Susan Clark
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
We all have times when we feel alone and without direction. These feelings can be related to challenging life events. They may be connected to things that happened in the past. You might not know what is causing them; all you know is that these difficult thoughts and emotions are affecting the way you look at life and the way you see yourself.
Deciding to seek support can feel daunting, but it can also be the first step to getting your life back on course. Talking to someone who has no preconceptions or agendas can give you a new perspective on the things that are causing you pain or anxiety. As a counsellor, I can offer you a safe, confidential, non-judgemental space where you can explore the issues that you find disturbing or upsetting. I will listen and try to help you make sense of difficult and confusing emotions.
The idea of Face-to-Face counselling might not appeal to everyone. With this in mind, I also offer to meet with clients online, via Zoom, or on the phone. I can offer a 50 session, in which we will use online chat to explore your issues. I also offer a Walk and Talk service, which involves meeting at an agreed location and taking a short walk while discussing the things that are important to you. You can get more details on these services on my website www.polestarcounselling.co.uk.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a fully qualified Integrative counsellor, with training in Person Centred therapy, CBT and Transactional Analysis. What this means for you is that I am able to offer support that is tailored to your individual needs.
- Level 4 Diploma in Integrative Humanistic Counselling (CPCAB)
- Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies (CPCAB)
- Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills (CPCAB)
My qualifications also include a PGCE(Primary) from the University of Hertfordshire and a BA(Hons) from the University of Melbourne (Australia).
I've had training in specific areas, including:
- working with young people experiencing depression
- working with young people experiencing anxiety
- working with young people experiencing PTSD
- working with disordered eating
- working with young people who self harm
- working with young people suffering domestic abuse
- working with suicide and risk in young people
- supporting young girls and women who have experienced FGM
- supporting victims of sexual and domestic abuse
- online counselling
- Autism awareness
- Couples counselling
My training is ongoing and I attend courses and seminars throughout the year, to ensure I can offer the best support for my clients.
As the above list indicates, I have worked a great deal with young people. I have worked as a counsellor for a Buckinghamshire based youth service and at a secondary school in Thame, Oxfordshire. I also have experience with young people as a primary school teacher in Aylesbury and as a children's support worker with a nation-wide charity. I hold an enhanced DBS certficate, which is renewed annually.
I am a registered member of the BACP, an organisation which provides guidance and support for cousellors and their clients. As a member, I adhere to an Ethical Framework, which ensures that I work in my clients' best interest. The BACP also provides my clients with a way to register a complaint, if they feel that I have not worked to an acceptable standard.
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
£45.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
My fees are:
- £45 for a 50 minute session
- £55 For a 60 minute Relationship Counselling session
- £40 for a 50 minute online/telephone session
- £45 for a 50 Walk and Talk session
My fees will increase as of 1 January, 2025, as follows:
- £50 - 50 minute in person/Walk and Talk session
- £65 - 60 minute Relationship Counselling session
- £45- 50 minute online/telephone session
Reduced rates are available, so please ask.
When I work
Appointments available during the day and evening, Monday to Thursday