Sally Edwards

I am a fully qualified counsellor, psychotherapist and trauma therapist. My private practice is based in Orpington in Kent, but I work online also with people from all over the UK.

I specialise in the impacts of trauma and PTSD, from events such as childhood neglect, sexual abuse, assault, domestic violence, accidents, serious illness, workplace trauma and financial trauma. But I work with clients with many other life challenges and emotional difficulties, such as depression, anxiety, stress and overwhelm, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, life transitions, disordered eating and body image issues.

​In my work with clients I provide support using a trauma-informed approach, which means rather than asking, "What's wrong with you?" I am instead more interested in asking, "What's happened to you?" Because usually the issues we struggle with have a direct link to what we have been through in life.

During therapy I will aim to help you understand and overcome your experiences and develop greater inner strength and resilience. By building these qualities, you can become more capable of handling future difficulties. I hope to empower you, which involves supporting you to take control of your own life and make decisions that are in line with your values and goals. My role is to help you to process your past experiences and create the life you want by making intentional, positive changes; this can include changes in behaviour, thinking patterns, relationships, and other areas of life that are important to your well-being and happiness.

I have a busy private practice where I work with adult clients from all walks of life and who are experiencing a wide range of issues. I work with clients both in-person and online, which enables me to work with people from all over the UK. With over 15 years of diverse training in healing therapies, I practice psychotherapy in a holistic manner, integrating a wide range of skills to address the complete well-being of my clients, encompassing mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual elements.

I have full public liability and indemnity insurance, an up-to-date Enhanced DBS certificate, and I practice under the ethical framework established by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).  This means that I am committed to working with you in a safe and professional way that empowers you to identify what choices you have available to you and what resources you already possess.

About Therapy

The aim of therapy is not to have someone provide the solutions to your problems. Instead of someone else making decisions for you, you learn to become more empowered, take ownership of your life, gain clarity about what is best for you, and then begin to create positive change.

I will actively listen and offer you my time, skills, compassion and understanding to talk about your particular issues, with the aim of reducing negative feelings and confusion and increasing your ability to cope with challenges and make positive changes to your life. In the sessions you explore your own experiences, and so you need to be open to self-exploration and to identifying what factors in your personal history and current life are maintaining and/or are causing your current issues.

It is important that the therapeutic relationship is one of trust and respect. I will be impartial and non-judgemental, providing a safe and confidential environment for you to explore and make sense of who you are, your life and your experiences. My role is to support you to explore your thought and behaviour patterns, and this may involve me challenging your beliefs and thought processes in order to help you see things from different perspectives.

There are many ways of working, or 'modalities', in therapy. I work in an integrative way, which as the name suggests is a combined approach that brings together different elements of specific therapies. Integrative therapy takes the view that there is no single approach that can treat every client in all situations. Rather, each person deserves to be considered as an individual with a unique set of problems, and therapy techniques need to be tailored to your personal needs and circumstances. I work in a trauma-informed way with clients who have experienced trauma in their lives.

​The different therapy styles I incorporate are:

​Person Centred - An approach that aims to understand your experience from your unique perspective, focusing on developing a sense of personal power, identifying how you want to live your life and working towards achieving your goals.

​Psychodynamic - An approach that helps to unravel and understand your deep-rooted feelings in order to resolve them by looking at past experiences and relationships and how they influence you in the present. 

​Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - An approach that looks at your thought, feeling and behaviour patterns, working together in sessions to change some of these to manage your problems. 

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) - An approach that helps with shame and self-criticism, which can often be behind issues like anxiety and depression. CFT helps cultivate self-compassion and compassion for others, to help regulate mood and foster self-acceptance.

Therapy sessions are £70 each, payable via bank transfer.

I offer a free 30 minute Zoom call to discuss your counselling needs and to establish if I have the skills needed for your particular issues, and to see if we both feel we are a good fit for working together. Please contact me to arrange this.

Face-to-Face Counselling

Individual counselling sessions are available at my private practice in Orpington, Kent. I work from a safe and confidential garden office room and there is ample private parking on site. 

Online Counselling

If you are unable to make face-to-face counselling sessions, it is possible to have online counselling via Zoom instead. This means I am able to see clients located anywhere in the UK. I am a Certified Online Counsellor

Additional Information

Counselling sessions are 50 minutes long and sessions are usually booked at the same time each week for the duration of therapy.

Counselling is open-ended and therefore there is no limit to the number of sessions. Regular reviews are undertaken to assess how the client is progressing.

I do not offer telephone or text counselling sessions.

Please note my cancellation policy: cancellations or missed sessions within 48 hours of the session time will incur the full fee. This policy ensures fairness to all clients, as appointment slots are carefully allocated each week and short-notice cancellations or no shows result in unfilled spaces.

Fees are reviewed annually.