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My usual times to see clients are Monday to Thursday, and occasionally Fridays or Saturdays by special arrangement.

I am also a community responder, so may, on occasion, need to cancel a session or rebook at short notice, especially during weather events.

Being a former social worker, I always strive to work in an inclusive and person-centred way, using my training in several styles of counselling to help my clients achieve a satisfactory outcome to the issues they bring.

Clients may come to see me, or, if a client has a mobility limitation or other issue affecting their mobility, we may agree that I see the client in their own home, if remote methods are not possible.

As well as talking therapy, I am able to use various media to help clients to express themselves, for example, using creative art materials or sand tray. 

By arrangement with my clients, where appropriate, following a full assessment of their need, I am also able to offer animal-assisted interventions on a limited basis.

My core qualification is an Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling, from the Iron Mill Institute in Exeter in 2010, (although my journey as a counsellor actually began in 1991). This means that I have worked on my own issues past and current as part of my training and ongoing development.

My training covered several styles or modalities of counselling including, but not limited to, Person Centred, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Solution-focused Brief Therapy, Transactional Analysis (TA) and Gestalt. 

Since qualifying, I have undertaken further training and CPD in working with survivors of abuse, working with children and young people, using animal-assisted interventions in a therapeutic setting, and more recently, having undertaken several courses to understand how early life trauma can affect an individual's brain-development and personality.

From my former 'day job' of 15 & 1/2  years, I have a Level 4 City & Guilds Qualification in the Management of Substance Abuse, so well understand the process of addiction, motivation for change and helping clients to achieve the change they desire.

I am a firm believer in the power of the outdoors, and have successfully helped clients to address their issues, working not only in open green spaces, but also in urban settings.

Indoor sessions are typically 50 minutes long. The first session will differ depending on where I am seeing the client. 

If in my office, there will be an element of assessment as well as talking. If a home visit, it will be mostly talking, as much of the assessment will have been carried out prior to the home visit to ensure it is the most appropriate setting for the client's needs and the safety of us both. Sometimes clients find that they cannot 'switch off' from certain domestic factors when the session is held in their own home (that funny noise the boiler makes, etc.).

Outdoor sessions can be of variable length and cost, depending on location/travel and the client's ability to participate without it becoming an emotional drain or too tiring an experience.