Wendelien Mcnicoll
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
Counselling and Supervision
Counselling
About me:
My specialism is palliative or end-of-life counselling and bereavement counselling.
I am the co-author of an illustrated grief book called: Surviving the Tsunami of Grief. See tsunamiofgrief.com
Most of my clients come to me by word of mouth now. Having counselling is making an investment into yourself and your future and is in every way less costly than trying to cope with all the symptoms. Counselling ethically, is a huge commitment which I take very seriously and you will feel that commitment from me however long or short our sessions are. I am not an expert, you are, but I am very good at listening in a way that allows deeper rooted beliefs to come to the fore. Sometimes much to your own surprise, you will tell me, "this is not what I came for initially".
And it turns out that by looking at these deep rooted beliefs, where somewhere along the line you got stuck, you will be understood on a level you never experienced before.
I am a discreet, experienced, non judgemental and compassionate counsellor, who deeply respects that first difficult step you have taken in seeking counselling. It is such a big step to take and can leave you feeling a bit vulnerable. I get that.
I am an experienced Supervisor of counsellors and a Group Supervisor, see below.
I am an experienced Zoom and Telephone counsellor.
About my counselling and how it can help:
Maybe it would help if I say: "I have witnessed the healing 'Aha' moments and seen an awareness come to light of something so vulnerable an so deeply hidden. I have been witness to deep hurt, abuse, shame, guilt, sadness and anger. I have been alongside many journeys travelled through ill health, fear of dying, grief and loss. I have sat with clients in complete silence and yet was able to hear them. To be present when changes occur and a burden is lifted after years and years is truly one of the best feelings for both client and counsellor.
Together we will explore issues you have wanted to talk to someone about but maybe have not had the courage to do so. I respect that courage and I do not judge you or your loved ones.
Not being judged is very powerful
Sometimes words fail and I may introduce other ways to express yourself such as an exercise with art. There is always room to say the “unsay-able”.
I offer General Counselling, Bereavement Counselling; Living-with-Illness Counselling and Palliative Counselling.
Every client is unique and whatever it is you come and see me for, depression, anxiety, relationship trouble, stress, low self-esteem, hidden sexual abuse, there is a reason why you feel the way you do. Together we can find out what that reason is behind the symptoms or issue (s) you bring. Understanding the reason lessens the symptoms. I will help you by addressing the symptoms of course, but the real healing power comes from understanding and accepting your own feelings and thoughts.
However, you may feel slightly taken aback by the intensity of feelings that can arise. This is where a non judgemental counsellor really helps. No client, I think is prepared for when they really "hear" themselves for the first time and this can feel like a relief or a shock. Strong feelings manifest themselves in your body because the body remembers even age old hurt and pain. By me being mindful of these feelings in a careful and compassionate way and bringing them to your awareness, allows you to recognise something that maybe held you back before. And in turn you learn not to judge yourself too harshly on having these feelings. Healing is a word that comes to mind here.
I have specialised in Palliative counselling and Bereavement and Loss counselling. I understand that you probably have had other, maybe unresolved, issues in your life as well as being bereaved. When you are ill or bereaved, even small things you used to do without a second thought are just so much harder and magnified. Everyone grieves in their own way and there is no time line to grief and this is how it should be. You may feel alone and not understand what is happening to you or you may experience physical and or psychological symptoms. Being ill, can marginalise you unintentionally and you need to find a way to stay connected to your 'old' life. Together we look at adapting and keeping you in control of your life rather than be completely at the mercy of the (necessary) maelstrom of hospitals, tests and results, you have arrived in.
I offer you the time and space to heal and to try and make sense of your loss in the context of your life at the moment. Research has shown that bereavement counselling is the most effective form of preventative medicine. And palliative counselling can relieve physical symptoms due to anxiety reduction.
About our sessions
Some people need only a few sessions, others need a lot more and some people return after a long time for some “top up” sessions.
For those with a life limiting illness, I hold counselling sessions wherever you are, whether that is at home, in hospital, in the hospice or in a nursing home.
I have many, many years of experience in Telephone counselling and Zoom. All you need is a quiet space where you will not be interrupted, with tissues and a glass of water at hand and you needn't worry if you cry or if there are long silences, I will hold that space and keep the time.
Emergency Sessions: For that time when you need or want to keep on talking, I offer a 2 hour slot. These are intensive sessions and can stand alone. Clients have found that bringing an energy snack along really helped.
