Vanessa Francoise Therapy
About me
CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19): Operating with full social distancing and increased cleaning/sanitisation in place. Also experienced at holding sessions via video call for those who are vulnerable or who simply choose not to come to the room at present, for more information please visit my website.
I’m professional, warm, honest, gentle and compassionate, and I'll always keep you safe by ensuring that we work at a pace that you feel comfortable with.
I'll tailor my approach to suit you, giving you the best opportunity to achieve the results you want. Your issue may contribute to, or be the result or difficult personal or life challenges. Or maybe you simply don't know why you feel the way you do, but you're struggling and need some help.
I'm based at Baring House, just a 10-minute walk from Exeter High Street and Central Station, with ample free parking, and toilets. My therapy room is quiet, private, spacious and elegant (there is a very clear map and full directions on the CONTACT ME page of my website, just follow the link above).
I offer an initial free telephone conversation, giving you as much time and space as you need to consider whether you’d like to come and meet me. Then, during your first session, I’ll listen to your concerns and we'll explore together what a good therapy outcome will be for you, how to achieve that, and how many sessions will work best for you. There's lots more information on the HOW DOES IT WORK? page of my website and I post regularly on Facebook too (just follow the link above).
Training, qualifications & experience
I have a Certificate in Counselling from the Iron Mill College and a Foundation Degree and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Integrative Counselling from the University of Worcester.
I have attended additional training for Personality Disorders, Understanding Addiction, Dissociation and DID, and Mental Health First Aid.
I have done specialist voluntary work for Mind in Taunton and I currently work in private practice in Exeter, Devon, and online via Skype.
Member organisations

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
BACP is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Therapists registered with the Association fall into a number of different membership categories such as Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP and Registered Member MBACP (Accred), each standing for different levels of training and experience. MBACP (Accred) and MBACP (Snr Accred) members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association.
Registered members can be found on the BACP Register, which was the first register to achieve Accredited Voluntary Register status issued by the Professional Standards Authority. Individual Members will have completed an appropriate counselling and/or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but will not appear on the BACP Register until they've progressed to Registered Member MBACP status.
All members are bound by a Code of Ethics & Practice and a Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership

Accredited Register Scheme
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
I offer an initial free telephone conversation, giving you as much time and space as you need to consider whether you’d like to come and meet me. Then, my fee for a single 1 hour session is £75 (payable by cheque, debit/credit card or bank transfer). But most of my clients choose to go for my discounted option at the end of their first session, block booking and paying for 6 sessions for £390 (equates to £65 per session).
Further information
My academic study, work, family and personal experiences have brought me to a deep understanding of the causes of psychological distress and a strong desire to help people who suffer from it, in whatever form. When I first began training as a counsellor, I read a poem called “Be with me, please”. It inspired me to write this reply which sums up how I feel about being a counsellor:
RIGHT HERE WITH YOU
You can trust me with your pain
To treat it with kindness and respect
To listen to it
So you can speak the unspoken
I will help you catch the tears
As the floodgates open
Swim with you into the unknown
Save you from drowning in your sorrow
If you entrust me with your grief
I will help you take care of it
Console it, soothe it, make it feel safe
I will accept it as a gift to be protected
If you take the risk and end the drought
I will not leave you alone and sodden after the storm
I will not reach for my umbrella
I will not walk away
I feel your need and I do not fear it
I will help you to understand
I am honoured to be with you
You are no longer walking alone