Shirley Songhurst
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Are you often weighed down with feelings of anxiety? Whether as a result of mental health issues, bereavement, work/social/family environment or all of the above? Is this affecting your ability to connect with people, leaving you with a feeling of isolation or loneliness? Come and talk to me, and we can discuss strategies to enable you to address the core of your issues. The feelings, which can result in the behaviours can be changed with a different way of thinking. Together we can fill your 'toolbox' with strategies that will allow you to be free of your anxious feelings and bring a new understanding of your 'self' to the surface.
Having the courage to seek counselling is the first and biggest step. To be vulnerable is brave, and I welcome your brave self to contact me with the view that we may be a good fit for beginning your counselling journey in the safe and non-judgmental space that I offer.
Training, qualifications & experience
I volunteered with the Samaritans as a listener for over 17 years, then worked within the funeral industry and then Suffolk Mind for many years before training to become a counsellor.
I have been practicing as a volunteer counsellor within Suffolk Mind for the past 4 years, and also worked within their Waves programme as a group facilitator for clients with a diagnosis of or traits of borderline personality disorder. This programme offers group psychoeducation and 121 support. I also work with Suffolk Minds, Night Owls as an emotional support line operator and volunteered with Suffolk Rape Crisis on their telephone support Line. I am working as a sessional counsellor with MTCIC as supporting Wellbeing clients via the NHS.
I have worked as a bereavement volunteer within CRUSE, and qualified with a 1st Class Honours Degree in Integrative Counselling from the University of Suffolk.
I am a registered member of the British association of counsellors and psychotherapists, BACP and I have an enhanced DBS.
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£45.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
I offer face to face sessions in Stanton in a cosy air conditioned cabin or I can also offer Zoom or telephone sessions if required.
When I work
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I can offer sessions from the cabin in Stanton near Bury St Edmunds. For other availability please contact me for more information.
Further information
If you would like an initial free 15 minute chat to see if I am the right fit for you then please do not hesitate to give me a call.
