Sarah May Thorpe BSC MBACP

Hi my name is Sarah.

Please ask any questions when contacting me, it is important that you have all the information that you need before booking a session.

I work with adults and young people/families.

Usually 6-12 weeks minimum is recommended for most people for the counselling to be effective.

However, with long term mental health difficulties, childhood abuse and traumatic experiences you may find that you need long term therapy.

Weekly sessions help the therapeutic process, however, fortnightly sessions may work for some people to help budget the cost and juggle a busy life.

People from many different backgrounds seek counselling/therapy everyday. They find it useful to work through many challenging issues of relationships in life, emotions and significant life changing events.

Relationship problems - You may be having difficulties getting along with your partner in marriage or relationships or with others in general. Talking to a Counsellor can help you gain a clearer perspective and help you to understand your own and other peoples behaviour, feelings and thoughts. I am trained in working with couples.

Loss/Bereavement- Losing someone whether it is through separation or death, whether it was expected or not, often creates some distress. Loss can be increasingly difficult to deal with depending on the unique relationship we held with that person. Also other contributing factors would be if you are secure or insecure in your self and life.
Loss also can include loss of physical ability, loss of employment or home.
In whatever way loss affects you, if you are struggling to cope, therapy can support you with the process of the loss.

Family Issues - we may be struggling with getting on with family members. This is very common and inevitably causes high levels of stress and sadness. Working through feelings and thoughts can help us accept what has happened and what we cannot change and what we can.

Redundancy/work issues - I myself have been through redundancy and can relate to how difficult this can be. It is a big fear for many people at this present time. You may benefit from some short term counselling to help you cope and cross the bridge to find out where to go next in your life.

Feeling anxious? Feeling panic can be common for many people in today's modern fast paced society. We can work together to help you accept these feelings and reduce your anxiety levels to start to feel at ease.

Depression/feeling low - the reasons for depression are different for us all, however we have similar symptoms. Feeling tired, lacking in motivation, generally not feeling well and good in ourselves. Exploring the root cause with a counsellor is one way to contribute to beginning to understand your own feelings and thoughts. Feeling lonely is often part of depression, feeling guilty, tearful,irritable and lacking in motivation are all symptoms that can lead us to avoid being with others.

Social anxiety
This is more than feeling shy. Feeling an unbearable fear of going to the shops, talking to people especially strangers or speaking on the phone. These are all signs of social anxiety. Counselling can help by exploring and understanding the root causes of these feelings and thoughts. Finding new ways to manage and reduce the intensity of the fears, over time will help you to feel more at ease.

The reasons are not exhaustive, so please do contact me if you would like to discuss any other concerns.

Counselling for young people/Children

Having worked with children and families for the past 15 years I now work with chidlren therapeutically.

I offer creative ways for young people/children to express their emotions in the sessions.

Times have changed so much and the demand of school and social media are impacting on their wellbeing. Also demands on parents means that the stress level can rise quickly. Many parents now are parenting separately and this is an area that I am most experienced in.

About Me

I work with my clients best interest at all times. The therapeutic relationship is important to me, in that you, the client feels safe and valued. This allows for us to develop an openness and honesty in the time provided.

I offer a professional, friendly and warm service, offering patience and integrity.

Combined with my personal qualities this enables me to offer a highly skilled and effective service.

I enjoy working with people from all backgrounds and walks of life with a non judgemental approach.

I have extensive personal and professional experience, training, education and knowledge in working with a wide range of challenges we face in life. Whether this may be an internal struggle within, or external factors that affect us in our day to day living.

I have worked together with adults and families for over 15 years in different settings such as the IAPT services, Family Action with Separated Parents,  Children's Centres, Family Support , MInd and Alcohol Services, young people services.

I have a grounded, realistic approach when working with others.
I believe whatever your reason for wanting counselling/therapy is yours and yours alone, there is no set criteria.