Viv Houghton
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hi,
My name is Viv, My role as a therapist is to provide space for you to explore your difficulties at your own pace, within a safe and non- judgemental relationship.
I am deeply passionate about the work I do and I would feel privileged to accompany you on your path towards healing, growth, and resilience.
People come to counselling for a variety of reasons, to help cope with the stresses of everyday life or following a major life change, bereavement or perhaps to understand themselves better.
About me:
I am a qualified integrative counsellor this means I work with a variety of different, methods, approaches and philosophies to suit each person and situation. Typically, I am influenced by, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment Theory, Transactional Analysis and Gestalt among others but predominantly I like to follow your lead in the session and work collaboratively with you. I offer counselling in Gosforth, Newcastle and Sunderland.
How I can help:
I can help with depression, life direction, loneliness, anxiety, stress, trauma, low self-esteem, past abuse, attachment issues, social anxiety, grief and bereavement amongst many other mental health and personal issues. This is not an exhaustive list though and am happy to explore anything that comes my way.
My style is grounded, compassionate with humour authenticity and acceptance. I will gently challenge you to grow, inside and out of sessions.
We might use the space for therapeutic talk but also use practical strategies, whatever feels right for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications
- Level 5 Diploma in Integrative Therapeutic Counselling
- Level 1, 2, and 3 Counselling Skills
- Foundation Degree in Social Care
Training
- Domestic Abuse Awareness Levels 1 and 2
- Domestic Abuse Trusted Professional Training Level 3
- Psychology of Victim Blaming
- Safeguarding Training Levels 1 and 2
- Zoe Lodrick's "Working with Sexual Violence"
- Recognising and Responding to Child Sexual Exploitation
- How to Help Young People Who Self-Harm
- Training Topics on Sex Work, Survival Work, and Sexual Exploitation:
- A Trauma-Informed Approach to Working with Male Survivors of Rape and Childhood Sexual Abuse
- Understanding Eating Distress: An Introduction
- Rethinking Self-Harm: An Introduction to the Neuroscience of Self-Harm for Professionals
- Supporting Young Men and Adults Through Grief
- Restorative Justice for Schools
Experience
- Working with children and young people (11+) for a Children’s Charity
- Working with young people and adults in Private Practice.
- Working with clients dealing with bereavement and loss.
- Working with clients facing work-related stress, general anxiety disorder, low self-esteem, childhood abuse, neglect, relationship issues, feelings of loneliness, and managing sadness.
- Working with women and men who have lived through sexual abuse.
- Working with male and female individuals in abusive relationships
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£50.00 - £55.00
Free initial telephone session
Additional information
Newcastle City Centre £50 per 50 minutes
Sunderland £50 per 50 minutes
Gosforth 55 per 50 minutes
When I work
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Further information
I offer a free 20 minute informal telephone chat. This is an opportunity to talk about what you want from counselling and to see if I am the 'right fit' for you. Please email me with any queries.
Here are some recent client reviews( names have been changed)
Sophie, 43 "Counselling has really helped, I feel I can now manage my day to day day life better"
Richard, 35 "Viv has been a breath of fresh air, I was nervous embarking on this journey but Viv put me at ease, best thing I have done"
James, 42 " I feel I have been able to make sense of my difficult past. I now have a clear picture of where my life is heading"
Louis, 15 " I felt able to talk to Viv I opened up more to her than I have anybody else, I think I can now talk to my parents more"
Sam ( Louis's dad) " I feel Louis felt at ease with Viv I know he enjoyed his sessions with her"