Supervision
The relationship between counsellor and supervisor should be based on professional and mutual respect. We are two colleagues upholding the high ethical standards of our profession and in which the welfare of the client is at the heart of our work together. Each supervision session is different depending on the client load, the counsellor’s needs; the counsellor's work towards accreditation; the ethical issues and so on. I have my own supervisor of supervision so you are reassured that my work is done competently and ethically at all times.
You may like to prepare for supervision by making a few notes on what to bring or you may have a burning issue that needs to take precedent and we will allow time for that. The idea is that we both feel comfortable and thereby remain open to explore a way of working that suits and that fits in with what is appropriate at the time. I would rather you feel you can contact me in between sessions than wrestle with a problem or sit with it. In theory this does not happen often but when it does, there is always a good reason for doing so.
Supervision to me means your growth as a counsellor so you can 'grow' your clients.
Training, qualifications & experience
BACP Snr. Accredited (578121) and Registered Counsellor
I am a Person-Centred/Integrative Counsellor with a private practice in Alton, Hampshire.
I am a qualified Supervisor.
I am a Group Supervisor.
I am an experienced Zoom, Skype and Telephone Counsellor.
Bereavement and Grief Training Thames Hospicecare Windsor
Diploma Person-Centred Counselling 2007
BACP Accredited and Senior Accredited
BACP Registered
UKRCP Registered
Diploma Supervision 2010
Advanced Facilitator of Groups 2011
Soul Midwife Level 1 & 2 Practitioner 2014
Published co-author of
Surviving the Tsunami of Grief
for the bereaved and those wishing to support them
tsunamiofgrief.com
My core training model is Person-Centred and over the years I have found that offering or integrating other wonderful aspects of different counselling models have only enriched my work hence being a so called Person-Centred/Integrative counsellor. For me being person centred mirrors how I would like to be treated myself. I
Person centred counselling has that extra way of connecting that feels so right when you experience it.
I have an obligation to the BACP to keep up my Personal Development. I value this learning highly.
Every counsellor has to have supervision once a month to make sure that we do the job to the best of our ability. I have also qualified as a supervisor myself.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Living with chronic illness for instance Cancer, Parkinsons, MS, MND
Palliative Counselling or End of Life Care Counselling
Transplant Counselling
Fees
£60.00 per session
Additional information
Counselling session 55 min. £60
Supervision session 90 min. £80
Group supervision session £160 for a group of 4-8
An emergency session of two hours £130.
I do charge for a missed session unless your cancellation is received with at least 12 hours notice.
Payment can made by bank transfer
When I work
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Due to a continuing clinically vulnerable family member, I am unable to see clients face to face. However if you are open to working via Zoom or Telephone, please do get in touch.
Further information
In the first session you will get a feel for whether we can work together, and your intuition in this, is the best guide. Some people need a few sessions whilst others may feel the need for many more but I will regularly review your progress with you and make sure we work towards a good ending because we aim to find your way of developing your inner resources. I offer emergency sessions up to 2 hours for an extra fee. These have proved of great help to those that have time constraints and wish to look at something in depth.
My counselling is based on offering you a confidential space in which to explore what is hindering you in living fully. I have the experience to help you explore issues whilst at the same time keeping you safe especially when you are facing a terminal diagnosis or have been bereaved or sexually abused.
Please call or email and feel free to ask lots of questions and look at my website.
I am as always deeply moved and intensely grateful for the words of some of my clients and I have asked these clients if I could use their words here:
"I wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for you" T.
"You do my head in, you do, but I do feel a lot calmer now and able to cope" D.
“I received counselling after the death of my husband (from cancer aged 47yrs). I know that I would not be in such a good place now, if I had not received the counselling. My counsellor encouraged me to talk about all the things that you cannot share with anyone who is too close to you, but you need to talk about – even if you don’t realise it at the time. I was also reassured that all my feelings were totally normal which assuring is when one’s life has been changed so dramatically.
I am eternally grateful for the help and support I was given over the 2 years of seeing my counsellor – I thought I would be there for ever but the end came gradually and naturally and one day it came to me that I could go on without the counsellor and our weekly meeting. I know she is there if at any time I need any more counselling and that also helps me to get through. I cannot thank her enough in getting me through the tough early days”. S.