Stephanie Cross

Verified Professional task_alt Verified Professional
Verified Professional

Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.

MBACP (Accred)
Waiting list for new clients
Waiting list for new clients

This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.

location_on Colchester, Essex, CO7
Waiting list for new clients
Waiting list for new clients

This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.

About me

Hi, I'm Steph. Welcome to my profile. 

If you are considering having some therapy /counselling sessions, and would like an initial [free] chat to see whether counselling feels right for you,  please feel free to contact me to arrange this.

I have been a qualified counsellor for many years and during this time I have seen first hand how beneficial it can be for people to have regular time in a safe non-judgmental environment to  explore areas of their lives that are causing them distress. Areas of distress are varied but often include relationship issues, being a 'people pleaser', depression, anxiety, trauma, family, suicidal thoughts, stress, affairs and betrayals, abuse, bereavement, childhood issues, separation, low self confidence, life, work related stress, seasonal affective disorder, etc.


People can benefit from counselling in a variety of ways,  sometimes differently to how they had anticipated and often far more than they had hoped.  Clients often find person centered counselling very empowering.  This is really important because very often a person's low mood and anxiety can be as a consequence of being in relationships where they have felt very disempowered and have ceased to rely on their own internal sense of what they need to do, of what serves them best.

I always aim to work with clients to provide tools or ways of coping more effectively right now, sometimes before looking more deeply at feelings. This is because it can be important to feel more safe, more able to manage in the here and now, before feeling ready to explore deeper feelings. 


Persistent low mood, anxiety or confusion are often our bodies internal warning system alerting us to the fact that something is not right in our lives and needs to change. We are not always aware of exactly what it is as very often our real feelings can become denied or distorted to ourselves.  Counselling can help us to uncover these feelings, if and when necessary, by encouraging you to be more self accepting and self aware. This is far more achievable when the process is facilitated  in a safe and secure context, and once feelings are more accessible and clear, then what follows is the potential for change.

This is really the aim and starting point of counselling-through talking to a trained caring professional, you can have a unique opportunity to  really listen to yourself and understand why some of those feelings exist and once identified, explore realistic options to live a more meaningful and content life.

As a dedicated counsellor I strive to facilitate this process by offering you a safe non judgmental space.  It is a very simple concept but all too often quite rare in people's lives and this can be a major factor in thwarting self awareness and personal development;  if you feel you are going to be negatively judged for expressing the real you, it may feel like too much of a risk -even to yourself.   From feedback I have received from clients over the years, feeling like they are not being judged has been an essential factor in the counselling process as it enables people to express and understand themselves more fully.

Sometimes people find it very therapeutic just to be listened to and heard, to feel supported whilst they are going through difficult times, whilst they try to process some difficult emotions. (eg a difficult relationship, caring for someone who is ill, stresses at work or at home etc).

I have worked within an NHS setting and also my own private practice for many years.   I also offer supervision to other counsellors, and I have also had an active role in students training to be counsellors, from providing them with clinical supervision to tutoring on a Diploma / BA(Hons) course.  As a result of these different experiences  I feel it is really important to individualise the sessions to each client by listening carefully to what an individual needs from the sessions, whether it is for example, to process some difficult feelings or to gain some strategies to manage current anxieties,  and this is something that can be discussed before beginning any counselling work together.


I hope that the above is helpful in trying to decide whether counselling is right for you.  I have written this from my person-centred theoretical background, but mostly It is drawn from what I have learned from clients I have worked with since I qualified and began counselling in 2008.

Good luck.

Training, qualifications & experience

BA(Hons) Counselling

Diploma in Person Centered Counselling (Accredited by Essex University)

BACP Accredited Status

Counselling for Depression
BACP endorsed certificate in Supervision
Workshop in Solution Focussed Therapy

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

Other areas of counselling I deal with

Supervision

Therapies offered

Photos & videos

Fees

£45.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session

Concessions offered for

  • check_circle Low income
  • check_circle Keyworkers
  • check_circle OAPs
  • check_circle Students
  • check_circle Trainee counsellors
  • check_circle Unemployed
  • check_circle Refugees

Health Insurance/EAP

  • check_circle BUPA
  • check_circle Axa Health
  • check_circle Health Assured
  • check_circle Aviva
  • check_circle Saga
  • check_circle Vitality
  • check_circle WPA
  • check_circle Cigna

Additional information

FOR COUNSELLING: £45per session (50 minutes) I believe in offering counselling at an affordable rate,  I am happy to discuss concessions for any individuals who would really like counselling, but are on a low income.

I also offer a reduced rate to student counsellors.
Please feel free to contact me for further details.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

I try to be as accommodating as possible as I know that 9-5pm appointments are not always convenient. I reserve a few appointments for evenings and also 7:00am starts.

Further information

I am very happy to discuss any questions you may have about counselling, please email me or telephone me on 07949959561.

Colchester, Essex, CO7

Type of session

Online
Phone

Types of client

Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)
Organisations

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

Skype
Whatsapp
Zoom
Google Meet

Supervision

In person
Online
Phone

I have over 8 years experience of providing supervision to qualified counsellors and also those in training / students.

View supervision profile