Wessex Counselling Service
About us
In light of the current coronavirus situation we are also able to offer online counselling via zoom.
Wessex Counselling & Psychotherapy, celebrating more than 30 Years of Psychodynamic Counselling, psychotherapy and Counsellor Training in Frome, Bristol, Bath, Street and surrounding Areas. We are happy to take GP referrals. We help people and we train those who want to help.
Our counselling offers help in addressing the difficult areas of your life. This might involve loss and grief, relationship troubles or problems at work. Equally, there are times when the cause is not clear but you still feel something is wrong. Colleagues, family and friends can be a great source of support but it’s not always easy to confide in those closest to you. At times like these, talking to someone who is not personally involved can make a difference. A professional counsellor will listen to you without making judgements and can help you find new resources within yourself. Counselling sessions take place in Bristol, Bath, Street and Frome – counselling and training are open to people across the Southwest.
Training, qualifications & experience
Training which is integrated with our clinical services…
Our counselling service works hand in hand with our training provision which means that we are one of the few training organisations in the region who can provide their own clinical placements for Diploma and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy trainees.
We are part of the national network of counselling centres in the UK (National Counselling Network) and our counselling service is also accredited by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Member organisations *
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.
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.
British Psychoanalytic Council
The British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) is a professional association, representing the profession of psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
The organisation is itself made up of fourteen member organisations and BPC accredits the trainings of its member organisations. An individual who qualifies from one of these trainings is then eligible for entry into the BPC's register.
BPC registrants are governed by a code of ethics, a policy of continuing professional development, a statement on confidentiality and a complaints procedure. The BPC is a Member Society of the European Federation for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in the Public Sector (EFPP). 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 we deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Specialist services Employee Counselling Schemes
Employee stress can be a huge cost to any organisation in absence, poor performance ,or losing valuable talents. Often an employee can get back on track with their work if they can get effective help when they need it. We have a wealth of experience in our well -trained and highly professional counsellors and can tailor our Employee Counselling Scheme to meet your organisations' needs.
Children and young peoples' service
At Wessex Counselling & Psychotherapy (WCP) we have counsellors experienced in working with children and young people. Children and young people can experience a range of emotional difficulties. It can be very helpful for them to have some space to talk with an experienced children counsellor. Help at an early stage can increase the ability to learn and grow and alter the view a child has about the world and takes into adulthood.
External supervision for professionals
In many professions - alternative therapy, health-related posts, nursing, teaching and others - you may work with individuals who are in emotional distress. If you have no access to supervision, this can have an effect on your own emotional health. it can become difficult to stand back and assess what is best for both yourself and your client. At WCP we can provide that external supervision that will help your work become more manageable and more effective.
Therapies offered
Fees
Counselling – How it happens
Initial appointment
First we arrange for you to have an initial meeting with one of our senior counsellors. This gives you a chance to explore why you got in touch – and to decide whether you think counselling will help. The meeting lasts 50 minutes. If counselling is the best way forward then we make every effort to match you with one of our professional counsellors who best suits your needs. You would meet them once a week for a session lasting 50 minutes. This arrangement is open-ended and can continue for as long as you need it and are able to come. We also offer Brief Counselling when appropriate as well as the following specialist services :
Children and young peoples' service
External supervision
Employee Counselling Schemes
Fees
There is a range of fees – based on income – which will be explained to you clearly at the first meeting. We try to make the counselling as affordable as possible.
Access
Our Frome consultation rooms are up a flight of stairs so may be a problem for anyone with restricted mobility. If this is the case just let us know – we can make alternative arrangements in town to suit your needs. Our Bristol consultation rooms are ground floor.
Further information
Psychodynamic Counselling
At Wessex Counselling & Psychotherapy we use a long-established and well-known method called psychodynamic counselling. This focuses on how early experience in life shapes our psychological development. The resulting thoughts and desires, fears, anxieties and fantasies can be a major influence on our adult selves and our relationships. This is not always obvious however and often we are barely aware of it. Becoming aware of these unconscious, mental processes is an important way to live a more fulfilling life. Once we understand unhelpful patterns of behaviour, we can accept more of ourselves and the life we have already led. We can also begin to make new decisions – decisions to change. Your counsellor will work with you to understand more about yourself and how you relate to others so that you can experience more freedom of choice in your life. You may be struggling with distressed, isolating, depressed or anxious states of mind but your counsellor will be alongside you and there to help you find your way through.
