Sandra Hewett
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello, I am an accredited, Humanistic counsellor now specialising in fertility issues. I am an experienced fertility counsellor: an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and of the British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA). I have experience of fertility counselling in both NHS and private clinics, and I also see private patients self referring directly to me
Counselling allows you to talk about your experience, feelings and thoughts with someone who empathises, and is non-judgemental. A fertility counsellor is specialised in this field and sees hundreds of clients in this situation every year. Becoming aware of and untangling emotions helps you to cope with them. Gaining acceptance of the uncertainty might help. Counselling also offers the chance to talk through decisions and find strategies for managing strong and sometimes confusing feelings.
Whatever your feelings and thoughts, they are common and normal under the circumstances. They won’t always be there. Feeling bad or guilty about how you are feeling adds another level of anxiety. Give yourself a break from this, try to accept your feelings for the moment and come and talk them through in counselling.
The whole process of infertility is one of loss, and you are entitled to go through a grieving process. The difficulty is that this is mixed with the hope of forthcoming treatment, so often you will be trying to ‘put away’ the distress. Feeling upset and fearful will not prevent conception; don’t worry that you ‘must feel positive’.
Training, qualifications & experience
Foundation Degree in Humanistic Counselling (FdA - University of Greenwich)
CBT Introductory Course (SDS Seminars)
Introductory Course in Infertility Counselling (British Infertility Counselling Association)
Couple counselling in a fertility setting (BICA)
Safeguarding Children Level 3 (Barts Hosptial)
Mental Health in Adolescence (Young Minds)
Coaching Certificate (Coaching Development)
General experience counselling in a GP practice
Former Information Officer of the British Infertility Counselling Association (4 years)
Course facilitator for the Donor Conception Network - Preparation for Parenting; Talking & Telling
Fertility counsellor for patients at Kingston Hospital Assisted Conception Until (2016-present)
One of two counsellors at St Barts Centre for Reproductive Medicine (2016)
Counsellor at St Helier and Epsom NHS Trust Assisted Conception Unit (2014 - present)
Fertility counsellor at Thames Valley Fertility (2018 to present)
Student Counsellor at Guildford College (2015-16)
The Parenting Puzzle (Surrey County Council)
Telephone Counselling (Family Line)
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
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
Donor conception and alternative family structures.
Therapies offered
Fees
£80.00 per session
Additional information
Fertility counselling: £80 individual, £90 couple (1 hour).
When I work
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Further information
Prior to training I worked in public relations and have run my own business for several years. Commuting to London for ten years, I have experience of the pressures of work on individual and family life.