Integrative Counsellor: Mark Childs

Life rarely follows the straightforward path we had hoped it would, and we can find ourselves in places we don’t recognise or discover that the path ahead delivers unexpected changes or challenges. These changes can often result in mixed feelings, some welcome and some hard to accept. Counselling can offer a space to come to terms with these changes and cope with the transitional stage we find ourselves in.Mark Childs

I am able to work through your existential or spiritual concerns, help you to understand previous events and difficulties from your life, or work towards a future goal. In order to do this, I draw from a variety of approaches and creative techniques to work as an integrative counsellor and this helps me to best meet the specific needs of the person I am working with. However, I believe that the therapeutic journey is a collaborative one. Therefore, in order to honour the uniqueness and autonomy of the client, I would aim to approach any difficulties and obstacles in a mutual, collaborative and interpersonal way. Using this approach allows me to respond to the person I am sitting with rather than applying a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to suit everyone.

Nonetheless, although I believe that creating a relationship this way between counsellor and client is central to creating a safe, trusting and supportive space for personal exploration, please rest assured that you will always be placed at the centre of the work.

The therapeutic work can be open-ended or run through a fixed number of sessions, depending on your preference. Initially, the first session will be about exploring what has brought you to counselling and your current situation. Following this, sessions act as a way for me to get to know you and your story more deeply, creating the base from which the therapeutic journey progresses. Should this strike a chord with you, I would be happy to meet with you to review your individual needs about what you would like to gain from coming to therapy.

Fees

Sessions last for 50 minutes and cost £60.

Contact:

markchildscounselling@gmail.com

07927276315

I can also be found on Instagram under: markchildscounselling

Humanistic Integrative Therapist: Irina Iosub MBACP DipHIC LL.M

Hello and welcome!

I understand that looking for a therapist can feel confusing, and I know that it may take courage to seek help. Finding the right therapist for you will help co-create the relationship that is at the heart of the success of the therapeutic process.

Irina Iosub January 2023

When you feel overwhelmed, fearful, angry, deeply sad, lost, disconnected, or your sense of meaning and purpose dissipated, it can be helpful to have someone supportive alongside you. If you feel that the support offered by a friend or family member is too much for them, or not enough for you, counselling provides a safe space where you can access an understanding than runs deeper than words. When we are truly seen and heard by another, we can discover more of ourselves, seeking ways to heal ourselves. I have personally experienced the difference that having a non-judgemental and empathic therapist beside me can make in life and I would like to offer that back.

Embarking on your therapeutic journey will help you gather the strengths and skills needed to overcome a range of difficulties such as anxiety, stress, depression, unhealthy and often self-destructive behaviours, addiction, relationship difficulties, significant life changes or broadly surfing the waves of life.

My approach

I am a qualified counsellor trained at the Bath Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy, level 6 equivalent, and a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, abiding by their Ethical Framework. I also hold a MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy) certificate from Oxford Mindfulness Foundation and studied law (LL.M).

Humanistic and Integrative counselling focuses on the individual as a whole. It encourages self-discovery and facilitates achieving your full potential as human being. It also draws on different tools from various modalities to tailor a personalised approach for the client which will improve the efficiency of the therapeutic process.

The results of therapy can be immensely rewarding, transformative, empowering and can lead to shifts in the way we feel about ourselves and others. It often involves the consideration of whether there are any changes we might make to improve our quality of life, changes that can happen in complex, systemic, rippling ways.  As your therapist, my goal is to support you on this journey, to facilitate your exploration and expand your understanding of your experience. I place great value on the relationship, working with you in mind, and I believe that ‘The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives’ (Esther Perel). I aim to create a trusting and non-judgemental relationship that helps you to increase your awareness of what might be happening in your life, how you might move forwards to a more satisfying place, and how to heal yourself.

As a counsellor, I’ve worked with a generous range of people including those experiencing: anxiety, addiction, negative self-perception, decreased sense of self, depression, abusive relationships, personal boundary issues, terminal illness, loss, social stigma or discrimination. I have provided counselling at The Swan Project for more than three years, and I have learned that addiction is often a way of trying to cope with human suffering.

I have a special interest in identity, sense of self, and diversity. I welcome diversity and would like to honour the uniqueness of you.

I enjoy working creatively, incorporating elements of compassion and mindfulness. My approach is tailored to your needs, helping you navigate what is relevant for you. Through our work together we’ll both explore your story with empathy and curiosity, aiming to really understand what had happened to you in the past, and how this might be affecting your present.

Fees and availability

Sessions last for 50 minutes and cost £50.

I offer a free 30 min online initial consultation.

Please contact me for low- cost counselling availability.

I work with individual adult clients (18+ years) and offer long- and short-term therapy sessions.

Contact 

If you would like to find out more and arrange an initial appointment with me, please feel free to contact me at irina@irinacounselling.co.uk or visit my website www.irinacounselling.co.uk  .

I will be pleased to offer you a free 30-minute introductory online session to discuss what brings you to therapy or answer any questions you might have. That will give both of us a sense of the prospect of working together.

