About me
Hello and Welcome
My clients come to therapy for a wide variety of reasons, but what they have in common is that while they can't change the past, they can change the way it prevents them from leading fulfilling lives in the present. By helping you face what's been holding you back, I hope you will be able to find your way towards a life that works better for you. I offer a warmly honest and accepting environment in which it's important you are totally yourself. My clients report that they feel valued and safe enough to take risks in their thinking and feeling in ways they haven't felt able to before, and that by working through the difficulties that trouble them they emerge feeling more self-confident and motivated to live life in a way that feels right for them.
I work from counselling rooms in central Norwich. I am available to meet any time between 0900 and 1700. I meet clients either face to face or remotely, whichever is their choice.
About me and how I work
I have an essentially optimistic approach to client work. I believe that given a supportive and honest environment, we all have an innate capacity to find our way towards what feels more positive for us, to begin to heal and to find a better path forward. My work suggests that very often it is the lack of this nurturing environment in everyday life that backs us into the repetitive ‘survival techniques’ which have inhibited us and made us unhappy in the past. I hope that by offering you honesty and acceptance, and by gently challenging you where it feels necessary, you can begin to work out a way of living that feels more positive for you.
Special interests
I am especially interested in the ways in which we develop long-engrained judgements about ourselves and the world which compel us to present ourselves in ways we think others will accept rather than how we truly feel we are, and how the resultant (perhaps unconscious) stress prevents us from finding the happiness and fulfilment we crave. I have a high success rate in enabling clients to begin to accept themselves for who they are, and to move on from negative and debilitating thoughts about themselves to achieve stability, self-belief and motivation.
Please get in touch to discuss your hopes and begin to explore whether we might work together successfully. I look forward to hearing from you.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have a BSc in Psychology from University of Bristol, a Post Graduate Certificate in Counselling from University of East Anglia, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Counselling from The Norwich Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
I have worked at Eating Matters, an eating disorders counselling service based in Norwich, and was for many years a volunteer at Sue Lambert Trust, working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
I am happy to work with those seeking counselling through Employee Assistance Programmes.
I am a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
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
£50.00 per session
Additional information
£50 for a 50 minute session for individuals, £60 for a 50 minute session for couples.
When I work
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Further information
What clients say
Here’s what some past clients have said about our work together:
“I quickly knew I had made exactly the right choice of therapist for me. You put me at ease and your perception and sensitivity were much appreciated."
“For many years people told me it wasn’t my fault, but I couldn’t take what they were saying on board. After working with Val I now feel I can hear them, and I can forgive myself. I feel I can finally move on in my life.”
“I can’t thank you enough for helping me feel I am actually worth my own time, as well as other peoples’.”
“Val has been a beacon of hope for me, that I can find my way to a better future. Thank you for helping me to begin to believe in myself.”
