Creating a safe space for you

For the past 11 years I have been working with children's emotional and mental wellbeing in a primary school setting as a Thrive practitioner. 

During this time, I completed a foundation degree in person-centred counselling. Over the past couple of years I have worked at St Wilfred's hospice working with adults in their bereavement service and also within The Seahorse Project at St Wilfred's Hospice supporting children and young people in bereavement counselling.

I am a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Getting the right therapist for you is essential so I offer a free introductory 30 minute session, either face to face or on the telephone to help you decide whether I am the right person for you and whether I can offer the support you need. 

This no obligation time is for you to make sure you feel comfortable with me and that the space we are in works for you. We can also use this time to discuss the potential days and times of your sessions that work best for you should you decide to continue.

If you choose to continue then our sessions will be 50 minutes long and are £50 per session. I also offer a limited number of sessions at a concession rate of £45 depending on individual circumstances.

I offer face to face counselling within my purpose built therapy cabin in Heathfield, East Sussex. There is plenty of on road parking around our house and a separate entrance to the therapy cabin for confidentiality. The town of Heathfield is a 5 minute drive away with facilities and cafes for parents/carers or partners to wait if they choose. 

If you decide after your introductory meeting that you would like to proceed with me as your counsellor, we will use our first full session to cover what to expect from therapy, discuss our confidential agreement together and what has brought you to therapy. 

As a person-centred integrative counsellor, you will be at the centre of our time together. I offer an empathic, trusting, warm, non-judgemental and genuine approach to each individual person. The person-centred approach to therapy believes that each individual is an expert in themselves and by providing a non-judgemental space full of warmth, empathy, respect and genuineness, you will be empowered to trust yourself and understand your challenges more fully. 

I believe by offering my clients these conditions, and a place where you feel accepted, respected and really listened to, that healing, change and self-growth will naturally follow.

I believe in following what you need from therapy and for some people, working creatively can also feel supportive and offer another depth to the therapy process, so I can follow my client's lead and can offer this too.

During our first session, I meet the child/young person with their parents/carers. We talk about what has brought them to counselling and I introduce a little of how I work. 

Talking to a new adult about personal things can feel very daunting for children and young people, so the most important part of our initial sessions will be to build a confidential space where they feel safe and comfortable. 

I offer a more creative way of working with children and young people as I find this allows the child/young person to get in touch with their emotions and explore their experience without always needing to use verbal language. 

After our first session, I will encourage the family to go away and talk to the child/young person to see if they feel comfortable to continue coming to see me as future sessions will then be on a one to one basis. 

Abuse or neglect, addictive behaviours, adverse childhood experiences, anger management, anxiety, bereavement and loss, child related issues, depression, health related issues, identity issues, issues relating to sexuality, loneliness, menopause, neurodiversity, redundancy,  relationships, retirement,  stress, trauma, self-esteem and work related issues are amongst some of a long list.