INTEGRATIVE FACE TO FACE COUNSELLING IN THE NORTH WEST AND ONLINE

Welcome to Counselling North West

A safe and calm space to be seen and heard

Integrative Holistic Counselling in the North West and online.

Welcome, and thank you for visiting Counselling North West.

Do you struggle with your emotions?

Do you feel overwhelmed? Like you are not in control?

Have past experiences left you feeling that you can’t live the life you want to live?

It is perfectly natural for us to need support from time to time to make sense of the issues that we are faced with. Too often, we struggle on alone, making do, when we know that we deserve better. For many people, it can be daunting and scary to reach out for support from a professional. But in doing so you are taking the first step towards understanding the possibilities arising from your situation, and how you may like to work with it.

I offer a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space for you to explore the challenges you are facing in your life. Together, we can help you reach a place of self-awareness through which you can reconnect with your core values and make sense of your emotions. I can help with a range of issues, such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem, confidence, bereavement/loss, relationships, abuse, trauma, stress, etc.

I am a highly experienced, skilled and established NCPS Accredited & MBACP registered counsellor (nearly 20yrs). I offer my clients a safe, private, confidential and non-judgemental space to help process and explore any difficulties or issues you may have.

Alongside my private practice work, I am also employed part-time as a Lead Therapist for a Sexual Violence Charity. My previous work experience has included working for a Statutory Service in the NHS, Charities and various EAP's companies.

GET IN TOUCH

For the full list of the issues that counselling can help with, please see ‘The Healing Process’ page.

How counselling can help you?

Counselling provides you with a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space in which to explore the issues that you are facing. It is a talking therapy through which you can share your experiences, the thoughts, feelings and emotions you are struggling with so you can make better sense of them.

As your counsellor, I am here to listen closely to you, with empathy and compassion, so you can gain an objective perspective of your current struggles and work towards making more positive choices. I am not here to fix you. You have the answers within you, and it is my job to help you find those answers so you can manage your emotions and achieve your goals. Together, we will work towards helping you take back control of your life.

You will find that I am a very down to earth, warm and approachable person, who wants you to feel as comfortable as possible. I pride myself on building a strong client-therapist relationship so you can make the best progress possible. I also want to reassure you that therapy is not always a deep, traumatic and tearful experience. There can also be laughter and joy. It is my job to look after you and make sure you get what you need out of our sessions. It is your choice and your journey!

Integrative Counselling

Integrative counselling means that I will draw upon a range of approaches in our sessions together. I am trained in a variety of approaches so I can tailor our sessions to your specific needs and goals. No two people are the same and your experiences are unique to you, which is why this approach will help you achieve your aims and goals.

Holistic Counselling

As a holistic counsellor, I do not treat your issue in isolation. Through our work together, we will explore self care, resilience and developing healthy coping strategies, so you can understand the role they all play in your overall feelings of wellbeing. Everything is connected, and when you understand this, it will help you become more self aware, and it will lead to more positive changes.

Working With Me

I offer a range of ways to engage with counselling, so you feel completely comfortable and confident in sharing your experiences. I can work in person from my private practice or online, so you can access our sessions from the comfort of your own home without the added stress of travelling to a new place. I also offer telephone counselling, which may suit you if you feel self-conscious or the issues that we discuss carry feelings of guilt or shame. Without the intensity of eye contact or being in the room with me, it may help you to explore your feelings more deeply and make better progress.

For more information about working with me, please see ‘The Healing Process’ page.

Issues I Can Help With

I can help with a wide range of issues that you may be struggling with, including but not limited to :

Abust - DV, Sexual, Childhood, CSE, Online

Anxiety, OCD, Phobias

Coaching - Personal Development, Motivation

Disabilities and Health Issues

Kinks and Fetishes

Menopause

Stress - Work related / Personal

Addictions, Self Harm and Eating Disorders

Bereavement - Grief, Loss, Loneliness

Depression and Suicidal Ideation

Identity, Culture and Spirituality

LGBTQ+

Relationship and Family Issues

Trauma and PTSD

Trauma can refer to distressing events that you have experienced recently or in your past which can result in a wide range of symptoms, including feeling overwhelmed by your emotions, in a state of anxiety, struggling with sleep, focus or maintaining healthy relationships. Whatever type of trauma you are dealing with, it can have a huge impact on your day to day existence, preventing you from living your life on your terms. This can make you feel helpless, pessimistic and as though you have no control over your life. However, people who have suffered trauma often have excellent survival skills, and with the right help and guidance can overcome any of the struggles they are facing. Through counselling, we will explore the causes and triggers of your trauma so that you can make positive changes to regain control and move forward with your life.

