Ashleigh Gardner
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Contact information
Therapist - Pudsey
Features
- Flexible hours available
- Concessionary rates
Availability
Monday to Friday 9am - 6pm
Limited weekend availability on request
About me and my therapy practice
Making the first step and looking for a counsellor to work with can feel scary and overwhelming. It’s hard to know what to say or what to expect, especially if you have not had counselling before.
Building a safe and trusting relationship with your counsellor is important. It can take time to do this, but it is important that you feel comfortable enough with them in the beginning to start on that journey. I offer a safe space, where you will be truly listened to without expectation or judgement. This allows my clients to feel comfortable in being open and honest so that they can get the most out of their sessions.
Counselling sessions are a time for you. They are to be used in a way that you feel will be helpful. This means that you decide what you want to explore during each session. It is an opportunity for you to look at past events and how they are impacting the present, explore thoughts and emotions or find new coping strategies.
My sessions are tailored to each client, this means that they look different for everyone. Being in counselling, there are twists and turns along the way and no two sessions are the same. There may be times where sessions may feel challenging and others where you feel like you’re moving forwards in a way you did not expect and that the dots are starting to join together.
I completed my professional training in MA Integrative Counselling at Leeds Beckett University. Before training as a counsellor, I worked for over 10 years as a Social Worker, working across Yorkshire in both children’s and adult’s services. In this role I supported people in navigating challenging times in their lives.
I have experience in working with a variety of issues. Some of these include anxiety, depression, relationships, work related stress, physical illness, grief and loss.
Practice description
It is my role to support you to gain a deeper understanding of yourself and develop your ability to make the changes that you want to make. Together, we will explore your thoughts and feelings at a pace that feels comfortable for you.
My approach is relaxed, authentic and empathic, offering safety for you to explore what brings you to therapy, this might include anxiety, depression, low self-esteem or self-confidence, bereavement, work-related stress, loneliness, family issues or relationships. Talking through your experiences in a confidential space without judgement or opinion can be the first step into developing insight into yourself and what you need to move forward. Working together, we can recognise and find meaning in patterns that are useful and those that are not, explore emotions, understand values and explore the meaning of past experiences and how they can inform the present.
Working with you and your individual needs, I integrate theory, counselling skills, personal characteristics and qualities into my work. I embrace elements of person centred, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), existential and psychodynamic theories. Each of these are not always present for all clients but will depend on the needs and preferences of each individual.
My first session
I offer a free 15 minute consultation prior to booking a first session, this allows us to get a sense of how we will work together.
In the first session, we will talk about what brings you to therapy and what you want to gain from it.
What I can help with
Abuse, ADD / ADHD, Anxiety, Autism spectrum, Bereavement, Chronic fatigue syndrome / ME, Depression, Health related issues, Loss, Neurodiversity, Obsessions, OCD, Redundancy, Relationships, Self esteem, Self-harm, Stress, Trauma, Work related issues
Types of therapy
CBT, Existential, Humanistic, Integrative, Person centred, Psychodynamic, Relational
Clients I work with
Adults, Older adults, Trainees, Young people
How I deliver therapy
Long term sessions, Long-term face-to-face work, Online therapy, Short term sessions, Short-term face-to-face work, Telephone therapy, Time-limited