Victoria Simmons
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Life can be really tough and challenging at times as well as being fast paced. We don't often get the chance to take a moment and focus on how we are feeling, good or bad, so these feelings can add up and become overwhelming and all consuming. It can make us feel lonely and isolated. Counselling is an opportunity to sit with a therapist in a confidential, non-judgmental space, to explore and work on any of the issues you may be facing. It may be that you have specific aims that you would like to work towards, or it may be that you want to explore events that have happened in the past that are impacting your present and potentially your future. Counselling provides a space to be heard, and to gain the knowledge and understanding to move forwards. I believe in offering a non-judgmental, safe and empathic space, it allows for you to be heard and for growth to happen.
An example of some of the issues I have worked on and offer therapy for are as follows
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Low self-esteem
- Relationship issues
- Identity
- Bereavement
- Adjustments to changes in life
- Work issues and Burnout
I have over 10 years of experience working in Mental health. I have experience of working with adults (18 years and over) in both a long and short term basis. I have experience of working within the NHS setting as well as within a university setting, where I offered therapy to students.
The therapy that I offer
I offer short term and long term therapy. I predominantly offer Person Centred Therapy which is at the core of my therapeutic modality. It is a therapy that views the client as being the centre of the work that we do. It is a non-directive therapy, which means that the therapist does not enter the counselling with an agenda or steer the client. It is a collaborative working partnership with the client to work towards the goals or place they would like to be in. The Person Centred modality is based on three core conditions that is offered by the therapist, Empathy, Unconditional Positive Regard and Congruence. This allows for a safe and confidential space which allows for greater exploration and understanding of the self and self beliefs, allowing for growth to begin.
Although Person Centred Therapy is my main modality, I also draw on other types of therapy that I have undergone training in, such as Motivational Interviewing, Critical Incident debriefing, Compassion focused therapy and CfD. This allows me to tailer the approach that I offer to each individual client.
Remote and face to face sessions
At present I offer predominantly remote therapy sessions via Zoom, however I do have some face to face slots, although these may not always be available. I have received good feedback regarding remote sessions as it allows individuals a chance to fit the therapy sessions in around their day as it means they do not need to factor in travelling times. With the remote therapy sessions, I do ask that you are in a fully confidential space for the sessions where you are the only individual present. If you have any questions regarding the remote sessions or face to face sessions, please do not hesitate to ask. We can discuss this in the initial appointment or please do book a free 15 minute phone call, by using the "book an intro call" feature on this page.
What to expect in the first session
The first session will be a space where I can explain the type of therapy that I offer as well as going through the Counselling contract, such as confidentiality and what you can expect from the counselling. It also gives you a chance to outline what you would like to get out of the counselling and any goals that you may want to work towards.
Although counselling can be difficult and challenging at times, it can also be very beneficial and rewarding in the longer term.
Training, qualifications & experience
MSc in Counselling Psychology from the University of Keele.
I have also undergone training in Counselling for Depression in 2017 in order to provide counselling within the NHS. CfD is based upon a joint model of both Person Centred Therapy and Emotion Focused Therapy.
The main type of therapy that I am trained in is Person Centred Therapy. This therapy focuses on offering the Core Conditions, which include unconditional positive regard, congruence and empathy. I will offer you a confidential and non-judgmental space where we can work alongside each other towards your goals or understanding any experiences or current difficulties that are impacting your life.
Since qualifying I ave undertaken further training in various topics, such as Motivational Interviewing, Critical Incident Debriefing and Relational Trauma among others.
Qualifications
MSc in Counselling Psychology - Keele University
CfD training - Nottingham University
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 - £75.00
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
My fees are from £60 per 50 minute online counselling session.
Face to face appointments are available, although they are limited and start from £75 per 50 minute session.
I offer a free 15 minute telephone appointment before the initial first appointment, so we can discuss any questions you may have regarding the therapy, what has brought you to the therapy and how we would work.
When I work
I have availability during the week day and evenings. I can offer early morning appointments from 7am.
Further information
I am a registered member with the BACP and so adhere and work within the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychology. This includes confidentiality.
