About me
Therapy designed with you, to suit you. 18 years and over.
Sessions are £55 for an hour.
In-person (Dundee), online (UK-wide), or walk-and-talk (Dundee).
I believe that even when life feels hopeless, things can change. This comes from my own experiences of life, including struggling with illness and mental health, combined with my learning and experience as a counsellor.
As imperfect humans navigating complex lives, we can all occasionally benefit from some help. We all make mistakes, carry regrets and sometimes find ourselves living in ways that don't feel right for us. Perhaps our first thoughts and reactions aren't necessarily what we would choose; they can be shaped by our experiences, and what we've learned throughout our lives. Therapy gives us space to pause, understand ourselves more clearly, and make considered choices.
I believe people are often stronger than they realise. Coping with difficult circumstances, and the courage it takes to reach out for support, says so much about our existing strengths and capacity for change. I can help you understand your experiences, what matters to you now, and what might help you move forward. What I won't do is tell you what your life should look like - my role is to help you explore your life and choices compassionately and thoughtfully, and work out what feels right for you. I won't assume that my experiences or values are the same as yours, and I'm committed to offering respectful, affirming therapy to people from all backgrounds and walks of life.
I have an MSc in Counselling, and I'm a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, working within its ethical framework. I'm a pluralistic therapist and take a trauma-informed approach, drawing from diverse therapeutic approaches. I have a particular interest in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Existential Therapy. I love getting to know people, their thoughts and stories, and being able to help them cope with difficulties and move forwards in their lives. I'm experienced in how therapy can support people living with illness, exhaustion, pain, and other bodily conditions. I’m particularly fascinated by how biology, chemistry, and neuroscience can help us understand the complexities of being human.
At this point, you don't need to know whether counselling is right for you, what type of therapy you need, or even exactly what's wrong. If you do get in touch, we can work that out together.
For more about me, and the counselling I provide, please see www.sallydonaldsoncounselling.com
Training, qualifications & experience
MSc Counselling - MBACP.
Working experience in a number of fields, including product management, software development, healthcare and retail.
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
I also offer a free 15-minute online chat to help you choose your next steps.
When I work
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I manage my calendar on an ongoing basis, to maximise my ability to help clients while maintaining my own wellbeing and competency - so I prefer to discuss my availability with each new contact.
Further information
I also offer walk and talk therapy during daylight hours, within the Dundee area.
Some people find that being outdoors and walking side-by-side makes it easier to talk, think and notice what is going on for them. There is growing research into walk-and-talk and other outdoor approaches, but we are still learning about what makes them helpful and who might benefit.
It’s also important to note that there are some extra limits to confidentiality when outdoors - for example as others pass by - and before meeting in this way we would need to agree some procedures for emergencies, or for bumping into someone we might know. If you're curious about walk-and-talk counselling, we can talk about whether it might suit you.
