What is Counselling?
Counselling is a talking therapy which enables people to discuss their problems and any difficult feelings they encounter in a safe, confidential environment. The term counselling can mean different things to different people, but in general, it is a process people seek when they want to change something in their lives, or simply explore their thoughts and feelings in more depth.
A counsellor is not there to sit you down and tell you what to do. Instead, they will encourage you to talk about what's bothering you in order to uncover any root causes and identify your specific ways of thinking. The counsellor may then look to create a plan of action to either help you reconcile your issues, or help you to find ways of coping.
Rue Smith
Rue is an experienced integrative counsellor working primarily with a person-centred approach to counselling whilst drawing from other theories and approaches to suit the clients needs, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Transactional Analysis (TA).
Mel Phillips
I have over 12 years' experience of working in NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services as a Senior CAMHS Mental Health Specialist with Children and Young People aged between 5 - 18 years, presenting with wide-ranging emotional and behavioural difficulties, including anxiety, low mood, OCD, as well as within specialist eating disorders and family therapy clinics. I have also worked within specialist CAMHS services specialising in Looked After and Adopted Children and Young People mental health. I am also a qualified Child EMDR Therapist.
David Cox
It can be difficult opening up to someone; I’ve been there, I understand. As an open, caring and trustworthy male therapist, I am uniquely positioned to give you a safe space to talk, to be seen, heard and understood. I will support you to look beneath the surface and see things you haven’t seen before and help you find a way to move forward.
Ria Hickman
As a counsellor, I am committed to supporting you in overcoming emotional blocks and unhelpful behaviours. My goal is to help you achieve healing, change, and personal growth through self-understanding and introspection. You don't need to know why you're considering therapy; we'll explore that together building a therapeutic relationship founded on trust and safety.
Lucy Sanderson
I am a BACP registered Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist working with both adults and children from age 9 upwards. I am warm and approachable and strive to provide a safe, non-judgemental, and confidential space for you to explore anything that you wish to talk about. My core modalility is person-centred; however I am trained to integrate other psychological approaches into our work together. This may mean the incorporation of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), as well as the use of Creative and Symbolic strategies.
Tracy Sheppard
I’m an Integrative Therapist who welcomes Adults and Children (aged 9 years +) for Counselling.
Counselling for Adults: Sometimes life’s twists and turns can stop us in our tracks, or we recognise we feel uncomfortable or misaligned. Therapy can help to explore and smooth out our inner selves.
Counselling for Children aged 9+, Tweens, Teens & Young Adults: If you are concerned about a young person navigating challenges, worries, or distress it can be hard to know how to help. Therapy can be a place to make sense of their upsets and find some calm.
Julie Milne
My name is Julie. I am a qualified Integrative Counsellor. My working style is person-centred combined with drawing on elements of different theories and techniques such as Gestalt, Psychodynamic and psychosynthesis to offer flexibility to best suit your needs. With the key success of counselling being the therapeutic relationship, I use my friendly, warm, open and calm approach to provide a comfortable environment and enhance the therapeutic relationship.