Sandra Cunniffe
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Fàilte! Welcome!
May I start by paraphrasing Hannah Arendt German-American historian and philosopher. "We are not doomed to repeat everything we have ever done and the mistakes we have made.....we're not doomed to stay the same person we used to be , to repeat the same actions. We have the potential, each one of us to turn our lives around if we choose to do so and to start something afresh"
My name is Sandra and I am a person-centred / psychodynamic counsellor. If you are looking at this, there is probably something in your life that is causing you concern, distress or anxiety and you would like to change it in some way.
Almost all of us experience times in our lives when we feel low. There are many issues that can affect our well-being, our confidence and how we relate to others. There could be any number of reasons for feeling unhappy or discontent. It could be grief, loss, trauma, abuse or relationship issues. It could be that you do not know why you feel as you do. Taking that first step to come to counselling can be very overwhelming and the thought of talking to someone and telling them your innermost thoughts may feel impossible.
However, I firmly believe that talking to a counsellor can help you feel listened to and understood. It can give you an opportunity to explore your thoughts and feelings. I also firmly believe that people have within them the possibility of finding better ways to be, in order to live more functional and fulfilling lives. I aim to provide warmth, compassion, acceptance and responsiveness whilst helping you to use your own resources to resolve difficulties and to find better ways of managing your life.
I am a qualified, integrative counsellor. I draw mainly on person-centred and psychodynamic models of counselling. However, I am flexible in my approach and will always try and find the best fit for my clients’ needs. I am a reflective, trauma-informed practitioner and see my clients as unique individuals to whom I can offer a safe, non-judgemental compassionate space in order to explore any issues that are affecting them.
I am not the expert in your life or anyone else’s. However, I can offer you gentle, skilled, confidential support for a range of issues. I have experience of working with anxiety, stress, depression, attachment trauma, low self-esteem, addiction, bereavement, loss, neglect, trauma and abuse. I have over 30 years experience of working in education, social care and the voluntary sector and I am dedicated to social justice, diversity, equality and inclusivity.
I offer short-term and long-term counselling to individuals and couples. This could be face to face, online or by telephone. I work with adults, young people and children. I offer a free 15 minute initial consultation to explore what has brought you to counselling and to see how we might work together. I am a counsellor member of BACP and follow their ethical guidelines. I work in Edinburgh and have premises in the West side of the city and I also work in the East side of the city.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Diploma in counselling Interface Edinburgh 2022
- Post-grad certificate in Counselling University of Edinburgh 2019
- PGCE Moray House Heriot-Watt University1996
- M.A University of Edinburgh 1982
Member organisations
COSCA is the professional body for counselling and psychotherapy in Scotland, and seeks to advance all forms of counselling and psychotherapy and the use of counselling skills by promoting best practice and through the delivery of a range of sustainable services. COSCA Counsellor Accreditation is a pathway to entry onto the UKRC. It is a requirement of all individual and organisational members of COSCA to abide by its Statement of Ethics and Code of Practice and be accountable to the Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
Fees
£60.00 per session
Free initial in-person, telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
My fees are: £60 per 50 min session individual
£70 per 60 min session couples
Concessions for students and seniors
When I work
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