Welcome
I provide a confidential space to explore the thoughts, feelings and challenges you are facing in your life
COUNSELLING FOR ADULTS IN MONMOUTHSHIRE, TORFAEN & UK
Welcome, and thank you for visiting my Counselling page.
My name is Karen and I am an Accredited Creative Systemic Counsellor providing both short and long-term therapy for neurodivergent adults 16 upwards.
I work face to face across areas of Monmouthshire and Torfaen, and I work online or by telephone across the UK, using Microsoft Teams or Zoom. I provide a confidential space where I engage with you to explore the thoughts, feelings and challenges that you are facing in your life.
We all experience times of difficulty in our lives, when events or relationships feel overwhelming, or we can feel a loss of direction or purpose. Talking to a trained professional helps us to make sense of those challenging times and offers a way through them, moving towards a better understanding of ourselves and our feelings.
I work with people from various walks of life and backgrounds, coming to me with a wide range of challenges in their lives. I'm a qualified counsellor with accredited membership of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, and abide by their code of ethics in their guidelines for Good Practice in Counselling.
Deciding to see a counsellor can be a big step to take - but it can be a positive one. Please read on to find out more about how I could help you.
HOW CAN COUNSELLING HELP?
Life brings many challenges, and at times we might look for support in facing them - many of my clients experience loss and change in life. As a counsellor my role is to provide space and guidance to help you on your journey of self-discovery, enabling you to examine your life and make new, meaningful choices within it, without judgement.
I practice systemically where we explore the connections, behaviours and interactions within relationships, and the 'system' you are within. I further enrich my practice through integrating other approaches including Creative Interventions, Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Mindfulness.
Counselling is about empowering you to make your own changes in your life - counselling isn't about giving you solutions or advice. I provide the opportunity for you to reflect on the challenges you are experiencing, in a safe and confidential environment. Together we can explore your situation in a way that can offer fresh perspectives - and perhaps a new understanding of yourself. I'm creative by nature, and bring this into my counselling practice to enable you to explore life's difficulties, and opportunities for change, by finding the right approach that works best for you. Creative interventions can help when you are stuck for words, and unable to express what you are feeling or thinking. I might use mindfulness techniques, nesting dolls, creative journaling, metaphor, art, visualisation to help you to explore aspects of your life - you don't have to be able to draw or write to engage creatively.
I have been a counsellor in the 3rd Sector since 2016, and have experience of working with neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals from 10 years upwards, including couples.
SPEAK IN CONFIDENCE
Counselling takes place in a safe space, where I meet with you and listen with sensitivity and empathy; without judgement. In the therapy space thoughts and feelings can be expressed freely and in confidence.
A PROBLEM SHARED...
Many people face difficulties in their everyday lives that can be hard to get on top of. For example, this could be trouble with a relationship, anxiety or panic attacks, mood swings or depression, bereavement, being unable to cope with a situation, loneliness or stress. Counselling gives us a set of tools that we can use to help gain a better understanding of what’s causing these problems - and how you can move towards managing or resolving them.
MAKE BETTER, HEALTHIER NEW CHOICES
Working together I can help you gain greater insight into the difficulties you are facing, help you to understand why you act or react to them the way you do, and see how you can start to make better, or different, healthier choices moving forward.
WALK AND TALK THERAPY
I carry out Walk and Talk therapy, where I facilitate counselling in nature spaces such as parks and woodland areas. Being out in nature provides an opportunity to connect and stimulate your visual and auditory senses; tuning in to the environment. It provides a different opportunity to tune into your body, your feelings, your emotions.
WAITING FOR AN APPOINTMENT
My aim is to offer your first session within 1-2 weeks of you getting in touch with me.
If we feel we can work together, we can then arrange a set number of counselling sessions that usually take place at the same time every week, fortnight or month, at a time convenient for you, and where I have availability.
How quickly these sessions can begin will depend on the availability of the ‘slot’ you choose, and the type of counselling you require.
MY LOCATION
I currently offer online or telephone sessions across the UK.
