Sarah Pettifer
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello, I'm Sarah (and Astrid) if you are reading this then chances are you feel anxious, depressed or not yourself in some way. Maybe you've got some ideas of what's wrong, maybe it all feels overwhelming and hard to piece together. Either way, I hope I might be helpful, offering a non judgemental, empathic space where we can explore together and make sense of what's happening for you.
Sometimes it can be hard to name your feelings, you might not always be aware of them or able to feel them in your body. Sometimes you might have really strong feelings that are so intense it is scary. Although I work with feelings, I also work with thinking and doing and being, to me that is being truly Person centred - I see you as a whole person, without pressure to focus only on feelings.
If you have got this far great, if it sounds like we could work together then I'd love to hear from you. I offer and can arrange with you a free 15 minute phone call (or email if phones aren't for you) to give you chance to ask any questions and decide if we are a good fit.
As you might expect, I am fully qualified, insured, accredited by BACP and experienced as a therapist (8 years and counting!) I've worked with all sorts of people (over 16) and have a background working with charities, teaching Counselling and some NHS work too.
I'm part of the LGBTQI+ community and have lived experience of Neurodivergence, a parent/pet parent, I'm a little quirky (I've got blue hair, so you might have been wondering!) that doesn't mean you need to be any of those things too too but I have lived and learned experience that could be helpful to our shared understanding. It also means being non-judgemental comes pretty naturally. I have worked a lot with people who have experienced trauma, burnout and addiction. I'm very much ND affirming, LGBTQI+ affirming and poly/kink affirming.
We can do in person meetings in my home therapy space (upstairs room unfortunately) or we can do video or phone calls if you prefer, I'm located in central Burton, very close to the A38 so also easy to access from Derby and Lichfield.
Thanks for looking/reading/considering me.
Sarah
Training, qualifications & experience
- CPCAB Diploma Level 4 Therapeutic Counselling Counselling Training The Midlands
- Birth and Beyond Practitioner Worcester University
- A1 City and Guilds NVQ Assessor Award Burton College
- Certificate in Delivering FE Learning (introductory) Burton College
I worked for a long time for a well known charity, with clients who have complex needs including personality disorders, neurodiversity, addiction, LGBTQI+, trauma and various mental/physical health challenges.I have experience working with people who have had children removed, people who have spent time in prison, current and past addicts and those who have struggled to access NHS provision for mental health for various reasons. I wholeheartedly believe in a boundaried and consistent person centred approach - building each unique individual relationship holistically.
I have been responsible for delivering levels 2, 3 and 4 programmes (CPCAB) both as lead tutor and co tutor on L4. I have also worked with NHS Counselling Services.
I regularly attend CPD and have certificates in working with Trauma, Addiction, Survivors of CSE, Autism, Delivering pre-trial therapy, working remotely and more.
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£50.00 per session
Additional information
I offer a 10% discount on block booking 6 sessions.
I also offer a reduced rate for Counselling students of £30 per hour.
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | |||||||
| Afternoon | |||||||
| Evening | |||||||
| Night |
Further information
I work in a purely person centred way so I don't set the agenda for our sessions, I aim to help you zone in on a focus or we dig into a topic you may already be aware of and wanting to discuss.
I do not use work sheets or set homework, I like to respond in real time to what is happening in session. If you are someone who likes to express themselves creatively I am happy for us to use paper/pens/playdough or other creative media. I am also stim friendly so if you need to fidget or move in our sessions we can talk about what will help you feel comfortable.
