Sarah Preston
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am here to offer you a calm, confidential, safe space to explore with you what is going on in your life whether or not you know what might have brought you to this point. I provide both online and face to face counselling depending on your requirements and preference.
Sometimes it is hard to make sense of things by yourself or to gain perspective from talking to friends and family. Taking time to tell your story within a non-judgemental therapeutic relationship can bring clarity, healing and empowerment, enabling you to find new ways of managing life's challenges. It is a process, I believe, that can transform physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
I work with a wide range of issues including anxiety, grief and loss, adjustment following stressful life events, health concerns, relationship difficulties, family matters and parenting struggles.
Sometimes, the issue is more a sense of feeling stuck without quite knowing why, and it is the process of working through things together that brings relief. At other times, it might be a feeling of being held back by coping strategies that no longer feel helpful, and it is by increasing your self-awareness that you are able to find a way forward.
I see adults and young people (aged 18+).
How I work ...
Humanistic theory underpins my approach but I work integratively, enabling me to call upon a rich tapestry of therapeutic perspectives, in order to best suit your needs. I work in collaboration with you, at your pace, and offer short, medium and long-term counselling. Over the years I have become increasingly aware of the role that the relationship dynamic can play in unlocking things and I, therefore, offer a free introductory on-line (or telephone) appointment so that we can see whether our working together would be a good fit for you.
I work primarily in Helmsley both online and in person. I also have access to rooms in York and South West London for online clients wanting the opportunity to meet in person.
Making contact ...
I know that taking that first step can feel daunting. Do contact me by email, text or by phone, whichever feels most comfortable, and if you would like to know a little more about what to expect before you do so please visit www.yorkcp.org. This is the website for the York Counselling Practice of which I am a founding member.
Training, qualifications & experience
My qualifications ...
I have a post-graduate diploma in counselling from York St John University and a Diploma in Professional Development from the Gestalt Centre in London.
I have also attended numerous post-graduate courses since studying for my first degree in the 1980s and continue to draw from this extensive knowledge base including including mindfulness-based approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Anxiety Management Techniques.
I continue to update and develop my knowledge and skills and, in the last two years, have completed courses in poly-vagal informed therapy, working with the body and movement, and working with difficult boarding school experiences.
I also attend regular peer supervision to share ideas, learning and resources.
My background and experience ...
Working in a GP practice in Stockwell and for The Awareness Centre in Clapham provided me with a wealth of experience in working with adults and young people aged 16+ in both short-term and long-term counselling, before setting up in private practice.
Working online during the pandemic enabled me to work more flexibly, including across time zones, and this is a way of working that I continue to offer, either on its own or as a hybrid with both online and in person sessions, as required.
Before becoming a counsellor, I spent over twenty years with the NHS as a speech and language therapist, specialising in working with adults and young people with voice and fluency disorders. Much of my work was orientated around working with anxiety in speaking situations.
I have also worked as a volunteer listener and I currently oversee pastoral care and academic matters, and health and safety matters, in a local school.
Professional memberships ...
I am a registered member of the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy and as such attend monthly supervision and adhere to the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy. I hold an enhanced DBS and am also still a registered member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.
Member organisations
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 - £70.00
Free initial online session
Additional information
Fees for in person appointments vary according to location.
Appointments are £60 per session (up to an hour) in Helmsley and York and £70 in London.
When I work
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I have more flexibility online.
Further information
I reserve two appointments per week for trainee counsellors and hold a waiting list for this.
