Susan Stubbings

I am presently full to capacity so unfortunately unable to offer sessions, I will update when I have availability to offer.  Warmest of regards Sue  

A very warm welcome  - Known as Sue and describe myself as self-aware experienced, compassionate, and professional counsellor and clinical supervisor.

My focus is on you, I will support you, using my experience, awareness, skills, and knowledge, to enable you to feel better from life's difficult experiences causing you concern in the here and now.

Together in collaboration we will work through your concerns and difficulties.

My ultimate aim being to empower you to regain and maintain balance in your mental and emotional worlds.  

ABOUT YOU

Perhaps you are seeking support because you feel lost, alone, not sure which way to turn not knowing what to do; or feeling sad and don’t know how you feel. Has your self-esteem and confidence dwindled, and you don't know how to get it back?  Feeling stressed due to work related issues, do you need to be more assertive or your work-life balance to be different? 

Facing difficult challenges such as Trauma, bereavement, anxiety, relationship concerns, illness, new diagnosis can leave us feeling 'as if ' it's almost impossible to move or progress from feeling stuck or to be  the  person you’ve always wanted to be or make goals to work towards. You don't need to be alone when distressed, confused or bereft, together we will make sense of what's happening with you, rather than what's wrong with you. 

Traumatic experiences can leave us asking our self "what's wrong with me"?  When in reality there is nothing wrong with you, you are responding in a normal and natural way to what has happened to you and experiencing all the "symptoms" of trauma, anxieties, low self-esteem and confidence. 

Often learnt in childhood, our nervous system reacts rather than responds to its environment and our nervous system can become dysregulated in need of attention. As an  adult our coping skills are out of date and in need of understanding and replacing with adult coping skills. 

All our individual nervous systems utilise many different ways of coping to support ourselves at times of distress, threat and mental discourse.  Counselling can support you to cope, manage and learn new perspectives, and how to respond rather than automatically react.

Ensuring you don't feel re-traumatised, threatened or shutting you down.  Ending the whirlwind and tsunami of feelings, anxieties, intrusive thoughts and all those personal symptom you are trying to get rid of.    

The you that you want and have dreamed about being is still inside you, just masked and blocked by the 'effects' of life conundrums.  Together we will explore and find solutions you can live with more readily and/or find acceptance in things that can't be changed. 

I am here for you, will listen to you, see you, hear you and support you to make sense of your experiences with compassionate care and attention. 

Imagine having a dedicated confidential time and space to tell your life story, share your concerns and difficulties and be heard, understood, and accepted for who you are in the now .

To empower you I will blend all my experience and knowledge to offer you the tools to understand, manage, accept and heal from the impact of, for example: 

• Trauma - traumatic experiences and the difficulties you are left with, the on-going affects of Post Traumatic Stress and Complex Post Traumatic Stress, (often abbreviated to PTSD and C-PTSD).  Rather than believing you are suffering with a disorder, I believe your threat system is working absolutely normally and is part of our human condition.  We will work to return your dysregulated nervous system  to be effective once more. 
• Historical childhood sexual abuse - The ongoing complexities of  traumatic Stress, doesn't stop when the abuse has, we will work to soothe your threat system and to understand how you as a Child did all you could to support and survive these difficult Childhood Adverse Experiences (ACEs) 
• Difficult relationships - betrayals, breakdown of trust, affairs and healing from Domestic Violence and/or narcissistic relationships.
• Bereavement & Loss -  anticipatory grief, palliative care, traumatic grief, prolonged grief, death by suicide, sudden death, Death of a precious Child, Spouse, Sibling, Friend, anticipatory loss, and secondary losses. 
• Anxiety - we all have stress in our living, its a normal and useful process to keep us safe, part of the human condition. When our nervous systems become dysregulated we blame it on anything other than a normal reaction. We will work to understand, soothe and regulate your nervous system and its affects e.g. intrusive thoughts, panic, nausea, that churning feeling in your stomach or palpitations. 
•  Health difficulties - understanding new diagnosis, the 'different' you and adapting to multiple losses and multiple changes, and the stress a diagnosis brings.

