Sarah Stead

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Counsellor/Psychotherapist DipHE, Registered MBACP (Accred)
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

location_on Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 2TW
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

Counselling/psychotherapy with me can help you to:

  • feel happy with yourself
  • enjoy healthy relationships with other people
  • find a way forward with the situation you are in.

I am a thoughtful, caring and down-to-earth counsellor/psychotherapist. I'm open to any aspect of you, your problem or your experience. 

I offer the chance for you to feel happier and less stressed/anxious. A place where you can learn about yourself, make sense of why things are the way they are. A space where you can work through difficult or painful feelings. 

I work by exploring your world and how life is for you - at your pace.

I am a firm believer in the link between mind and body. I encourage people to pay close attention not only to their thoughts and feelings, but also the sensations, aches, pains and good feelings in their bodies. This is all useful information for figuring out how you are currently coping. 

I work with a whole range of problems and difficulties. In addition, my specialisms are: anxiety, depression, loss/bereavement/grief, pregnancy loss / miscarriage, relationships, self-worth / self-confidence / self-esteem, shame, menopause,  trauma. There is a full list below of all the issues I am trained to work with.

I am a BACP Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist. BACP Accreditation is a quality standard for experienced practitioners. As a registered, accredited member of the BACP, I have demonstrated high standards of training, knowledge, experience, development and competence. I am continually developing my practice. At the moment, I am deepening my understanding of the mind/body connection and working towards Senior Accreditation with the BACP. 

Availability

I work in Leeds on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

Previous clients have said:

"I don't think I would have made it through the last six months without you."

"Thank you so much for your help and support over the past six months. You've made me understand things about my life that I know I never would have on my own. For that I am very grateful and know that I am better prepared for the future. Thank you."

"Thank you for your patience and understanding. I really appreciate the hours you have given me."

"Thank you - our sessions have really helped me to sort my head out - you've helped me to answer questions by myself and I never thought this would happen."

"Thank you so much for all your help over the past few months. I've made such big changes and I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks for all your time and patience."

Working with organisations:

I am a Bupa recognised therapist. A Bupa health insurance policy usually covers the cost of 10-20 one-to-one counselling appointments with me. For more information, call Bupa to find out your entitlement and then get in touch to arrange your first appointment. I look forward to hearing from you.

I am a Registered Provider of Psychotherapy with AXA Health. One of the benefits of an AXA Health private health insurance policy is up to 10 psychotherapy appointments. Please contact me with your Member Number and the Authorisation Code given to you by AXA if you would like to arrange an appointment with me under your insurance policy.

​I am an Affiliate Counsellor at AXA Health via their Employee Assistance Programme. You might be entitled to free counselling appointments via your employer if they have an arrangement with AXA.

​I work with the Miscarriage Association to support people coping with the loss of their pregnancy.

I believe in:

  • acting with integrity
  • respecting all clients and counsellors

Working ethically

I am committed to working to the standards set out in the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling.

I have an Enhanced Criminal Record Bureau Disclosure dated July 2008.

All my counselling work is supervised by an experienced Psychotherapist.

Training, qualifications & experience

I am trained to work with all kinds of issues. Below is a little more information about some of my areas of expertise...

Anxiety
Anxiety can interfere so much with the daily comings and goings of life - either gnawing away in the background, getting in the way of doing certain things or having a joyful, happy life. It can feel like you've reached your limit, can't take any more and are completely overwhelmed. I tend to think of anxiety as your body's alarm bells going off. I combine relaxation techniques (to lower your stress levels) with release of whatever difficult feelings you are full of. We can work to understand how you became so anxious and put things in place so that you're much less likely to reach that point again. If you'd like to find out more about working with me and my current availability, I can be reached by phone, text or email. I offer a free 15 minute telephone call initially. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have and talk through what you're looking for.

Self-confidence
What we believe about ourselves profoundly affects the way we go through life.  If you have a sense that your self-confidence could do with a boost, so that you can live your best life, then do get in touch. Together, we can identify the beliefs that are holding you back and practice new ways of being in the world. 

Bereavement / grief / loss
In 2008, I trained as a Bereavement Support Worker in Leeds. I have 16 years experience of providing one-to-one support for people experiencing difficult grief.

If you are struggling to come to terms with the death of someone who means a lot to you, then I can offer counselling to help you explore the worst parts of your grief. I can help with:

  • Death of life partner, parent or child
  • Sudden or unexpected death
  • Times when more than one person has died
  • When you have experienced a series of bereavements over a period of time
  • If the death happened a long time ago
  • Death of someone following prolonged illness
  • Death of someone you were caring for
  • Pregnancy loss/miscarriage
  • Recent deaths
  • Coping with the death of someone who is terminally ill
  • Coping with anniversaries and birthdays

Feelings of grief aren't just limited to the death of someone you knew. Bereavement and loss can be associated with a beloved pet, your job, your home, a relationship or a time in your life. Wherever there is a 'before' and an 'after' - usually a time of significant change - grieving may need to happen. If any of this sounds familiar to you, you can give me a call - I offer a free 15 minute introductory call - or send me a message. 

