07738 665 293
A little bit about me
I am a fully qualified humanistic and integrative counsellor and
psychotherapist based in Nottingham, and have been working in the field of mental health wellbeing for the last seven years.
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I am an Accredited Member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy MBACP (Accred) adhering to their guidelines, and am committed to 'continued professional development'. As part of my training, I undertook three years of personal therapy to understand the process first hand and to gain greater awareness and understanding of myself in order to help my clients better.
A humanistic and integrative approach
A Humanistic approach focuses on the client as a whole. It encourages a client to think about their feelings focusing on self-development, growth and responsibilities that seek to help a client recognise their strengths, creativity and choice in the 'here and now'. It is based on the belief we all naturally gravitate towards goodness, recognising that difficult life experiences may temporarily block our ability to reach our potential, but with the right support, we all have the ability to achieve our goals.
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Integrative counselling is a combined approach to therapy that brings together different elements of specific therapies. The view being there is no one single approach to treat a client in all situations, rather each client needs to be considered as a whole and counselling techniques must be tailored to their individual needs and personal circumstances.
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It maintains the idea there are many ways in which human psychology can be explored and understood and no one theory alone holds the answer. All theories are considered to have value, even if their foundational principles contradict each other, hence the need to integrate them.
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The integrative approach also refers to the infusion of a client's personality and needs - integrating the affective, behavioural, cognitive, and physiological systems within one person, as well as addressing social and spiritual aspects. Essentially, integrative counsellors are not only concerned with what works, but why it works..
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As your humanistic and integrative therapist I will work to create a safe, supportive space for you to explore yourself and your potential, ultimately working towards developing your own personal growth - mentally, emotionally and spiritually - tailoring therapy to you and not you to the therapy.
My training, qualification and experience
I hold a First Class Honours Degree in Humanistic and Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, following three years of training at the highly-respected Sherwood Psychotherapy Training Institute in Nottingham. More information on that course and qualification can be accessed at www.spti.net..
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The course is fully accredited by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy
(BACP) and as a Registered Member I am guided by, and adhere to their ethical
framework. More information on this can be accessed at www.bacp.co.uk.
I also hold professional liability insurance.
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Experience
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Volunteer counsellor and assessor with Nottingham Counselling Service (NCS) since 2017 to present.
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Volunteer Wellbeing Specialist with Project5 providing wellbeing support for healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Counsellor/Psychotherapist for Wellbeing Clinic - Jan - May 20.
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Volunteer ChildLine counsellor - May 15 - Sep 17
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Additional Training
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Assessment Training - Nottingham Counselling Service - January 2020
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How to do counselling online: a coronavirus primer - BACP (online) - April 2020
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Diploma - New Skills Academy (online) - June 2020
Continued professional development (CPD)
Continuing professional development (CPD) is a value of the BACP's Ethical Framework. As a registered member I agree to plan, review and reflect on mine in a structured way by identifying my learning needs and areas of practice I would benefit from further development which in turn contributes to my clients' safety. Below is a record of my CPD to date.
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Working on Dreams: A Gestalt Approach with Alan Leach - October 2019
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Medication used in Mental Health with John Lawton, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - November 2019
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Shame, Obsession & Habitual Worrying: A Perspective from Relational and Integrative Psychotherapy with Dr Richard Erskine over a two-day training workshop in London - November 2019.
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Dealing with Distress: Working with Suicide and Self-harm delivered by Carolyn Spring - April 2020 (online).
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A Pluralistic Approach to Therapy with Mick Cooper (online) - May 2020.
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Single Session Therapy - Principles & Practice with Windy Dryden (online) - May 2020.
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Relational Depth in Counselling & Psychotherapy with Mick Cooper (online) - May 2020.
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