The way I work 

• Collaboratively through a Humanistic-Integrative model with a holistic approach incorporating aspects from a 'biopsychosocial-relational ' lens. Which means we will work collaboratively to address your mental and physical health through a multi-systems lens. Which seeks to embrace and understand the complexities of the human experience in it fullness.  We get hurt through relationship and it is through relationship we also heal.
• Your therapy will be unique to you and your needs, as you grow and develop, your therapy will change, as we address your biology, psychology, and social environments which give rise to your concerns and difficulties through the therapeutic relationship.
• Using concepts including for example; awareness, skills, knowledge and tools based on  a wide variety of theoretical and philosophical schools of thought including Humanistic Therapies, Lazarus Multi-modal therapy including Cognitive & Behavioural Therapy (CBT), 
• I also work with the concepts from Transactional Analysis (TA), Parts (IFS) and Inner Child work, working creatively with you, for you from heart and soul.
• Tailored to you and your needs - one step at a time, using a depth of awareness, experience and skills, offering you a grounding, presence of safety, clarity of your wants, needs and desires in the here and now, gently moving you forward as you grow and develop your self-awareness and understandings.  Creating connections with self and others achieving peace of mind, a more resilient future, knowing what to do so you can meet daily challenges.  
• Our sessions will support you to gain new insight, awareness, and skills, and offer you practical ‘tools’ which you can utilise.  Empowering you to tap into your innate strengths (yes, they are there perhaps you haven’t noticed them yet) and maintain your overall mental and emotional well-being, long after therapy has ended.  

I value personal autonomy, which means I understand the importance of personal choice, voice and integrity; won't tell you what to do; because I respect and trust you can make your own decisions and with a little new 'know how' to move towards and achieve your identified goals.  With me guiding you through the stormy waters of life. 

The above theories probably don't mean anything to you as a person seeking support, simply put they are a set of principles, skills and techniques I utilise as your needs warrant to support your self-discovery, enhance your awareness and healing whilst offering tools for your psychological and emotional journey you can use long after your therapy has ended.  

EXPERIENCE 

I’ve accrued  23 years’ experience as a counselling practitioner  supporting others experiencing common mental health difficulties and life’s complex conundrums.

In addition to my core qualification my extended studying and experience over 20 years has been focused on supporting others heal from the impact of trauma, bereavement and anxieties and the extensive ripple effect this brings e.g. grief, loss and negative emotional patterns.  This may be caused by domestic violence, childhood physical, sexual or emotional abuse, neglect, death, RTA, illness  or supporting a loved one through palliative care for example. 

I am a trauma trained, informed and experienced therapist supporting others heal from the on-going affects of trauma and into post traumatic healing, growth and development.  

As well as my Private Practice employed within a Children's Hospice, for over seven years, achieving the role of Lead Counsellor,  Maintaining oversight of all counselling activities, referrals, allocations, facilitating, mentoring and supervision as part of a professional team. Retiring from this role at the end of 2024, employed at the Hospice and several years before this as a volunteer counsellor, supervisor and group facilitator.  I am now focusing upon my private practice offering counselling and supervision. 

PROFESSIONAL Credentials

I am  an Accredited member of British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy, MBACP (Accred).   This means I have been assessed by my professional body BACP and achieved professional high standards of counselling practice.  Made a commitment to ensuring I have the appropriate awareness, skills and knowledge to support clients, effectively, competently and to higher standards as a competent, ethical and independent practitioner.

Additionally rising to the challenge updating and adding to my competencies and undertaking training to offer Online & Telephone Counselling. This enables me to offer my services professionally and competently remotely.  Recognised by my ethical body BACP and the Association for Counselling and Therapy Online (ACTO).   I have gained the specific awareness, skills and knowledge to work as a practitioner with clients via telephone and e-counselling.  This is important because whilst many say they offer on-line and telephone counselling its important you check they have the appropriate training to do so. You can be confident my remote services are as professional as in-person support. 

Counselling is a life enriching process, and you will be enabling your healing, imagine being empowered, effective and competent in meeting your daily challenges, in a way that enhances all your relationships and decision making. 

Engaging in a non-judgmental counselling relationship you will learn to set your own goals, resolve what concerns you. and realise your fullest potential.  As such you will enjoy more spontaneity, happiness, creativity, and aliveness within your daily living – just imagine being your best Self all that you can be.

Together we can make a difference to and what you choose to do from here and now, you've everything to gain by contacting me today.

Counselling

£40.00 therapeutic hour 

I offer a free 30 mins online sessions to asses your needs and to confirm we are a match to work collaboratively and go forward into a therapeutic relationship.

My last appointment is 5.30

Clinical Supervision

£45 trainees and volunteers per 90 mins session

£60  professionals per 90 minute session

I offer a free 30 mins online sessions to asses your needs and to confirm we are a match to work collaboratively forward into a therapeutic  relationship

Lots more information on my website you can explore my creativity, experience and knowledge to help you decide to make contact - copy and paste Website: www.pendulumofpeace.com

Thank you for visiting my profile if you feel we can work together for you to heal and to balance your health and well-being contact me today.

Warmest of regards

Sue