Manuela MacDonald
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
Supervision details
My background includes working in agencies, schools, colleges and higher education, charities, private practice, and with insurance and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) providers. I've had the privilege of working with people from all walks of life and backgrounds, across multiple cultures, and from various parts of the world.
My approach is flexible, meeting the needs of counsellors whether online or over the phone, in-person, and I believe in creating a safe, reflective space where therapists feel truly supported and empowered to grow.
What I Bring to Supervision:
Over the years, I’ve gained a wealth of experience working with a diverse range of issues, and my supervision reflects this depth:
Neurodiversity & Learning Disabilities: I've worked extensively with neurodivergent clients, including those with autism, ADHD, and cognitive differences. I’m passionate about helping supervisees develop a strengths-focused approach that respects each client's unique way of engaging with the world, while ensuring accessible, clear communication in sessions.
Trauma-Informed Support: Trauma-informed care has been a core part of my work, whether in agency settings, private practice, or through EAP programs. I guide counsellors to work compassionately with clients who have experienced trauma, focusing on how to create a space of safety, trust, and growth. At the same time, I aim to support counsellors in managing their own well-being.
Working with Carers: Supporting carers, whether for family members or professionally, presents unique challenges. I help counsellors with enabling their clients to empathy with building their own resilience and maintaining healthy boundaries and self-care strategies.
Health & Wellbeing: Having worked with clients facing physical health challenges, chronic illness, and disability, I know the importance of integrating both mental and physical health into therapy. I help supervisees adopt a holistic approach, bringing sensitivity to the complex layers that often accompany health concerns.
Young People & Higher Education: My experience working with young people, especially in university settings, has given me insight into the unique pressures they face—academic stress, identity exploration, and mental health challenges. I support therapists working with young clients to develop tools for addressing these specific needs, especially when they intersect with neurodiversity or cultural adjustment.
Experience Across Different Cultures and Contexts
I’m grateful to have had the chance to work with clients from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and identities, both locally and globally. My supervision respects each counsellor’s unique identity and the diversity of their clients. I believe that cultural awareness is essential in making therapy truly inclusive and meaningful.
My Style as a Supervisor:
I keep my supervision style relaxed, open, and collaborative, with a strong focus on reflective practice. I create a space where counsellors can explore their work openly, discuss challenges, and celebrate successes. My approach is a blend of models (7-eyed Model, Cyclical Model and integrated Developmental Model, aiming to bring out the strengths of each therapist I work with.
Supervision with me includes case discussions, skill-building, and space to talk through the real-life demands of the work, whether it’s managing difficult cases or just navigating the ups and downs of the job. I’m here to help you build confidence, stay resilient, and find new perspectives in your work.
Availability and cost:
I offer online sessions and the frequency can be adapted to fit different schedules, bi-weekly, or monthly. I also run group supervision sessions for those looking to learn and share with peers.
I charge £50 per hour and 60.- for 1.5 hours and offer concessions for student counsellors.
Group prices vary.
Please email me for further information and to arrange an introductory chat to work out if we are a good fit.
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.
