Counselling

Counselling is a process that psychologically empowers you to take back control of your life whilst working through issues and problems that caused you to lose self esteem, as well as confidence in your own abilities.  Sharing your thoughts and feelings in a safe, confidential environment with a non judgemental and empathetic counsellor allows you to explore feelings and limiting beliefs. I will do an initial consultation with you over the phone and if suitable I will organise a follow up appointment.  Whether your issue is bereavement, relationships, stress, anxiety, depression, anger or any other issue that is causing you concern you can talk things through.

Types of Counselling I can Offer

Counselling the Great Outdoors

Living in such close proximity to the natural world I am more than aware of the healing power of nature.  Having a session in the great outdoors enhances the therapeutic process.  Combining a counselling session with the great outdoors is a popular choice with clients and with the beach on my doorstep along with the view of the Cambrian Mountains, there is no better place to engage with nature whilst working through your difficulties.  You choose whether you would prefer to walk on the beach or by the river, taking in the sights and sounds of the natural world. 

If you would like a session in the great outdoors at any time during therapy just let me know.

Bereavement

I am a Cruse Bereavement volunteer starting in October 2018. Over that time I have worked with a number of clients and recognise that bereavement is the natural and painful process of grieving that follows the loss of a loved one and it affects us on every level; emotional, mental, physical and spiritual. The recovery process is unique to each individual as is the time to heal. I recognise that there are a huge range of responses to bereavement and these responses are influenced by your personality, cultural and religious beliefs and support networks. If you are struggling to cope with bereavement you are more likely to experience stress related illness. I have undergone the specific Cruse bereavement training so please feel free to get in touch.

Working with Trauma

When most people think of trauma, they might think of soldiers returning from battle but in fact, any traumatic event that takes away your sense of safety or is beyond your ability to control can lead to the development of PTSD.  Everything from a natural disaster to sexual or physical abuse.

Over the last few years, I have learnt a lot about neuroscience and how the brain responds to trauma.  In neurodiverse individuals, trauma could be something they experience if they are in a crowded place for example, as they struggle to coregulate their own body so what you perceive as trauma will be different for everyone. The important thing in therapy is that you are heard and I acknowledge that every trauma survivor is different.

I use psychoeducation to explain to a client what is happening in their physical body.  This is because it is the physical body that responds to a perceived threat, it is not a thought.  The thinking comes after. This is why I use a combination of therapeutic techniques which include EFT and NLP techniques in addition to mindfulness or hypnotherapy to calm the nervous system down and bring the client to a place of safety within their own body.  The psychoeducation helps the client to understand what is going on in the physical body which can automatically drive down anxiety.  Knowledge is power and once you can work with the physical body rather than against it the healing can begin.

Pregnancy after loss

Having worked as a bereavement volunteer and seeing how the impact of stillbirth or miscarriage can have on an expectant mother has led me to develop a special program that brings together counselling, hypnotherapy and Reiki to help mums to be through their anxiety and help them to address their fears so they can go on to enjoy their pregnancy. 

Anxiety in pregnancy has been proven to cause problems for the unborn baby in later years with the child possibly developing mental health problems as well as neurological conditions such as ADHD or ADD.  Calm mother promotes a calm baby.  A combination of hypnotherapy and counselling will help to promote this. 

Stress, Anxiety and Depression

Living with anxiety is debilitating and can affect every area of your life. You can experience panic attacks, along with fears and phobias.  I will use a combination of CBT techniques, counselling and hypnotherapy to enable you to free yourself from the feeling of being trapped within your own mind.  Relaxation techniques will be used to help calm your mind and we will find the root cause of your anxiety.  Counselling alongside hypnotherapy is very beneficial with stress and anxiety.

Counselling in the Workplace

A 2010 systematic study by McLeod of the research evidence, showed that workplace counselling interventions have been found to reduce sickness absence rates in organisations by as much as 50%. This fact alone demonstrates the cost-effective nature of counselling, and the positive impact it can have on an organisation’s productivity.

We all experience life-crisis issues at different stages in our lives.  Issues such as bereavement and loss, relationship and family difficulties, and stresses at home can all preoccupy someone’s thinking and distract them from work.  Counselling often helps employees who are absent from work accelerate the rehabilitation process back into work. 

While counselling is available on the NHS the long waiting times and the lack on inflexibility of appointment times and locations make the prospect of linking with me a more attractive option.  You can hire me on an ad hoc basis or a part time basis depending on the size of your workforce.  Counselling is voluntary so your employees must be willing to see me and they will understand that confidentiality is assured.