Therapeutic Counselling Online UK - support for mental health and wellbeing
Discussing thoughts, feelings and issues in a confidential environment.
Looking at specific situations and reflecting.
Somewhere to express your true Self.
Gaining more control (for example, over anxiety, worry or depression).
Exploring what is important to you and finding meaning in life.
Looking at repeating patterns of behaviour - wanting to change them.
Learning to accept the past and explore how it affects your relationships in the present.
Learning more about your thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
Learning to trust others or have confidence in yourself.
Finding out who you are and what you need.
Accepting situations, accepting others, accepting yourself.
Learning to be yourself and to trust your own judgements.
Often, when we are in situations of real or perceived danger, our brains and bodies try to protect us from the impact of stress by triggering automatic reactions.
These may be effective in the short-term but, if they keep being triggered, over the long-term the system can forget to switch off - leaving us exhausted, physically uncomfortable, and feeling like we're on high-alert all the time.
In sessions, exploring strategies that can help in the long-term, and exploring the root cause of what keeps triggering this automatic system, can help you regain control of anxious thoughts and help your brain and body recalibrate.
Sometimes we feel that we can't open up to friends and family because we don't want to burden them with our problems.
We might feel that our thoughts and feelings are private and we just don't feel comfortable sharing them with other people. Alternatively, we may be feeling low and just not know why.
In these situations, having a space where you can discuss your concerns with a professional gives you the opportunity to really explore what is happening for you - in a confidential environment, in safety, with support, and without fear of judgement.
Many clients experiencing mental distress tell me that they feel disconnected in some way - sometimes from other people but often within themselves.
Emotions like guilt, shame, fear and despair rarely respond to reason and logic, and this can leave us feeling as if we have lost control over our own thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
Using talk-therapy I can help you to explore these reactions, find ways to manage difficult thoughts and feelings, and work towards reintegrating those parts that feel disconnected.
My work is trauma-informed and you will be supported to work through the counselling process safely and at a pace that feels right for you.
Sometimes in life we believe we're not 'good enough', and feel unable to live up to expectations - either our own, or other people's.
When our inner voice keeps reinforcing this idea, it can become very limiting, and impact on our mental health and self esteem.
We might have to work hard at hiding our feelings, at pleasing other people, or 'fitting in', and the person we present to the world can seem like a mask hiding our true inner self. This can be exhausting and confusing - making us wonder 'who is the real me?'
In counselling sessions I can help you to explore and focus on the different parts that make up your identity, find out what motivates them, and help them to work together rather than in isolation.
Understanding and feeling comfortable with who we are can improve our openness, our confidence, and can increase our self-esteem.
Are you living with stress, anxiety, panic attacks or depression? Have you been given a mental health diagnosis and want to explore what that means for you?
Counselling can offer a safe and supportive online space for you to have a break from the stresses and strains of daily life. A place to vent or to recharge your batteries. A place where you can be yourself, knowing you will be seen and heard without bias, prejudice or judgement.
Counselling offers a unique therapeutic relationship that allows you to focus on your needs, something we often neglect.
There are many influences that contribute to our understanding of what it means to be a person living in the world today. Input from family, friends, peers and media can become confusing or overwhelming. Barriers can hold us back when we are trying to develop our own ideas of what it means to be 'Me', and this can be particularly true if we have had to navigate traumatic experiences, or we have grown up feeling somehow different to others. We may be given a diagnosis that we feel sets us apart, such as autism, ADHD, or a personality disorder.
Experiencing difficulties can often create feelings of shame, guilt and confusion that remain hidden inside, and we might try to live by other people's standards or mask our true self. Comparing ourselves to others can be helpful in some ways, but it can also cause internal conflict and result in distress.
Counselling can help you explore your own identity and focus on what is important to you, enabling you to clarify your sense of who you are and improving your self-esteem. It can help you to value any perceived differences and encourages development of positive self-acceptance.
Are you going through a difficult time? Are you trying to adjust to a new situation? Do you have a tough decision to make? Is there a major life event ahead that you are concerned about?
Life is full of beginnings, endings, loss, change, challenge and opportunity - some of our own making and others beyond our control. Whether you find change exciting, scary, or both, it can be helpful to explore how you feel, and reflect on your ideas, thoughts, and options.
Counselling can help you through the process and support you in negotiating a path through life's twists and turns.
"This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honourably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent as a guide from beyond."
Tuesdays - Weekly sessions at 2.00 pm
Wednesdays - Weekly sessions in the afternoon or evening
Thursdays - Sorry, no availability