
Additional information
Students £45
Couples Counselling - Initial session is 90 minutes and costs £80. Following sessions are £65 and are 50 minutes.
Further information
- I am an LGBTQ+ affirming therapist.
- I am a member of the BACP and adhere to their ethical standards.
- I have a little, friendly dog who can be present in sessions or not, whatever your preference.
Testimonies from clients reproduced here with their kind permission.
There is not enough time in the world to explain how meeting Ruth has changed my life. I was the epitome of a broken woman when we met. Ruth's endless compassion, patience and ability to create a safe and supportive space within minutes of meeting and throughout my time with her is fundamentally the reason I have been able to move through my difficulties and calm my anxiety. I even meditate now thanks to Ruth. C.P.
I can wholeheartedly recommend Ruth. From the start she helped create a safe and judgement free space to explore some difficult places. I believe she's helped me see the world and myself from a far more compassionate perspective whilst guiding me to a place where I feel more comfortable with myself. G.B.
I would highly recommend Ruth. Ruth instantly made me feel comfortable, she always gave careful consideration to everything I told her. She rightly challenged some of my unhelpful thought patterns with kindness and empathy. Ruth has allowed me to accept and move forward with my life. Her help with navigating my relationship with my adult autistic daughter, with severe OCD, has been invaluable. I now feel at peace with myself and know that I now have the skills to cope with any future challenges that I may face. Thank you. S.N.
Ruth has been absolutely amazing. I have felt safe and supported and feel like I have made great progress in the year and couldn't be more grateful for the support. J.F.
Ruth has helped me come on in so many ways. She's helped me be the person I wanted to be and consider what I can do in the future. I'm a stronger person than I was before I came here. A. Davies
