Harborough Counselling

Why Counselling?

As human beings we have certain fundamental needs that must be met in order for us to grow and flourish and feel good about ourselves; most importantly, the need to be accepted and loved for who we are. In our earlier lives, we may have made adjustments to how we felt, thought or acted in order to fit in. These strategies would have been helpful at the time, but now could be causing us difficulties, that is because the masks that we create for ourselves in order to foster the positive regard of others, run contrary to our need to be loved for who we are and stifle our intrinsic drive to be the best, truest forms of ourselves.
It may only be at times of emotional upheaval that we become aware of feelings of sadness, shame and anger, such as when we suffer a bereavement or face bullying or stress at work, but we may be just as likely to experience them with the passing of time if we have issues that are unresolved.
It can be very hard to express difficult feelings with family and friends. We may worry about what they will think of us or if we will upset them. Often we don’t want to ‘burden’ others with our problems. But in the midst of all this, there is a real need to feel better about ourselves, and to do this, we need to be able to explore our feelings in an open and honest way – to tell our story in a whole-hearted way.
Counselling seeks to provide the client with an environment of acceptance and empathy, somewhere you can feel safe to explore feelings in an uninhibited way, whilst being supported in an authentic, respectful and non-judgemental way. This honest in-depth exploration can lead to new awareness. This enhanced awareness can help us be mindful of the choices we have made and gives us the opportunity to choose to do something different as well as leading us towards a greater tolerance of life’s experiences.
At the heart of the therapy is the relationship that is forged between counsellor and client. It is the vehicle for experience, growth and change. We talk about people needing the ‘right’ environment in order to fulfil their potential and flourish, and in terms of counselling, the ‘right’ environment is the ‘right’ relationship. There is a great vulnerability in exposing all parts of ourselves ‘warts and all’ and although it is incredibly worthwhile if it can lead to awareness, acceptance and integration, it requires a safe, trusting, mutual therapeutic relationship. At Harborough Counselling, this is what I strive to provide you with.

About Me

My name is Kate Angell and I am a qualified Counsellor and Psychotherapist living near Market Harborough. My qualifications include a First Class degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy from Coventry University and an Upper Second class degree in Psychology from Sheffield University. I have been involved with various mental health organisations over the last 6 years; including Anxiety UK, Samaritans and Leicester Counselling Centre, where I currently see long and short-term clients. I have also worked for the National Lottery supporting winners and their families. Because of my eclectic background, I have worked with clients from all backgrounds with a wide range of issues.

My training is accredited and recognised by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. As a member of the BACP, I adhere to their ethical standards for good practice and am entered on their Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists. The BACP Register is the first psychological therapists’ register to be accredited under a new scheme set up by the Department of Health and administered by an independent body, accountable to Parliament.