Making a choice about which therapist to choose can be difficult and sometimes confusing. How you choose your therapist and what factors help you decide, must be down to you and not influenced by others. Feeling you can trust them, that you will feel safe with them, that you will be listened to, understood and not judged, should all form part of your decision making process.
Taking that first step to get in touch can be terrifying and can evoke lots of mixed and unnerving feelings. It may add to the feelings of vulnerability but this is absolutely normal. It also shows immense courage and inner strength that will undoubtedly form a part of the journey you are about to embark on.
With all this in mind, it is important that when choosing your therapist, you consider their qualifications, that they have undergone recognised and approved training, and are registered with a professional body recognised by the professional standards authority.
In addition to my qualifications, I attend regular conferences and specialised courses to maintain up to date continuous professional development.
Alongside my private practice, my clinical experience within mental health settings includes working with the UK's Largest Mental Health Charity, Mind offering counselling support to adults, also Link Counselling Service which offers mental health support to 13 - 25 year olds and finally the Leading National Children's Mental Health Charity, Place 2 Be which offers counselling services to children within schools.
I have always had a passion for working with people. Before working as a psychotherapist and counsellor, my career in the corporate environment centred around working closely with teams and individuals, helping them progress and develop in their chosen careers. I managed small and large customer facing teams, training them, developing their skills and nurturing their talents to help them achieve their maximum potential.
Being able to witness first-hand how simply giving people time to express themselves, notice their abilities, support them through their challenges, listen to them, encourage them to see their full potential and believe in them, highlighted to me that helping people through psychotherapy and counselling can have an even more profound impact on a individuals well-being.
I would like to offer you the same time and space to explore the things that you might feel are troubling you. For those moments where perhaps simply talking to friends or family doesn’t seem to help.
Sometimes it is hard to have your voice heard, to find someone to give you the time you need to express yourself, to be able to truly say what is on your mind without that fear of how someone else might judge your thoughts. Psychotherapy and counselling will offer you exactly that. A chance to be yourselves, to have the space to think, to find clarity, to explore your emotions, to find courage to change, to become hopeful – a chance to find ‘you’.
If this opportunity to have space to explore what’s going on for you sounds like something you would like to experience, then please feel free to contact me.
A Registered Member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and Accredited Member of the National Counselling Society.
Anna Freud
