Shona Moncrieff
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am a pluralistically trained psychotherapist/therapist, with a background in teaching. I returned from teaching overseas in 2019 to pursue my dream of working one-on-one to support people who needed to be 'seen & heard'. Unfortunately, most of these people at the time were children and young people. I found that their issues were less about academics and more about not feeling seen or actively listened to. Life is fast-paced, and we have so many distractions, that it is easy to forget to see, hear and be mindful of the people and world around us.
My reason for choosing to train Pluralistically was because as with teaching many different children in a classroom, they all need to be taught concepts and ideas using a variety of approaches. We are all different, therefore it is not possible to apply a 'one size fits all' approach to therapy. Working pluralistically allows us to work together from whichever theory, modality, technique or intervention may be relevant for you at that moment in time. We learn and grow as we journey through therapeutic work, which means we may need different things at different times.
My style of therapeutic work is very holistic, gentle and intuitive. I believe that the client is the expert in their own life and that I am there only to make suggestions, gently challenge, guide and 'teach' you or remind you, of what you already know within yourself. We will work collaboratively, curiously and at a pace that is comfortable for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
I come from a teaching background, and so I am Montessori Trained (2-7 years) and when I returned to the UK in 2019, I couldn't work full-time due to the courses and study, and so I created an online tutoring, coaching and mentoring business online which was/is very successful, and allowed me the freedom to choose my working hours around my studies. It was a difficult time for everyone, as COVID-19 meant we were locked down, it was great to provide support for children, young people, and parents with academic and emotional support. and well-being. I was working with children of all ages teaching a 4-year-old to read through phonics, up to study support with young people's NAT5s. I still occasionally tutor when asked, but my main focus now is on working in therapy and growing my therapy business.
My qualifications include:
- Diploma in Montessori Teaching (2-7 years) @ Surrey College - 1993-1995
- COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills @ UHI, Perth College Campus - 2019-2020
- MSc in Pluralistic Counselling & Psychotherapy ' Abertay University, Dundee - 2020-2023
- PGDE in Counselling Children & Young People @ Essential Training Associates - 2022-2023
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
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
I work with adults, young people and children.
My fees vary and this information will be discussed at the point of contact.
Further information
I love working in nature, Walk & Talk, and I love all creative art therapies. The majority of my experience has been working from a trauma-informed approach, and working somatically to understand that because of the interconnectedness of mind and body, we need to be as aware, and as kind to our psychological well-being, as we do our physical well-being.
As well as working with trauma such as PTSD, I have done a lot of work with adults and young people with Complex Emotional Needs such as CPTSD, EUPD & BD, which come with many issues such as homelessness, addiction, and substance abuse, physical violence towards others as well as self-harm and suicide or suicidal ideation.
For this reason, I love working with mindfulness, meditation and breathwork.
However, I am always mindful that the journey is about the client's needs and preferences and not my own.
