Samantha McDonnell
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Are you struggling with issues like anxiety, depression, loss, relationships or trauma? I offer a warm, inclusive and compassionate approach, drawing on a wide range of techniques & experience to help you find effective strategies to move forward.
As a Humanistic therapist, I believe that the answers we search for lie within us and that we each have a natural capacity for growth. Sometimes, however, upsetting events or painful emotions block self-belief in our ability to heal ourselves.
Spending time with an empathic and non-judgemental therapist offers a space in which to feel truly seen and heard, gaining insight into whatever’s troubling you. The aim is to unlock inner resources and help develop self-compassion, which in turn fosters healthier relationships with ourselves and others.
I have extensive experience of working with a diverse range of clients:
I support adults suffering from stress, low self-esteem, and/or survivors of bullying, sexual, domestic or historical abuse.
I work with clients with personality disorders, PTSD/CPTSD, Bipolar Disorder and ADHD.
Both professionally and personally, I have considerable experience with LGBTQ and gender-diverse people, as well as those questioning their identity. I’m particularly keen to encourage parents who are struggling to accept their child’s questioned or identified gender, to seek counselling.
I have a particular interest in working with unresolved past trauma, addressing its combined effects on mind and body. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Trauma-Informed Stabilisation Treatment and Somatic Trauma Therapy, offer gentle, trauma-informed approaches, focusing on your ability to self-care and regulate your emotions. Combining these with Internal Family Systems, Emotional Freedom Technique and mindfulness, frees you to live your life and find greater fulfilment in the present.
Earlier in life I was a professional singer and teacher, so I’m familiar with careers and situations requiring you to perform under pressure.
Training, qualifications & experience
Training & Qualifications
Postgraduate Diploma in Humanistic Psychotherapy and Counselling, Metanoia Institute
Certified Trauma-Informed Stabilisation Treatment Therapist (training with Janina Fisher)
Completed Levels 1 and 2 Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP), and Advanced SP for C-PTSD and Dissociative Disorders. Currently working towards SP Certification (Level 3).
Internal Family Systems Level 3 Therapist
Level 3 Emotional Freedom Technique
Previously, I've trained in Somatic Trauma Therapy with Babette Rothschild.
Additionally, I’ve undertaken professional development courses in personality disorders, early development, transgender issues and Mindful Self-Compassion.
NHS and Voluntary Work
In addition to private practice, I've worked with the NHS East London Integrative Therapy Team and held an honorary psychotherapy post at The Maudsley.
During five years volunteering for Victim Support, I worked mainly with survivors of rape and domestic/sexual abuse.
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
Internal Family Systems
Complex PTSD
Dissociation
Gender identity and transgender issues
Transphobia
Therapies offered
Fees
£85.00 per session
Additional information
I currently have some availability for online sessions internationally.
Further information
I offer both face-to-face and online psychotherapy and counselling.
I'm available for short and long-term work.