 

 

 

Integrative Counsellor: Karen Hurley

About Me

Hello, I am Karen, an integrative counsellor, working from a person-centred perspective. This means I use different types of counselling theories in my work, depending on the issue(s) you wish to bring to counselling and most importantly what feels right for you.   I am a warm and empathic person and will offer you the opportunity through counselling to be heard and respected, whatever you wish to discuss with me.

Karen Hurley

Counselling can help you:

  • understand how you are feeling
  • see things differently
  • clarify and address problems
  • manage uncertainty and change better
  • think about new ideas and ways of being
  • talk about things in the past which you find difficult to deal with now
  • talk about your future and any changes you want to make

Professional registration

  • I am registered member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP).
  • I have monthly clinical supervision, undertake ongoing continuing professional development and work within the Ethical Framework of BACP.
  • I am fully insured through Towergate Insurance.

Qualification & Training

  • Certificate in Counselling – University of the West of England (UWE)
  • Diploma in Professional Studies (Counselling) – UWE
  • TA 101
  • Working with Relational Trauma
  • Working with Shame
  • Level 2 Adult Safeguarding / Level 2 Child Protection / Prevent Duty
  • Level 1 and Level 2 Understanding Domestic Violence & Abuse
  • MS awareness and Counselling people with MS

My experience

  • I have been working in private practice for 6 years.
  • I have 10 years’ experience of working in the NHS in a non counselling capacity, supporting patients, their carers and families with illness, disability or bereavement.
  • I have worked in, set up and managed counselling services for unpaid family carers.
  • I have been a member of the BACP Older Peoples Expert Reference Group and have experiencing of setting up and running counselling services for older people.
  • I have experience of counselling in GP practices and in the charity / voluntary sector.

I have a wide range of experience of supporting people with:

  • low mood, anxiety and depression
  • relationship difficulties
  • family problems
  • loss, bereavement and grief
  • anger
  • guilt and shame
  • managing change and uncertainty
  • work problems
  • Illness and its impact on you and other people
  • life changes
  • being a carer and your caring role coming to an end

Fees

  • £45 for a 50-minute session.
  • I offer a free initial 15-20 introductory phone call for anyone considering starting counselling.

Contact Me

 

Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy: Doug Teeling

About me

I believe firmly that in offering a compassionate, non-judgmental and safe environment each client can learn to trust their own experience and feelings. Beginning to talk about yourself and what you are dealing with may feel new or even unnerving, so I am always mindful to work with you at your own pace.

In the process of therapy many different issues may come up for you. There is no pressure to work to a schedule or through any set list. In talking together we have an opportunity to explore, reflect upon and understand more fully how and why you feel the way you do.

Whether you have been through something traumatic in the past or recently experienced some crisis in your life, or perhaps are dealing with a more prolonged sense of disillusionment with life, the space provided by therapy allows us to work through these issues together.

I have a particular interest in how early relationships shape our experiences later in life. Whilst I work in an integrative way and draw upon many theories, I find psychodynamic and relational approaches in particular offer great insight into how our past can live on in the present. I also pursue research exploring how the changing environment affects our psychological well-being.

In a time of accelerating climate change I believe it is essential to keep in mind the impact of the wider social, political and environmental challenges we are all necessarily affected by. Whilst we may not discuss this explicitly in sessions, I believe these issues will always be a part of how we find ourselves situated in life at any given time.

If you would like to meet for an initial session then please do get in touch.

Please note that during the ongoing situation regarding the Covid pandemic, I will be offering psychotherapy sessions online. I also have some availability for in person work. Please ask for more details.

Training, qualifications & experience

I am an accredited psychotherapist with UKCP having completed an MA in Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy at BCPC (Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling). This course involves an intensive and in-depth approach to study over many years.

Alongside my private practice which has been running since 2013, I have also worked for the SWAN project in Bristol, one of the few places in the Bath and Bristol area which offers the opportunity for longer term low cost therapy.

My professional background is in mental health, having worked for nearly a decade supporting individuals dealing with enduring mental health issues. My previous training includes a Foundation Certificate in Counselling and Psychotherapy at BCPC, a Certificate in Counselling Skills at Bath College, as well as a degree in Psychology and Study of Religions at Bath Spa University.

I am also an active member of the Climate Psychology Alliance (http://www.climatepsychologyalliance.org/)

Fees

  • £75 per week. (A number of lower fee places are available).
  • £35 for initial session.

First steps

If you would like to find out more about coming to psychotherapy then I welcome you to get in touch.

We can arrange an initial session which is an opportunity to get a feel for how we would work together and to ask any questions you may have.

After this meeting you may decide if you would like to book further sessions, which would usually be on a weekly basis.

Outdoor Sessions

I will be offering a limited number of outdoor sessions from Spring 2023. Working outdoors can feel very different to indoor psychotherapy, and so we would first meet for an initial session indoors to explore together whether taking sessions outside feels appropriate. Sessions will be located in the countryside around Bath, would last 60 minutes and there would be a weekly fee of £80. If this is something you feel you would be interested in then please do let me know.

Contact details: