Sarah Dawnay
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About me
I am an experienced and accredited adult and couple psychotherapist and counsellor working in private practice in London, Oxford and Internationally.
I provide a safe and confidential space where we can work together to identify, explore and work through things that are troubling you.
People come to therapy for many different reasons; perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, or stuck, or struggling with relationships or seeking personal growth. I adapt my approach to respond to your individual situation and aim to help you to move forwards towards positive change.
My approach is compassionate and empathetic and I work collaboratively with you to identify any emotions and challenges you may be facing aiming to help you to feel heard, accepted and understood. I hope to help you to make sense of such feelings and to develop a greater understanding of unseen behaviours that may underlie psychological distress. In exploring this it may then be possible to address the current and past life experiences to which such feelings and behaviours may relate, to try to create different patterns of relating in the therapeutic relationship and outside, and in doing so move forwards towards positive and lasting change.
I work with individuals and couples on a wide range of difficulties including:
- Anxiety, stress, panic attacks (including generalised anxiety disorder, health anxiety).
- Depression (low mood, sadness, feelings of despair, emptiness, isolation, loneliness, lack of direction or sense of purpose).
- Relationship difficulties/changes (couples, friendships, work, divorce/separation, affairs, sexuality, fertility, miscarriage, abortion, child birth).
- Narcissistic Abuse - Family, Siblings, Workplace (scapegoating, gaslighting, stonewalling, silent treatment)
- Low confidence and low self-esteem.
- Challenges around identity, body image and purpose.
- Work stress (negotiating work/life balance or work relationships, imposter syndrome, career transitions, redundancy, perfectionism, loss of meaning)
- Loss, illness, bereavement.
- Phobias and OCD.
- Traumatic events, physical or emotional abuse, PTSD.
- Major life transitions (mid-life crisis, redundancy, retirement).
- Counter-productive coping strategies such as disordered eating patterns, self-harm, anger management issues, and addiction.
My clinical experience includes working with individuals/couples of diverse race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and religion in international corporations, finance, law, government, the creative arts, the public eye, start-ups, charities and universities.
Prior to my career as a psychotherapist I worked as a dispute resolution lawyer at large global practices and also coached, mentored and trained international clients and postgraduates. I am able to use this experience to aid my therapeutic work and have an understanding of the personal, professional and environmental pressures placed on individuals in modern-day life.
I provide regular open-ended psychotherapy and counselling, and short-term therapy to adults and young adults. I am flexible in adopting whichever approach best suits your needs, life commitments and budget.
Starting therapy can be a daunting process and I believe it takes courage to do so. If you are thinking about having therapy or would like to know more about how I work and whether therapy could work for you, please email me (srdawnay@gmail.com).
Initially we would meet for a consultation to discuss what has bought you to therapy now, what you hope to gain from therapy and whether you feel working together has the potential to change for the better. All enquiries are strictly confidential and this is an opportunity for you to explore whether you are comfortable in this setting and with me. If we decided to proceed we would discuss a fee and would normally meet at the same time each week for 50 minutes.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Accredited psychotherapist - 5 year postgraduate clinical and academic training.
- Postgraduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Theory and Practice University of Roehampton/WPF Therapy London. Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Skills from WPF Therapy (Distinction).
- Advanced Jungian practice - Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Practice (Society of Analytic Psychotherapy London).
- Trauma training - EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing) Levels 1-4 Accredited Training.
- Couples therapy - Postgraduate Certificate in the Couple Relationship, Postgraduate Certificate in Psychosexual Studies (Tavistock Relationships - London)
- Mindfulness - MBSR, MBCT- L, Frame by Frame Advanced Training (University of Oxford).
- Coaching (University of Oxford)
- Person Centred Approach (Rogerian Approach) (University of Oxford)
- BA Joint Hons. in Economic and Social History and Politics (First Class Hons). Postgraduate Diploma in Law; Law Practice Course; MSc in International Dispute Resolution (Awarded International Prize - King’s College London), qualified dispute resolution lawyer.
- Member of the Trainee Liaison Committee for the Foundation of Psychotherapy and Counselling (FPC) 2019-2022.
- Mentor to psychotherapy trainees through FPC.
- Member of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
- Member of the Oxford Psychotherapy Society (OPS).
- Professional member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC), the Foundation of Psychotherapy and Counselling (FPC) and EMDR Association. All of these organisations have strict ethical codes and professional standards of confidentiality to which I subscribe. I undertake regular supervision in accordance with these guidelines.
Member organisations
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.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. 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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- Relationship issues (partner, marriage, family, siblings, friends, colleagues).
- Panic Attacks.
- Sleep and eating disorders.
Therapies offered
Fees
£95.00 - £180.00
Free initial telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
- Initial consultation (15 mins) - free
- Session (50mins) - £95 - £180 (some concessions available).