If you prefer to meet in person, we can discuss locations available. I currently use Bridges Community Centre, Monmouth.
AVAILABILITY
I currently provide counselling sessions Monday daytime, and Monday to Thursday from 4pm.
On-line sessions are via Zoom - but I am happy to discuss other online tools.
Walk & Talk therapy - meeting you outside in nature - I do need to risk assess your choice of venue, to ensure it is safe for both of us.
FEES
Online or telephone counselling is £45 per session.
Face to face counselling is £45 per session.
Payment is made 48 hours in advance by bank transfer.
If someone else is paying for you, the above terms apply - the payee would have date of session and cost - unless they are paying for a block of sessions in advance.
SESSIONS
Sessions for individuals last up to 50 minutes, and take place weekly, fortnightly or monthly - you choose the frequency, which we review together, to make sure that counselling is working for you. The number of sessions you will have is flexible and open ended, where we decide together when you feel you want the therapy to end.
First sessions online can be made available more quickly, as they aren't depending on booking a venue.
Payment for sessions is required 48 hrs before each session.
Cancellation - Note that if you want to cancel a session I require 48 hours notice; otherwise the full cost is charged for any sessions missed.
YOU MAY NOT KNOW IT, BUT YOU’VE ALREADY TAKEN THE FIRST STEP...
It can be scary and confusing making the decision to contact a counsellor. But in my experience people will struggle with a mental health issue, a personal crisis or problems with a relationship for much longer than is healthy.
I know it is a big step to contact a stranger and talk about difficulties that are very personal to you. I do have experience of helping people with a wide range of problems and I make every effort to help you to feel respected, listened to, and understood.
Sometimes a friend has proved a source of comfort, but this help can only go so far. Realising that resolving a problem requires something more, means you have actually already taken the first step towards improving your life.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do you find it difficult to talk to family and friends about your current situation? Are you afraid to talk to them, fearing that it might affect your relationship? Are you scared you might say the wrong thing? Are you afraid of burdening them with your problems?
As a counsellor I will be impartial, I will listen to you, encourage you and be non-judgemental towards you.
Counsellors don't offer advice, but we offer a safe space for you to explore your current situation, looking at it from different viewpoints. You are in control and make the decisions. You decide on what you want to explore.
Everyone is different, and we decide together when you want the therapy to end. The number of sessions people want varies from person to person, and depends on the depth of the issues you are facing. For some people a couple of sessions helps to bring their problems into focus, and they feel ready to move forward; other problems may require more of an open-ended approach.
Some of my clients have worked with me for a couple of sessions, many clients have worked with me in blocks of 8 sessions at a time, and several clients have worked longer term.
Before we begin any work we will agree on the number of initial sessions we’ll undertake, and regularly review to make sure the counselling is working for you. As long as we both agree that further therapy will be of benefit to you, sessions can continue.
The therapeutic relationship should last no longer than necessary, and clients retain the right to end whenever they feel it right or necessary.
Everything that is said within the counselling room is confidential - this is one of the main ways counselling and therapy differs from talking to a friend or relative. Once you are comfortable with the format of sessions and the safe space they provide, you will find that the freedom to speak in confidence is of great value.
I abide by BACP guidelines, and we discuss confidentiality at our first session. I discuss parts of my counselling work with my supervisor, but I don't disclose client's identity.
Note that there are some situations where there may be a risk of harm to yourself or others, and there the law requires that I notify an authority; in these cases I may not be able to keep total confidentiality. Breaking confidentiality is very rare though, and usually happens after the person concerned has been informed.
There are many different approaches to counselling, and different ways counsellors engage with you. The first session will give us the opportunity to see if we work well together; and that I offer what you need.
I will explain the counselling process, and answer any questions you might have.
I will agree the contract with you, discussing confidentiality and the appointments, with what we would expect from each other.
You can explain what has brought you to counselling and what you would like to gain from working with me.
We will then begin the counselling process. There is no pressure to talk about anything you don't want to, you choose the content of the sessions.
We will agree to the initial number of sessions going forwards, if we feel that we work well together.
There is also no pressure to continue after the first session.