Susan Stubbings

April 2024 - currently have a waitlist, please enquire for more details.

A very warm welcome  - Known as Sue and describe myself as an experienced, aware, qualified, compassionate, and professional counsellor and 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.

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

EXPERIENCE 

I’ve accrued over 20 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 the 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. I am a trauma trained, informed and experienced therapist. 

Here and now as well as this Private Practice I am employed by Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice in the role of Lead Counsellor and for the past 2 years; I am the current counselling coordinator of the counselling services for adults and children.  Maintaining oversight of all counselling activities, referrals, allocations, facilitating, mentoring and supervision as part of a professional team. I have accumulated 7 years employed by Bluebell Wood as counsellor and several years before this as a volunteer counsellor and group facilitator.

Part of my week is spent supporting families experiencing the toughest of times, challenged  with multiple and complex emotional needs, within a specialized trauma and bereavement counselling service. Supporting families caring for a precious loved one experiencing life-limiting, life-shortening, health challenges. A privileged role and an honour to be invited to sit with and hear others pain and support and witness the bravery, courage, resilience and post traumatic growth of our families. 

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 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 to 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 experiencing all the "symptoms" of trauma.  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. 

Because when you share with someone who is both experienced and skilled, who is non-judgmental, understanding and compassionate, you lighten your load in the toughest of times. I am here for you, will listen to 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 bring together 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, PTSD, C-PTSD, Neurobiological changes and going forward into post traumatic growth.
• Historical childhood sexual abuse - Complex Post Trauma Stress Disorder (C-PTSD), difficult and Childhood Adverse Experiences (ACEs) 
• Difficult relationships - betrayals, breakdown of trust 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 disorders - social, health, generalised anxiety (GAD).
  Intrusive thoughts, and/or Post Trauma Stress Disorder.
•  Health difficulties - understanding new diagnosis, the 'different' you and adapting to multiple losses and multiple changes, 

The way I work 

• Humanistic-Integrative Counselling Model, which means your therapy will be unique to you and your needs, as you grow and develop, your therapy will change and may include for example Person-Centred & Humanistic Therapies, Lazarus Multi-modal therapy including  Cognitive & Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Solution Focused (SF) or Brief Interventions (BI). Trauma and Strength-based schools of thought and philosophy.  Concepts from  Transactional Analysis (TA), Parts 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, choice, voice and integrity so 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.

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 therapeutic hour: £40.00 

I offer short-term and long-term counselling support and/or brief interventions as your needs require.

Supervision £40-£60 per 90 minute session

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