Oak Tree Therapies – Counselling

What I can offer you as your therapist;

  • This is an opportunity to find answers, solutions to the problems in your life.
  • To develop a greater understanding of yourself, your strengths, and to find healthy ways of applying them within your life, making healthy changes.
  • I work as an integrative psychotherapist and counsellor. I am an accredited therapist with BACP (British association for counsellors and psychotherapists) and NCS (national counselling society)and have also trained to work with CBT and NLP approaches which can enable us to develop more affective coping mechanisms to manage problems such as depression, anxiety, phobias/fears, eating disorders, PTSD, sleep problems, pain management, health problems, anger issues, interpersonal problems, self -confidence…
  • I promise I am not here to make decisions for you because you are in charge of your own life and our aim is to enhance that sense of control and so, with your full engagement and commitment to working together we can work to achieve the goals you hope to attain through our therapeutic sessions together so it is important that you reflect upon the things discussed during our sessions and carry out any tasks agreed, where possible, between our sessions.
  • Counselling offers a therapeutic space wherein you can process whats going on for you safely. The aim to ultimately walk alongside you to to remove the obstacles in your way, obstacles that stop you moving forwards in life.
  • Counselling and therapy offer a variety of positive benefits which can significantly enhance your life. Exploring your thoughts with a non-judgmental professional knowing that what you say remains confidential can make you feel less alone and more able to develop answers to your problems in a productive way. When thoughts are negative it can be challenging to make positive and healthy choices in life: counselling provides a collaborative therapeutic relationship, which works to develop a realistic plan of action to help you move forward and grow to achieve the goals you are looking for.
  • The benefits of counselling include enhancing your level of self-awareness and understanding of yourself and of others. This can help to improve self-esteem which can have a positive ‘ripple’ affect in the relationships in your life.
  • Life can change for the better…You can feel better about yourself and be proud of all you are.
  • We all have goals and dreams in life, counselling can help us to move away from feeling stuck in life, moving towards the direction you want to go.
  • As your confidence grows an endless world of possibility enters your life….all for the taking.

What types of problems can we work with through counselling?

Depression, GAD, SAD, low self esteem, eating disorders, PTSD, PND and much much more…

What happens in a counselling session?

This varies according to the type of counselling you have, but normally the counsellor will try to explore your background difficulties, what caused you to seek help, clarify the boundaries of counselling and ask you what you expect to gain from the work. It is a collaborative relationship which enables you work together on resolving the issues and empower you, rather than providing ‘ready-made’ solutions. Each session tends to build on others by getting deeper into the issues and encouraging you to take more and more lead in the process as you gain confidence, rather than making you feel dependent or reducing your choices. There is sometimes a myth that counselling will open you up, leaving you feel exposed and vulnerable. This could not be further from the truth. Counselling can be challenging and does lead you ask deeper questions of yourself, but in bringing about a deeper awareness, it helps you to manage your emotions, rather than feel overwhelmed or ignore them until you cannot cope any more.

What questions should I ask before choosing a counsellor?

  • It is so important that you get the right counsellor for you! Take some time to do your research.
  • Check out counsellors nearby and then read their websites.
  • Email or phone the counsellors to get a sense of what it is like to talk to them and whether you feel comfortable – are they friendly and easy to talk to?
  • Do you feel safe?
  • Check out the counsellor’s qualifications and years of training.
  • Are they registered or accredited members of professional organisations such as BACP, NCS?
  • What fees do they charge and are they affordable?

What qualities should I look for in a counsellor?

  • A sound working partnership based on mutual respect.
  • A feeling of trust, safety and rapport
  • A sense of being understood and accepted by the counsellor.
  • A willingness to collaborate and negotiate
  • Empathy and compassion from the counsellor.
  • A sense that you are making progress
  • The counsellor seems grounded and robust

Here at Oak Tree Therapies, my aim is to work with you collaboratively to explore your strengths. My role as your therapist, is to encourage you to find the answers you seek, It means that I ultimately believe you know yourself best, and so, we work together to empower you to make the best decisions for you in keeping with the way you want to live your life. We don’t need to focus solely on your problems, it depends of what you feel you need, but as the whole aim is to develop a better way forwards, we can spend time also developing ways that we can help you solve your problems. I understand that each individual has their own unique set of experiences, and as a result, I will always adapt my approach to suit those specific needs.

Counselling improves your self-knowledge, well being, health, and clarity of mind. Counselling also offers the opportunity to improve your life and comes with an overall feeling of positive change that manifests into a more fulfilling and productive life. Counselling will make you feel more inspired, motivated, and organised. Counselling can feel like you will be ready to tackle almost anything!

You feel more in control of yourself and your life….consider it a personal gift and investment for your future…

Appointments;

  • I will endeavour to provide weekly sessions (or at longer intervals if required). However, as sessions progress, they may become fortnightly, monthly, depending on the need at that time.
  • Each session will last 50 -1hr.
  • I would ask that should you need to cancel an appointment, please (if possible) provide 24hrs notice via the contact details provided above and we will arrange another suitable time/date/venue.
  • Each session costs £40 payable by cash/cheque/bank transfer.