This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello and thank you for reading my profile. I'm an experienced counsellor who is trained in the psychodynamic model. My full name is Teresa, but everyone calls me Tess and I prefer that nickname because I've been called it since I was a little girl.
The reason I was drawn to the psychodynamic model is because 'psychodynamic' literally means "brain capable of change" and I liked the sound of that! Having experienced 5yrs of psychodynamic counselling/ personal therapy as a student counsellor, I know this to be true and so can hold that 'hope' for you while you work on your issues.
Also, my approach to counselling is more eclectic nowadays, influenced by several factors, including my own spiritual journey in this lifetime; my 30+yrs as a social worker specialising in child protection, children in care and children's mental health and my 30yrs experience as a Protective Behaviours' Safety Process Trainer (PBs for short). PBs is an extremely effective emotional safety process and I have internalised the 2 PBs Themes over the years - "We All have the Right to Feel Safe All the Time" and "We can Talk With Someone about Anything, even if it's Awful or Small" and know them to be true, too.
I work part-time nowadays and can offer you either online or face-to-face counselling on Monday/ Tuesday/ Wednesday/ Thursday afternoons between 2 - 5 pm in weekly, 50-minute appointments.
My counselling contract with you would be signed by both of us after your first appointment in which we sit together in a therapeutically safe space and have the opportunity to ask each other questions and decide whether we would like to work together on your concerns and goals. Our contract will cover everything from Method of Counselling (Online or Face-to-Face); the Duration & agreed Appointment Time of your Weekly Appointments to Confidentiality; GDPR; the NCPS Ethical Framework and My Supervisor's Role.
Training, qualifications & experience
Post-Graduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling, University of Leicestershire, 2003 - 2005
Certificate in Psychodynamic Counselling,
Milton Keynes Counselling Foundation, 1992 - 1995
My previous private practice was in Milton Keynes between 2006 - 2009. I used a counselling room at Counselling Works Ltd in Stony Stratford; undertook Assessments for CWL and had some of the Clients off their books and some of my own.
I have over 500 Counselling Hours under my belt and keep up with the latest news and views on counselling via the NCPS Magazine and also online training and refresher courses. Over the past year, I have for e.g. completed The Chrysallis Certificate in PTSD and Trauma on 06/06/24 and The National Counsellors' Day on 29/06/24.
The Theme of the latter this year was "The Cost of Living Crisis: The Price of NOT Dying! Why All Therapists Must Get Comfortable Talking About Money!" and covered everything from a Workshop on "Food Insecurity in Adults with Severe Mental Illness" by Jo Smith & Professor Emma L Giles to another Workshop on "The Injustice of Poverty in Therapy" by Lucia Sarmiento.
As a retired Social Worker, I have also worked within MK CAMHS between 2012 - 2016 as initially a Primary MH Worker for Education and then as the Senior MH Worker for the Youth Offending Team. The latter post was within the Clinical Team, so I also undertook Assessments for that Team and some Clients awaiting treatment for a long time to lessen the burden on my colleagues.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society
This Not For Profit association of counsellors and psychotherapists aim to support the counselling profession, members and training organisations.
In 2013 the NCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under the Accredited Voluntary Register Scheme. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
£35.00 - £45.00
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
My Concessionary Rate is currently £35 per Appointment but, if my private practice builds up, I may be able to offer 1 or 2 Appointments at a lower rate. (Price on application) My usual Fee is £45 per Appointment and for those who earn a reasonable Salary and can afford it.
Please, don't let the cost of counselling put you off - Talk with me, if you need to negotiate what you can afford to pay. (For instance, I charge Student Counsellors £40 per Appointment because they're on the training courses, so not able to work full-time.
Further information
I work with Individual Adults/ Over 18s and some of the Issues that I have successfully helped individuals with in the past include
- Interpersonal Relationships & Family Problems
- Childhood & Adult Abuse, including Emotional, Mental, Physical, Sexual & Domestic
- Panic Attacks, Anxiety & Depression
- Self-Harm, Eating Disorders, Suicidal Feelings, Thoughts & Behaviours
- Women's & Feminist Issues, such as Infertility & Childlessness
- Work - Related Issues, including Stress & Bullying
- Trauma & PTSD
- Why am I here?/ Why did that (or, why does that) keep happening to me? - Helping you explore the Spiritual Dimension of yourself within the counselling process
