Samantha White

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she/her
MBACP
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

location_on St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 1SN
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

Hello, thanks for considering me for your counselling. Finding the right counsellor is important, so please read my details and do message to find out more if there’s anything I can help with.

Helping people is my passion, and alongside a lengthy NHS career in healthcare, I’ve become an integrative therapist and CBT practitioner. I see counselling and CBT as a helping hand through harder times, and an investment in long term mental and physical health.

Whatever it is that has brought you to search for a counsellor, I can provide a warm, non judgemental and confidential relationship where together we’ll explore what’s going on for you.

I believe that with some effective counselling, people can find a shift within themselves, and in time will experience the world differently, and learn to help themselves in the longer term. 

Although some know exactly what they want to work on, for some people, it can be harder to define, perhaps a sensing that life just feels harder, or feeling a bit lost.  We can work on current problems, or past events whether specific issues or a more general sense of unease or dissatisfaction- your problem is real for you, and nothing is too ‘small’ or ‘big’ to make use of counselling.

I’ve helped people with anxiety, depression, panic, low self esteem, relationship problems, grief, anger, stress, coping with physical health problems and long term conditions, managing life stage changes, low mood, work stress… and many other problems not easy to define with one word!

Counselling can help in many ways:

- process painful emotions

- learn to trust yourself

- break unhelpful patterns

- reconnect with your sense of self

- make sense and find meaning

- relate better to yourself and others

- making difficult decisions

- coping with life changes

- move through feeling stuck

- reduce stress

- personal development

- problem solving

***I am currently in the process of completing a specific qualification in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and for a time I am offering discounted CBT. ***

This type of therapy works more specifically on a defined problem, and is an active form of intervention where you will learn skills and tools to become your own therapist. We would collaborate on setting goals and making changes to help you modify old patterns that are contributing to current emotional difficulties. 

I am trained to be flexible and use the approach that best fits your needs. I try my best to understand the complexities and individuality of each person I work with, and always respect that what you need from counselling is unique to you.

We’ll have a chat before we organise our first full session together. This means you can explore whether counselling is right for you and see if we’re the right fit as counsellor and client (more information in my first session section).

Special Interests

Health problems: I have 20 years of working in healthcare, first as a care assistant in a care home for the elderly, and then within professional allied health roles in a wide range of areas- musculoskeletal, respiratory, neurological, amputee rehabilitation, and oncology to name a few. 

This means that I bring this professionalism, knowledge and dedication to my counselling career, and my caring and empathic way of being is rooted in real life understanding and working with people going through painful experiences.

My healthcare background and own diagnosis of arthritis gives me a special interest in helping people with the psychological impact of physical illness, and life-changing medical conditions, be it their own or another’s. 

This may include processing the diagnosis, living with pain or how illness changes life, caring for someone, and fear of the future amongst the many and complex challenges illness can bring.

Work Stress and Career Change: I have experienced my own considerable work stress, as well as anxiety around career decisions and re-training. I understand the challenges of finding a work life balance and how we can find ourselves depleted and separated from our sense of self when stress and work troubles shadow our every day life. Having worked through this myself I am passionate about helping others with such problems.

Training, qualifications & experience

Qualifications/CPD and Experience:

**Currently working on Level 5 Diploma in CBT**

  • Level 4 Diploma - Therapeutic Counselling - (CPCAB)
  • Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling - (Counselling Tutor)
  • Certificate in Couples Counselling - (The Therapy Institute)
  • Single Session Therapy Workshop - (Windy Dryden, Online Events)
  • Introduction to Suicide Awareness - (Counselling Tutor)
  • Counselling for Chronic Illness - (Counselling Tutor)
  • Managing Anxiety and Panic/Phobia States - (The Christie Complementary Therapy Service)
  • The Psychological Impact of Cancer Study Day - (The Christie School of Oncology)
  • National Advanced Communication Skills Training Program - (National Cancer Action Team)
  • Safeguarding Training - (NHS and Samaritans)
  • Volunteered with The Samaritans supporting callers in distress
  • Qualified experience working in a counselling agency

Other:

BSc Hons Physiotherapy

PgDip Radiotherapy

Member organisations

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

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

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Areas of counselling I deal with

Fees

£40.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session

Concessions offered for

  • check_circle Low income
  • check_circle Keyworkers
  • check_circle OAPs
  • check_circle Students
  • check_circle Trainee counsellors
  • check_circle Unemployed
  • check_circle Refugees

Additional information

Concessions available- please enquire

**CBT CURRENTLY DISCOUNTED- PLEASE ENQUIRE**

When I work

SATURDAY:8AM- 3PM

MONDAY: 8AM-7PM

TUESDAY: 8AM-7PM

WEDNESDAY: 8AM-4PM

Further information

First session details:

We will arrange an initial call to introduce ourselves and clarify your needs and expectations. We’ll also check our availability and preferred way of working is compatible.

After this, we can arrange our first session where we can agree on the terms of us working together and I will do a more detailed counselling assessment to start the counselling process. 

  • At this session we will both sign a working agreement- this doesn’t bind you to any set number of sessions, it’s to ensure we have professional working boundaries and that I abide by the principles set out by my ethical body. It covers things like payment arrangements, cancellation policy and where you can seek support should you need to complain.
  • In this first session, we will have time for you to start opening up about your feelings and experiences, and it’s all up to you what level of detail and depth you go into.
  • You will have the opportunity to experience how I work as a counsellor, though the relationship and depth of work in counselling usually increases over time so this one session may not be entirely representative of a typical session.
  • At the end of that first hour, we can talk about whether you would like to book for future sessions and there is no obligation. You don’t need to decide there and then either. 

St Helens Counselling and talking Therapies, 48 Claughton Street, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 1SN

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Young adults (18-24)
Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)
Employee Assistance Programme

Key details

DBS check info

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

Wheelchair user access info
Wheelchair user access

Wheelchair-accessible premises should have step-free access for wheelchair users and individuals who are unable to climb stairs. If a Counsellor's premises aren't step-free, they may offer alternative services such as telephone/web-based appointments, home visits, or meeting clients in different location, so you can choose the option that suits you best.

You can contact the Counsellor to discuss the options available.

Under the Equality Act 2010 service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that individuals with disabilities can access their service. You can read more about reasonable adjustments to help you to access services on the CAB website.

I work from ground floor premises.

Online platforms

Zoom