About me
Hello I'm Sarah.
I am a kind, non-judgmental neurodivergent counsellor. I aim to create a relaxed, safe space free of judgement and full of empathy. My style is relational, informal, warm and open.
I work integratively with children, teenagers and adults. This means I draw on different techniques, tools and strategies, because I believe counselling is most effective when it honours human individuality and difference.
I have worked with many people, young and old, from all walks of life. Helping with countless different issues such as people-pleasing, anxiety, depression, overthinking, or low-self esteem.
Often neurodivergent (ND) children and adults are told they are 'too sensitive', 'highly strung', or 'making a fuss about nothing'. Shut down or shamed, many ND people resort to masking to fit in. Also known as 'fortressing', ND's can feel judged and so withdraw from society as a form of self protection.
Apart from living in a world geared towards neurotypical people, there are many other challenges that impact ND people, both young and old, on a daily basis. These include managing executive dysfunction, emotional disregulation, rejection sensitivity dysphoria, sensory overload, social interaction and anxiety issues, which can all contribute to burnout.
The aim of counselling is to shine a light on things that impact you and hold you back. Such as identifying stuck behaviours, or repeated patterns, to gently processing past or current traumas. Then find a way forward.
Neurodivergent people are different to, not less than neurotypical people. Offering many positive gifts such as hyper-focus, innovative thinking, giftedness, creativity, advanced empathy, heightened sensory awareness and many others. So counselling is about illuminating the positives, as well as processing and dealing with the challenges.
Fundamentally I work in a 'person-centred' way. This means I respect and understand that you know yourself best and lead the sessions in the direction you feel is most important for you. I am here to support and help guide your process. The most important thing in therapy is a relationship of openness and trust, which helps you connect to your inner authenticity and have faith in your own process.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a qualified Counsellor and a registered member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP)
- FdSc in Person Centred Counselling - Brighton University
- CPCAB level 5 Diploma in Counselling Children and Young People
- Certified and registered as a Neuroaffimative therapist Ausome training
- Professional Certificate in Neurodiversification of Child Clinical and Educational Practice
- Advanced training and certificates in...
- Bereavment Counselling - Martlets training
- Somatic Trauma therapy - Babette Rothschild
- Addiction Counselling - CRI training
- Enhanced DBS Certificate to work with Children and Young People
I have benefited from lots of other work experience gained as.. a volunteer Counsellor for 2 years at The Martlets. A volunteer addiction counsellor for CRI. A counsellor for Brighton Housing trust, a charity for homeless people. For several years as a volunteer group facillitator counsellor for Sanctuary Supported Living working with people diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
My interest in people started with a B.A in Social Anthropology, followed by an M.A in Migration Studies at Sussex University
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
Additional information
I offer a free telephone call for anyone wanting to discuss counselling. I also offer an initial half hour face to face appointment charged at £20. I offer reduced rate sessions when spaces are available.
