Sarah Aldridge
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MBACP (Accred)
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
About me
Hello, I am an experienced Counsellor and Psychotherapist with a practice in East Finchley, N2- and also remotely. I work with people experiencing a range of difficult issues. We can work together to explore your difficulties - to help us understand what is going on for you at present.
I offer a space to be understood and explore aspects of yourself with a view to gaining insights and understanding, and focus on being less stuck by bringing about internal change. People come when they are struggling with anxiety, bereavement, relationship and family issues, abuse, depression and self-esteem. It can be helpful to you if you are struggling with stress at work, or difficulties getting on with family members.
My experience is gained from NHS services, the voluntary sector and working in specialist services for health anxiety and cancer. I also offer Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy and am trained in Couple Therapy for Depression. I am BPC and BACP accredited.
I offer brief and open ended work, this is something we can think about in the assessment. You can get in touch or arrange a meeting to see if this will be helpful for you at this time.
Currently, I am working face-to-face with video/telephone sessions also available.
How can counselling help?
Talking to a therapist in a safe, confidential space can allow problems to be thought about differently and begin to be resolved.
If you are struggling with something specific such as anxiety or relationship problems, or just feeling stuck or that things are overwhelming, it can be beneficial to have a therapist to explore and consider issues together. Some of the areas I work with include:
- divorce and separation
- trauma
- low self-esteem
- work and career problems
- anxiety and depression
- bereavement and loss
- family and relationships issues
- abuse - physical and sexual
- ageing and midlife issues
- health issues, cancer and diabetes
What should I expect in my first session?
Therapy provides an opportunity for you to express thoughts and feelings about your difficulties in a confidential, consistent and safe place, and to think together about these issues.
The first meeting is an assessment so that we can both think about if counselling is what you are looking for at this time, and to think about if we want to work together.
I offer both fixed term and open-ended therapy, we can discuss which option will suit you best when we first meet. Sessions following on from this last for 50 minutes, and I have availability in the day and evening.
About my approach:
Psychodynamic therapy aims to work on quite deeply held or less conscious patterns and thoughts. We work together to make them more conscious and so there is more understanding of why things keep happening or patterns are repeated. This does allow an opportunity to think about difficulties that might have been around for a long time but still have an impact today.
That said, these are your sessions to bring what you want to talk about and there is no pre-set agenda.
I also offer DIT (Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy) - a sixteen session model.
If you would like more information or to arrange a meeting, please contact me.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have been in private practice for 10 years and also work as an NHS therapist. Previously I worked as a therapist for the Tavistock Centre, a cancer charity and for Raphael Jewish Counselling. I have also worked for SANE, the mental health charity.
I have a diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling from MHCPC and am also trained in Brief Dynamic Therapy. I am an accredited Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) Practitioner and trained in Couple Therapy for Depression (Tavistock Relationships).
I am a registered member of the BPC (British Psychoanalytic Council www.bpc.org.uk) and an accredited member of the BACP (British Association of Psychotherapy and Counselling www.bacp.co.uk). I follow both their ethical codes in relation to clinical practice and supervision.
Member organisations
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.
British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC)
The British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) is a professional association, representing the profession of psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
The organisation is itself made up of fourteen member organisations and BPC accredits the trainings of its member organisations. An individual who qualifies from one of these trainings is then eligible for entry into the BPC's register.
BPC registrants are governed by a code of ethics, a policy of continuing professional development, a statement on confidentiality and a complaints procedure. The BPC is a Member Society of the European Federation for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in the Public Sector (EFPP). Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- Midlife and menopause
- Perinatal and postnatal depression
- Health issues including diabetes, cancer and chronic pain
- Holocaust and trauma
- Fertility related
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
Concessions offered for
Additional information
The full fee is £65 per session, but I do offer a sliding scale, so please ask about this when you contact me
The fee for DIT is £70 per session.
When I work
Before and after work, and daytime appointments available.
Further information
East Finchley, N2: The practice is easily accessible in East Finchley with free parking (on and off road). There is a tube station 8 minutes walk away and many bus routes. Clients travel from all areas of north London including Barnet, Edgware, Archway, Wood Green, and further afield.
