About me
Hi, I'm Sarah, if you are experiencing difficulties including anxiety, low mood, memories of the past, loneliness or trauma, then you might be in the right place. Sessions with a therapist like myself can be helpful to gain understanding of what you're feeling and to find ways of coping or feeling better.
I also often work with clients who have experiences of spiritual abuse. Spiritual abuse can leave you feeling stuck, confused, unsure of the world or unable to do the things you want.
What is Spiritual Abuse?
Spiritual abuse is when religious or spiritual beliefs or practices are used to harm, coerce or control a person. This can happen within a religious community, a religious educational setting, or within the family home.
This might show up as:
- A controlling religious community or leadership
- Abuse that has been justified through religion or doctrine
- Shaming
- Shunning
- Pressure to isolate from people outside of the community or family
Sometimes after experiencing spiritual abuse, there can be doubt around what happened and you might ask yourself, ‘Was what I experienced that bad? Shouldn’t I be over it by now? Did I do something wrong?’. I understand that these experiences often come with confusion, anxiety, depression, difficulty making decisions and symptoms of CPTSD. If this sounds like your experience, I can support you through the effects and in rebuilding your life in a way which makes room for hope and peace again.
How I work
I always work in a safe and empathetic way. We'll go at your pace, and I will never force you to talk about anything you're not yet ready to address. Your therapy will be tailored to what you need, I don’t believe in a ‘one size fits all’ way of working. I understand the deep impact that spiritual abuse has, and I will believe you when you tell me what happened and how it has harmed you.
What to expect
I can help you work through the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual effects of what you have experienced. We will process what you've been through together and move towards gaining clarity and healing around your experiences and in your life.
Whatever relationship you now have with faith and religion you will find a non-judgemental space to talk, where you can begin to be more in touch with who you are and your own autonomy.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have worked as a therapist for Concern Cymru, Cynefin Therapy, and New Pathways - supporting survivors of Sexual Violence.
My training includes:
PG Certificate in Integrative Counselling Skills
PG Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy
I am currently working towards a Master's in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy focused on the experiences of survivors of spiritual abuse.
In addition to my qualifications I have completed regular CPD including:
- Childhood Sexual Abuse: Hope for Healing - Carolyn Spring
- Sexual Violence - New Pathways
- Safeguarding (Group B) - New Pathways
- Spirituality in Counselling
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 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I have a limited number of lower cost spaces available for clients who find the full fee challenging to manage financially for any reason. If this is something which could help you access therapy, please feel free to ask me about it and we can have a conversation about what may be possible.
When I work
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Further information
If you contact me via email, please check your junk folder for replies.
