Trisha Parsons
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
If you're reading this, I'm guessing that maybe things are not going well for you right now. Perhaps you're struggling to cope, feel overwhelmed, feel like you've hit a brick wall in your life, or are looking for someone to talk to about your problems. Starting counselling or psychotherapy is a courageous step. I think I can help you. I will not judge you or tell you what to do. I am a highly experienced, qualified and accredited counsellor with over 30 years experience in helping many hundreds of people from all walks of life, backgrounds and cultures, through all kinds of difficulties.
I have a private practice, working from my home in Newquay, within walking distance of the town centre, trains and buses, and with free on-street parking nearby. I offer face-to-face, telephone, WhatsApp or FaceTime sessions. Because of Coronavirus, for the time being, I am carrying out face-to-face sessions under cover outdoors in my garden. This is for your safety, mine, and my other clients, My garden is private and our sessions will, of course, be confidential. However, if you prefer, you may chose to opt for telephone counselling, FaceTime or WhatsApp sessions.
Individual counselling
I can help explore with you, in confidence, the things that are troubling you, and try and help you find a way through these, including anxiety, depression, childhood trauma, anger, bereavement, low-confidence, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, your relationships, family problems. I have a particular interest in trauma, including child abuse, early childhood trauma, rape (both female and male), assaults and violence, military and war trauma, trauma caused by witnessing family violence, and inter-generational trauma. It is believed that about 8% of people will develop PTSD sometime during their life, and psychotherapy is seen as the most effective way of working toward recovery (Harvard Health Blog).
Couple's Counselling
I am a qualified couples' counsellor with Advanced Clinical Practice in Couple Therapy certification, and offer therapy to couples (whatever their gender or sexuality) where the relationship is breaking down, or has broken down. Sometimes this is because the couple have fallen out of love, or they may be struggling to recover from betrayal or an affair, or one partner may be struggling with jealousy, or they may be unable to communicate effectively with each other. The most common issues for which people seek couple's counselling are communication problems, rows and arguments, and managing conflict. Sadly, over 40% of marriages today end in divorce and it's an even higher figure for couples who are not married. There is an emotional impact not only on the couple but all the family, especially any children involved. Even if it looks like your relationship is in real trouble, couple's counselling may give it a chance to succeed, or can help bring things to a close with respect and dignity to each other.
Sex Addiction Therapy
I am a qualified and accredited ATSAC (Association for the Treatment of Sex Addiction and Compulsivity) therapist working in this highly specialised field with individuals who have sexually compulsive behaviours which have become out of control (such as porn, sexting, sex workers, repeated one-night stands, affairs and infidelity, compulsive masturbation, love addiction etc). This is not the same as having a high sex drive, and sometimes it takes specialist professional help to enable you identify if you're addicted or not. I also work with the partners of sex addicts who are frequently in shock and traumatised as they struggle to come to terms with the discovery of their partner's behaviours, helping them to rebuild their life either with or without the partner who's been acting out. People with any kind of addictive or compulsive behaviour often feel a deep sense of shame, guilt and helplessness, and the roots of addiction often lie in early childhood experiences or trauma. Some of my clients have been referred to me by sex addiction support groups, and some may also simultaneously attend group meetings with Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) or similar groups whilst undergoing one-to-one therapy.
Animal-Assisted therapy
There is increasing evidence in the value that animals can play in helping humans cope with physical and emotional pain, as well as lowering of levels of the stress hormone cortisol, increasing levels of oxytocin, the hormone that gives a sense of happiness and bonding, and raising levels of dopamine.
I have a small and friendly therapy dog, Ziggy Stardust, who is usually happy to sit in on our sessions. Dogs have high levels of empathy with humans, and offer unconditional acceptance, affection and comfort with no strings attached. Ziggy offers unconditional love to everyone. He has a non-moulting and hypoallergenic coat. Research shows that having a dog around during therapy can help with a number of mental health problems, including anxiety and trauma. If you would like Ziggy to join us, just let me know. In the UK there are no national occupational standards and no regulated qualifications for animal-assisted therapy or practitioners, but I abide by relevant guidelines about using animals in therapy, which means that Ziggy will never be made to do anything he doesn't want to do.
Still unsure? If you don't know whether counselling is for you, whatever your issues, please free to call me for a brief chat on 079191 48844. You may have to leave a message on my voicemail but I will call you back. I am happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have before you decide to embark on your counselling journey.
