Sarah Kennefick
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This professional has no current availability for new clients. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional has no current availability for new clients. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
Hi I'm Sarah and I specialise in working with anxiety, depression and trauma. Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious or exhausted. Maybe you are struggling to cope with a traumatic life event. Or maybe you are generally finding life unmanageable at the moment. If this sounds familiar, my therapeutic approach can help you regain some strength and control. At times we can lose our way unintentionally and then find it very difficult to get back onto the right path.
Counselling and psychotherapy can help us to unpick why we are feeling as if life is such a struggle and help us to start living more authentically and true to ourselves. In order to do this we need to take an holistic approach and look at the whole picture of our life. This entails looking at our thought patterns, feeling responses and physical life. This will help us to bring back a sense of balance.
My approach is warm and friendly. It is a form of therapy that allows you time and space to explore and face challenging emotions, difficult decisions and life-changing events in a safe, neutral and non-judgemental environment. As a result of deep exploration you can better understand yourself and the choices you have made. This insight can also teach you about how you are preventing yourself from living a fulfilled life if this is relevant to you. New perspectives and choices then become available to address areas of difficulty in your life. If you have experienced a traumatic event then we need to allow time and space to grieve and heal. I incorporate up to date neuroscience research into my work as well as working directly with the nervous system, in a trauma informed manner, to bring about improved regulation where appropriate. I integrate Internal Family Systems therapy and EMDR where relevant.
Therapy works in a variety of ways but it is through the unique relationship between client and counsellor that allows healing and change to take place. Through mindful work we can discover patterns and make connections. Through gentle challenge and compassionate acceptance we can bring about change. The relationship between client and counsellor is the vehicle for change and so it is vital that you feel comfortable, safe and at ease. An initial, trial session is therefore important.
Having witnessed myself and many of my clients moving through difficult emotions and traumatic life events, I have great confidence in our capacity as humans to change and grow.
My counselling approach can help with:
Depression, Anxiety, Fear, Trauma, Addiction, Anger, Confusion, Exhaustion, Inability to cope, Relationship difficulties, Overwhelming Feelings.
Training, qualifications & experience
MBACP BA (Hons) PGCE FD Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy
Internal Family Systems
Somatic Experiencing
Integral Somatic Psychology
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing)
I am trained in and work with an integrative approach combining psychodynamic and humanistic theories as well as my trauma informed approaches. This means that we may focus on both your past and your present if relevant to help bring about improved self knowledge, acceptance of your feelings and shed light on your relationships with others. My work is about two human beings working in a compassionate way towards themselves and each other. The focus of our work is led by you at all times so that you feel safe, listened to and respected. We regularly review our work to remain focused.
I am a fully qualified and experienced counsellor. I have over 20 years experience in the fields of education, human behaviour and emotional well-being. I work for a BACP Accredited counselling service in the heart of Birmingham and have several years experience of working with clients from diverse backgrounds and with a range of emotional and physical issues.
I view professional development as a very important part of my work and therefore undertake regular training sessions and workshops to broaden my counselling experience and knowledge. My personal life reflects my counselling style in that balance and mindfulness is the focus. My personal interests are swimming, dancing and travelling.
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.
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
My focus is on the whole of you as a human being and not solely the issues you bring. This is because there is no proven single approach that works best for any particular issue other than the quality of the relationship between you and your counsellor. My aim is for us to build a quality, meaningful relationship that will help you to make sense of your world. From this stance you can make informed choices and bring about change for the future.
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 - £80.00
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Sessions fees are £55 for online therapy and £60 for in person. EMDR is £70 online and £75 for in person. I have a couple of concession rates available each month for people on low income.
I welcome counselling students who need to undertake mandatory therapy as part of their training.
I welcome clients from the age of 18 from all cultures, backgrounds and beliefs.
Sessions
Sessions last for 50 minutes (EMDR is 60 minutes) following the initial assessment session to ensure you feel comfortable with me, the environment and my style of work. The number of sessions required depends on you and your individual need, but my aim is to work with you so that you feel strong enough to move forward without counselling in the shortest amount of time. We may work in a time-extended manner where appropriate if this is your request.
I work from two practice bases; one in Birmingham city centre and one in South Birmingham. There is easy access to parking and bus routes from both practices.
When I work
My working hours are flexible (daytime and Saturday) and I am happy to have a telephone or email conversation with you about your personal situation before booking any appointments.
Further information
Confidentiality
All sessions are bound by a strict code of confidentiality and as part of BACP requirements I undertake regular supervision to ensure you receive the quality service to which you are entitled. Supervision is carried out without identifying you or your personal details. I am a professional member of BACP and therefore abide by its rigorous code of conduct: the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy (2018).
