About me
How Counselling Can Help:
At times in our lives, we can experience periods of difficulty and distress, which may seem overwhelming, with the result that we find ourselves preoccupied with upsetting thoughts and feelings. Sometimes the causes of how we are feeling can seem unclear, which can add to our sense of confusion. Counselling offers the opportunity to explore the problems you are facing with a trained therapist, in a safe, confidential and accepting space. The aims are to help you to gain a clearer understanding of your situation and to find better ways of coping with the particular issues you are facing. Counselling and psychotherapy take many different forms and it will be important to find the right counsellor for you, so I will explain a little about how I work and about my background, which I hope will help you in making your decision.
How I work:
I offer one-to-one counselling and psychotherapy to help you with the problems or difficulties you are facing in your life. Counselling tends to deal with specific problems that may be ongoing, including anxiety, depression, loss and relationship issues. Psychotherapy is a longer-term process where we might work together for periods of between six months and a couple of years or more. It tends to be helpful for more deeply rooted difficulties or problems that you may have been experiencing for some time and which may be connected to earlier life events.
My work is based on a relational approach which considers current and past experiences, to help you to develop greater self-awareness and understanding, with the aim of improving your current situation and ways of coping or of improving your life and relationships. It will be important to build a close and trusting relationship between us, where you will feel able to explore your problems with out any fear of judgement. I offer a safe and confidential space, where we can focus on your difficulties, helping you to gain a clearer understanding of your situation and allowing you to begin to make changes in your life, with the aim of improving your sense of well-being.
Training, qualifications & experience
Experience:
My counselling experience is both in private practice and in the voluntary sector. I have worked with a range of issues including anxiety, low mood, self-esteem, self-worth and relationship issues. I also have considerable experience working with individuals who have experienced, physical, emotional and abuse during childhood and with adults who have experienced sexual assault and or domestic violence.
As a practicing therapist and a lecturer in psychology and counselling, I am committed to continuous professional development, attending research conferences and training in a range of areas including counselling practice, mental health, bullying and domestic violence.
I also attend regular training sessions, including Safetalk, Mental Health First Aid and Child Protection Training. I am a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and I work according to their Code of Ethics. I am also a graduate member of the British Psychological Society.
Qualifications:
CPCAB Level 5 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling
CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
MSc in Psychological Methods, The Open University
BSc Hons in Psychology, Queen's University Belfast
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
£50.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Additional information
£50 per session (50 minutes)
When I work
Day time and evening appointments available.
Further information
Making contact:
You are very welcome to contact me, so that we can arrange an initial telephone conversation, to explore your needs. It is easiest if you send me an email, with your contact details and I will then reply with possible times for a telephone call. After that we would then arrange an initial meeting at my counselling room, in Bangor, Co Down (just off Main Street).