Training, qualifications & experience
About me I worked for many years as a Welfare Officer in a national organisation, before training as a counsellor and gaining formal qualifications in Person Centred counselling, Gestalt Counselling, and a Post-Graduate diploma in Organisational Counselling, working as a counsellor in a number of different organisations. Additionally, I am trained and qualified in the specialist fields of sex addiction and couple's counselling. I am committed to continuous and extensive further additional professional training and development, for example: alcohol and drug misuse, bullying, suicide, bereavement, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), unresolved childhood issues, childhood trauma (including emotional, physical and sex abuse), hypnotherapy, neuroscience, attachment theory, intergenerational trauma, and grief and loss. I have also been a trainer for other counsellors in Devon and Cornwall, running a number of workshops on such topics as Anger, Jealousy, Suicide and Dreams.
In my private psychotherapy practice, I work mainly with individuals, and couples. In the past I have worked as a counsellor for a number of different organisations; as well as within an occupational health team; for several different Employee Assistance Programmes; and have also provided counselling for HM Coastguard, Firecracker Films, charities (including NSPCC and Retail Trust) and people serving in the armed forces. I am committed to ongoing professional development and training, and have carried out training with renowned experts from the UK, the USA and Germany.
British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy I am an accredited member of the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) and thus entitled to use the letters MBACP (Accred) after my name. BACP is the UK's largest counselling organisation. Choosing a practitioner who is a BACP registered member will give you an assurance that the counsellor meets the standards of proficiency and ethical practice you have a right to expect. BACP members will typically have had extensive professional training, will be under on-going supervision, will continuously update their practice, will have substantial professional indemnity insurance and will practise within BACP's Ethical Framework for Good Practice. Becoming an accredited member involves a further detailed application and assessment process and is a higher quality status for experienced practitioners who can demonstrate high standards of competent and ethical practice.
Sex Addiction I am qualified, and have had extensive training and experience, to work with individuals in the specialist field of sexually compulsive behaviour or addiction. I am an accredited member of the Association for the Treatment of Sex Addiction & Compulsivity (ATSAC). My therapeutic work is with either the individual with the addiction, or with their partner. Psychotherapeutic work on recovery from sex addiction is seen as long term work and individuals would need to be prepared for this.
Partners of Sexual Offenders I do not work with sexual offenders but I am trained in one-to-one therapeutic safeguarding programme for the partners of individuals posing a sexual risk.
Couple's Counselling I am qualified as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner in Couple Therapy, and my training has encompassed the work of many-world-class relationship therapists, and follows a well-proven and evidence-based model of relationship therapy.
I have had training in a number of different psychotherapies, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Transactional Analysis, solution-focused therapy and hypnotherapy, although my principal way of working is Gestalt and integrative therapy.
How many sessions will I need? I have considerable experience of working in a time limited way (usually regarded as between six and 10 sessions) as well as long-term therapy that could last a year or more. Some people may find that one or two sessions are all they need but much of my work is with individuals on a long-term basis. Every individual is different and no one can predict how much therapy is enough for a specific person. Research suggests that, on average, it takes roughly six months of weekly therapy for people to start to see meaningful change, and therapy becomes incrementally more effective as it progresses over time. For people who have suffered from significant trauma in their life, the therapeutic recovery work is much longer term. I usually work on the basis of weekly sessions to start with and may suggest we increase to two or even three times a week in the event of a major crisis or suicidal intent. However, I do recognise that financial constraints mean that some people may only be able to afford fortnightly sessions, and I'm OK with this.
Member organisations
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.
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.
The Association for Treatment of Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity (ATSAC) is the leading UK organisation providing hope, information, support, and treatment options for those affected by sexual addiction and compulsivity.
ATSAC sets standards of practice for qualified therapists and provides accreditation for specialist training courses. A therapist who has gone through ATSAC recognised training will have the knowledge to respect and work with you sensitively to find out how best to support your needs.
Therapy options may include one-to-one sessions, group work, and/or relationship counselling. ATSAC is a not-for-profit organisation.
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 per session
Additional information
My fees are £60 per hour for individual one-hour counselling sessions, and £75 per hour for couple's counselling, payable by cash at the time of the session or bank transfer before commencement of session. A half-hour introductory telephone (WhatsApp or FaceTime) consultation is available at £20.
When I work
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