Tara Coleman-Starr
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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
Hello, I’m Tara. Thank you for being here. I know from experience that searching for the right counsellor can be daunting. If you don't know where to begin or what kind of therapy would help, the good news is you don’t need to have all the answers before starting - we can figure it out together.
I'm an experienced therapist with a history of effectively counselling individuals, partners, and families through a wide range of challenges. I work with many things, but my specialisms include:
- ADHD: As someone with ADHD, I know first hand the struggles it can cause. I can help you to calm your emotions, manage your ADHD traits, and hopefully feel a little less shame along the way. If you're seeking a diagnosis, I can also help you navigate the process, supporting you through to assessment and beyond.
- Anxiety: I know it can sometimes feel so overwhelming. Whether your anxiety is generalised or triggered by something specific, low level or severe, I have years of experience helping people reduce its effects. I am also accredited by the APT to deliver CBT (including ERP) for OCD.
- Self-esteem: If the idea of liking yourself feels impossible, but low self-esteem is holding you back, I can help you to build a healthy relationship with yourself, working towards genuine self-acceptance and confidence.
- Relationship difficulties: Whether you want to work on a friendship, partnership, or family relationship, therapy can help you to find a way forward. If you're feeling disconnected, stuck in conflict, or are struggling to rebuild trust or intimacy, I'm here to help. This is a safe space for all people, including those in LGBTQ+ community, non-monogamous relationships, and those needing a kink-aware therapist.
- Trauma and bereavement: If you've been through something traumatic, no matter what or how long ago it was, or are struggling after a loss, I can offer meaningful support. Trauma and grief can be life-shattering and make us feel anything from confused and lost, to rage and guilt, and everything in between. I have experience working successfully with a wide variety traumas and loss, with adults of all ages, and would love the opportunity to work with you if you need help.
What it's Like to Work with Me
My approach is warm, down-to-earth, and deeply tailored to you. I believe we should collaborate as equals. While I maintain professionalism and have extensive knowledge, I like to come across as a real person. I'm not afraid to bring some humour and light into the session where it feels needed. Clients often tell me they find talking to me easy, and that they feel they can say anything - which is always heartwarming feedback.
Whether you're looking for a space to talk openly, practical tools to thrive, or a way to break free from old patterns, I'm here to help you move forward.
Therapy Approaches I Use
I combine different therapy approaches, including (but not limited to):
- CBT to help you change negative thoughts and behaviours.
- Person-centred therapy for deep self-exploration and emotional release.
- Systemic therapy for understanding and overcoming relationship challenges.
- Psychodynamic therapy to make sense of how the past may be impacting your present.
- Transactional analysis to help you understand why you're caught in unhelpful patterns in your interactions and how to stop it.
- Mindfulness to give you better control of your mind and emotions.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy to help you get to know your goals and values and accept what is and isn't in your control.
Our sessions could be a safe, supportive space where we'd help you achieve your aims in a way that suits you.
Availability
I offer in-person counselling from my space in Earlswood, as well as online and phone therapy, so we can work in a way that fits your schedule. I currently offer sessions Mon - Thurs, with the last available appointment starting at 5:30pm.
Session Cost & Length
- Individual sessions: 60 mins, £60.
- Sessions for two: 60 mins, £80, OR 90 mins, £120.
- Sessions for three: 90 mins, £120.
- Sessions for four: 90 mins, £150.
Discounts are available for full time students (18+) and those on low income. Please see my website for details.
Booking a Consultation
You can directly book a consultation call on this page or send me a text or email, and we'll take those first steps forward.
Thank you for your time. I look forward to hopefully hearing from you, but if not, warmest wishes and luck on your journey!
Training, qualifications & experience
Experience
- Eight years of experience working one-to-one in a therapeutic capacity.
- Four years of experience working as a mental health and crisis counsellor.
- Experience in leading meditation and therapy groups.
Qualifications & Training
- BA (Hons) in Integrative Counselling Theory & Practice.
- PGDip in Relationship Psychotherapy.
- Level 3 TQUK Diploma in Counselling.
- BACP certificate in Online & Telephone counselling.
- Level 2 APT Accredited Certification in CBT for OCD.
- Certificate in Trauma and Attachment.
- Certificate in Working with Dissociative Disorders.
- Certificate in Flash Therapy.
- Certificate in Meditation & Relaxation Techniques.
- Certificate in Child Counselling.
- Suicide awareness and prevention training.
- NCDV domestic abuse training.
- BACP registered membership.
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 - £120.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Reduced fees are available for those on a low income and students. Please see my website for more details.
When I work
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Further information
What Happens When You Get In Touch?
Firstly, we arrange a free consultation so that we may get to know one another. You can ask any questions you'd like and get a feel for whether we "click" before we agree to start therapy together. If we both feel like we'd be a good fit, we move on to arranging your first session. You can always take time to think about it first and there is no pressure to start counselling if it doesn't feel right. If you don't think we'd be a good fit, then you can carry on looking for another therapist - no harm done. Or, if I think I'm not the right person to work with the material you'd like to bring to therapy (such as because it's beyond my competency or a subject that's too close to home), I will do my best to help you find someone who is a better fit.
What Happens During Our First Session?
The first session is generally spent setting the foundation for working together - you tell me in detail about what's going on for you and we continue getting to know one another. We may end up setting some goals for working together too, but this may happen in a later session instead. Ultimately, you're in control of what we do during our sessions, and I aim to regularly check in throughout our work to make sure you still feel like we're on track.