Put simply, abuse is when someone causes you harm or distress. Abuse can take many forms and can make you feel a wide range of emotions, such as anger, frustration, guilt or shame, which can consume your thoughts on a daily basis, preventing you from forming healthy relationships. Through counselling, we will explore your thoughts and feelings in depth, helping you understand them better and developing ways for you to manage your emotions in a positive way. To do this, we will use a strength based approach, which focuses on and harnesses the strengths and resilience you already have to overcome your struggles.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder caused by experiencing extremely distressful or frightening events. If you are suffering from PTSD, you may feel constantly anxious and afraid, you may have trouble sleeping or experience flashbacks and nightmares. PTSD can make it very difficult for your day to day living, but through counselling you can begin to understand the emotions that you are feeling and take back control using your own strengths which I will help you identify and implement.

If the issue that you are struggling with isn’t listed above, please get in contact to see if we can work together.

Frequently asked questions

Many therapists tend to view Counselling as ‘short-term’ work; when someone has a problem that can be looked at and discussed in a clearly-resolvable way. This work often requires undertaking sessions for a certain number of weeks, to explore, discover and clarify a way forward. Therapy is a word used more to describe ‘long-term’ work; discussion that tends towards substantial issues and things that might be life-changing on a deeper level.

Whether counselling or therapy work best as a short- or long-term option depends on the client though, and the difficulties they are facing. In some cases counselling can prove helpful as a continuing, longer-term option, or therapy can help resolve an issue in just a few sessions.

There’s no fixed or ideal length of time for the counselling process; it varies from person to person and will often depend on the depth of the issues they are facing. While I can work on an open-ended basis with clients, I find it is helpful for us to both agree before we start on undertaking a certian nunebr of sessions and reviewing where we are at once we reach that point. You are able to decide how long your therapy willl last, and in return my aim is to make sure therapy continues for only as long as it is of benefit to you.

This depends on what your needs are. Some people find that after only a very few sessions they have some clarity and focus and are ready to end the therapy. Other people value the ongoing support and relationship with me and will continue to come for weeks, months, or even years. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' when it comes to therapy.

My aim is to offer you a first appointment, known as an assessment session within 1-2 weeks, this is once we receive your completed client pack back. However, waiting times will vary according to pressure on our resources, your own availability and the service you seek.

An appointment to our short term counselling, which is not subsidised, can be offered within about one week.

Confidentiality is one of the main ways in which therapy differs from many other forms of helping - for example, talking to friends or family can rarely offer the same degree of confidentiality as talking to a counsellor. Because of this confidentiality, you will find that - as you get used to coming for therapy - you are freer to talk about whatever you wish to.

No therapist can offer 100% confidentiality: there are some situations where the law requires disclosure of risk (e.g. certain child protection issues) and in common with most other therapists, there are some situations where I may not be able to keep total confidentiality. In particular, if someone tells me that they are thinking of harming themselves in a way that I believe puts them at serious risk, or if someone tells me that they are doing something that could put others at risk, I may not be able to keep such information confidential. However, breaking confidentiality is rare, and only happens after talking to the person concerned.

When you come for counselling it's important that you feel free to talk about whatever is important to you. Sometimes, you may not be clear what those issues are. Having a friend or family member with you is not usually helpful because they may have their own agenda for you. Even if this is just that they want to be supportive, or want you to 'get better', this agenda can prevent us opening issues up. When you come for therapy, you may need to explore thoughts or behaviours about which you feel ashamed or embarrassed and you may censor yourself so as not to hurt someone, or you may find that what they want you to talk about is not really what you need to discuss.

Sometimes, family/friends can even be part of an underlying issue which needs to be aired and discussed. Usually, people who ask this question are nervous about coming for a session alone, or they are anxious for the person who is thinking about arranging sessions. This anxiety is quite normal, and you will not be forced to talk about anything you feel uncomfortable about - but you do need to be able to talk about whatever is important. For this reason, I do not see clients accompanied by friends or family

My location

I provide therapy face to face, online and telephone. My practice is based in a private multi service facility in Billinge, Merseyside/Greater Manchester. I am located only 5mins from A580 East Lancs Road & M6 motorway. There is secure onsite parking and a local bus service.

My practice is easily accessible from Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Wigan, Bolton, Southport and surrounding areas.

Fees & availability

Fees

Free Initial consultation – 15 mins (telephone or Zoom)

£40 Online and telephone Counselling – 50 minutes (Zoom, Teams)

£45 In person Counselling – 50 minutes

I require the first session fee to be paid in advance to confirm appointment.

Availability

Monday – Friday

Saturday/Sunday and other out of hours appointments are charged at a higher rate.

Please contact me for more specific availability.

Cancellation Policy

If you need to cancel a session for any reason, please give 24 hours’ notice to avoid being charged in full for the session.

Get in touch

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.

You can also call me on 07955727317 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first. I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.