Pregnancy loss / miscarriage
Pregnancy loss can be a particularly acute form of grief. There is not only the loss of the baby, but the loss of an entire future that was planned and imagined. Losing a baby can lead to feelings of failure - either as a woman, or your own body failing to nurture a baby to full-term. A process where you were powerless. Usually, there is a lot of unknown and so it can be difficult to come to terms with such a significant loss when there is no known reason. Layered on top of all that, there are often thoughts and feelings about what it means to you to become a parent and reminders of what your parenting was like. Pregnancy loss is painful and complex, a very emotional and physical experience. I can help you bear the pain of your loss. If you'd like to enquire further, you're welcome to make contact with me in whichever way is easiest for you. My contact details are at the top. 

Relationships
I work with individuals (rather than couples) to better understand what is happening in your relationships, e.g. with friends, family, partner or work colleagues. The problems that can be seen at the surface are indicators of the driving forces at play, which are often completely out of our awareness. I can help you figure out what's happening, which aspects are within your control and together we can work on some new ways to make relationships easier and more satisfying.  

Shame
Shame can be dark, silencing and very difficult to get out of once you're plunged into it.  It usually leads to people hiding away, making it hard to be fully themselves. I work very gently with shame, regularly checking in with you. It's possible to reach a place where you understand what trips you into shame, why and how not to end up in your shameful place going forwards. 

Menopause and perimenopause
I'm here to make talking about menopause easier. Menopause is often misunderstood, confused with other issues and can be devastating for women's careers and financial prospects. If you'd like support as you experience menopause or want to be able to talk about menopause with your partner / family member / friend, you can contact me on the details above. 

Training and qualifications

I began as a Listening Volunteer for Samaritans providing support to people in crisis over the telephone, via email or in one-to-one face-to-face sessions. During my time as a Samaritan I realised that therapeutic work with people was my passion.

My training since then includes:

- Introduction to Counselling Skills
- Developing Counselling Skills
- Certificate in Counselling
- Certificate in Bereavement Care (OCNW Accredited)
- Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
- Bereavement Matters Conference                    
- Sudden and Traumatic Death
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- Awareness of Child Abuse & Neglect
- Chronic shame
- Race & culture
- BACP Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist
- Menopause Seed training
- Rewind Technique, for unwanted recall of traumatic memories
- Working with Soul, Religion & Spirituality
- Currently studying: Anatomy & Physiology
 

I offer short-term counselling and long-term psychotherapy.

Member organisations

school Registered / Accredited

Registered / Accredited

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
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

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

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Areas of counselling I deal with

Therapies offered

Fees

£53.00 per session

Health Insurance/EAP

  • check_circle Axa Health
  • check_circle BUPA

Additional information

When you first make contact I will:

o respond as quickly as possible
offer you a free 15 minute telephone call
o
ask a little about the difficulties you are facing, to make sure I am the right person to help
o find a suitable time to meet, if you would like to
o make a note of your telephone number and email address
o email you to confirm the time and location of our meeting, if we have arranged to meet

What to expect from our first meeting

The nature of our first meeting will be a little different from any following meetings. This meeting allows you to come and check me out, check the place out and see if I am someone you would like to continue working with. It is an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have. There is no obligation to continue after the first meeting. Also, I will be wanting to find out a little more about you and what you are experiencing, and talk through the counselling I offer. We will then decide whether we would like to carry on working together. If we do, we will read over the contract together and talk about how many sessions you might like. Sessions are weekly.

The first session will last 50 minutes and will cost £53.

What to expect from subsequent sessions

Your counselling sessions are your space to explore your thoughts and feelings. I will follow your lead and you can start wherever feels most appropriate to you. If you don't know where to start, that's OK too. Together, we will work it out. Periodically, we will look at where you started, where you are now and which things still need to be explored - to make sure your counselling sessions are giving you what you need and that we are on track.

Counselling appointments with me last 50 minutes and cost £53 per session.

What to expect from our last session together

Our last session is a chance for us to look back over our work together. We can note the high points and low points. Finally, we will say our goodbyes.

Last counselling sessions are 50 minutes and cost £53 per session.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

Appointments are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Further information

Protecting your data

When you contact me with an enquiry about my counselling services I will collect information to help me satisfy your enquiry. This will include your name, your email address and your telephone number.

If you decide not to proceed I will ensure all your personal data is deleted within 30 days. If you would like me to delete this information sooner, just let me know.

Your privacy is very important to me and you can be confident that your personal information will be kept safe and secure and will only be used for the purpose it was given to me. I adhere to current data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU/2016/679) (the GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.

Spark, 4 Queen Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 2TW

Type of session

In person
Online

Types of client

Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)
Employee Assistance Programme

Key details

DBS check info

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

Online platforms

Zoom

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