Ursula Henkel
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
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
I am an integrative counsellor and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in training. I have a breadth of experience working with adults, young people and children (8+). Before training as a counsellor, I taught in mainstream schools, then in special education for many years supporting children, young people and adults. I love working with people, with all that they bring to therapy and seeing change and growth taking place within themselves and their lives.
Life brings challenges which can feel overwhelming. I believe we all have enormous potential to respond successfully to life's struggles and to painful past experience. However, personal resource often becomes depleted, increasing anxiety, leading to depression, feelings of low self esteem, relationship difficulties, grief or a deep sadness. At times we can feel lost or disorientated, unable to take the next steps. Having the right support can help us find a path again.
In addition, living with neuro divergence can affect the way we see ourselves and how we respond to the challenges presented every day, leading to further overwhelming feelings of not being able to cope, of lacking confidence that we can.
Therapy is a journey. It leads to greater clarity, autonomy and confidence to manage the challenge and struggle which arise as we do our best to live our one life.
Relationship is key
My approach is tailored to meet varying and changing needs. It has always been firmly rooted in the warmth and compassion of a strong therapeutic relationship. Seeing the profound shifts that take place in people's lives as a result of therapeutic process is an enormous privilege.
Because I know that central to the change process is the relationship between us, I offer an initial consultation free of charge to see if you feel comfortable to start our work together. I continue to work with those seeking long or short term therapy and who bring a multitude of life stories and experiences to our work together.
What happens?
Initially
At first, there is often a need to talk, to express the deep struggle of how you feel, think, react and hear it all for yourself as you do so. It can be an unburdening which may feel exhausting and, at the same time, a huge relief. My life experience so far, and its range of events over many years, works in tandem with my theoretical and practical training as a therapist. I listen without judgement, with warmth and empathy to encourage the process of explanation and unburdening. Sometimes this is with much momentum. Sometimes it's gradual. However, sometimes it is hard to begin; everything may feel knotted, lumpish, solid with no obvious way in. There is always a way in and we find it together. Trauma resides in the nervous system and so we work in very small steps to support a feeling of safety which may have been lost.
Then...
A plan with goals may be the best route forward. Sometimes, the plan becomes apparent as the process of reflection and gaining new insights take shape. A plan is not always what is wanted or needed and the journey begins to map itself. Everyone's story is very different. Regular reviews are an essential part of the process to discuss changes in direction and/or your desire for greater or less challenge as the work progresses.
The way that I work with you
As an integrative therapist, I tailor therapeutic approaches to meet individual needs and at your pace. Alongside various talking modalities, other forms of process can be extremely beneficial. Language is wonderful but not everything is available or lends itself well to the flow of words. Symbols, images, sensations, can be more helpful. Awareness and deep change often take place when working in this way at points on the journey. The psyche and nervous system are miraculous in their constant effort to bring about balance. They have many languages. Therefore, I am now training in Somatic Experiencing with Somatic Experiencing International and incorporate this knowledge and practice in our work, where appropriate, and within my levels of proficiency. It is a profound therapy which releases trauma from the nervous system. You can find out more here:
https://traumahealing.org/about/
We work with whatever you bring, exploring the present with reference to the past and an eye on the future. Time is not only linear so it doesn't serve us well to keep it split like this. New ways of seeing, understanding, thinking and being emerge. You then have greater choice about how you respond to life with its immense struggles and its joys. Knowledge of yourself grows. Fresh potential is discovered; life begins to feel more fulfilling again and a greater sense of wellbeing develops.
If you would like to find out more or to book an initial session, you are most welcome to email me with any questions. Please check your spam folder if you don't see a reply within 5 days.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Bachelor Degree (Honours) 1985
- Advanced Diploma Humanistic Integrative Counselling
- Diploma Integrative Sand Play Therapy (AIST)
- Post Qualifying Diploma Counselling People With Eating Disorders (NCPS)
- Continuous Professional Development and experience working with victims of historic child sexual abuse
- Currently training(2nd year) to become a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (Resolving Trauma and healing Developmental Trauma).
- CPD certificate Therapeutic Art
- CPD Telephone and Online counselling
- I have considerable experience working with people who are neuro-divergent, specifically ADHD and ASD
- Beginning training 2024 in Neuro Affective Touch (developmental trauma).
I work with adults 18-80+, young people, pre teens. I work in private practice and previously worked with a charity offering counselling at reduced rates for the local community.
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
Fees
£45.00 - £50.00
Free initial in-person or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Sessions are either 60 or 75 minutes (please ask for more information).
Reduced fee: please enquire as I have places reserved accommodating a sliding scale to suit circumstance and also see concessions above.
Somatic Experiencing sessions are £35 for 50 minutes. The fee reflects my trainee status and I work within the range of my training to date.
Please note available days shown below are days and times I work, not available session times as session availability varies. Please contact me re available session times etc. Introductory meetings are free of charge.
When I work
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Morning | |||||||
Afternoon | |||||||
Evening | |||||||
Night |
I am able to offer some mornings from 7:00. Please email me with any queries.
Further information
I work from Nautilus Rooms, Totnes, which is a beautiful therapeutic space in the heart of the town.
I aim to reply to queries within 48 hours. Please check your SPAM as emails may drop in there.