Bingley Counselling & Trauma Therapy – BACP Accredited Psychotherapist & EMDR Therapist

It can be a tough old world; sometimes unfair, confusing or painful. If we don’t fully understand the reasons why we feel, think or behave in certain ways, it can start to affect other areas of our lives and can cause low mood, anxiety or despondency. Difficulties may present themselves in response to recent events or our early experiences and relationships can continue to influence us without our knowledge. You may notice recurring, often destructive, patterns in relationship with others or yourself which are unwanted or confusing.

Family and friends can be a great source of support during difficult times but, even with the best intentions, they sometimes offer a series of solutions to make problems ‘go away’ or give their opinions which can leave you feeling more confused. It is common for us to be reluctant to burden others with our problems, we may struggle to be truly honest with those closest to us, whom may be linked with the problem itself, or find it difficult to voice how we really feel for fear of being judged by others.

Counselling is a supportive process that provides an opportunity for you to explore any difficulties that you may be experiencing in a safe and confidential setting. A counsellor will not make any judgements about you, they will have no expectations of you and will help you to gain intellectual and emotional insight into your situation which can bring clarity, understanding and relief with a renewed sense of direction.

I am a qualified integrative counsellor with experience of working within the NHS and other psychological therapy services with both adults and young people. My approach is relational and I also combine different theoretical models and approaches, depending on your needs, to help you better understand your difficulties and work on improving your well-being; some of these may include elements of humanistic therapies, EMDR or creative therapies.

Short-term or open-ended therapy is available, depending on your needs, and regular reviews will be incorporated.

I am an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (Registration number: 143120) and I am committed to the ‘Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions’ which governs safe and professional practice.

WHAT IS EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (more commonly known as EMDR), is a powerful psychological therapy that was developed by an American clinical psychologist in the 1980’s.

EMDR can be used to treat a wide range of psychological difficulties that typically originate in trauma, such as direct or indirect experiences of violence, accidents or natural disaster.  EMDR therapy is also used to treat more prolonged, low-grade distress that originates in shock or loss in adult life and/or issues experienced during childhood. The experiences outlined above often lead to post-traumatic stress, for which EMDR has been recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

EMDR can be used for the treatment of:

• PTSD – traumatic, disturbing or overwhelming life events
• Depression
• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Phobias
• OCD
• Anger
• Stress
• Pain / phantom limb pain
• Grief / bereavement
• Performance anxiety & low self-esteem

HOW DOES EMDR WORK?

Most of the time your body routinely manages new information and experiences without you being aware of it.  However, when something out of the ordinary occurs (e.g. a car accident, abuse, bullying, being attacked or something seemingly less significant like being humiliated), your natural coping mechanism can become overloaded.  This overloading can result in disturbing experiences remaining frozen on a neurological level, or being “unprocessed”. Such unprocessed memories and feelings are stored in an isolated part of the brain in a “raw” and emotional form, rather than in a verbal “story” mode.

WILL I REMAIN IN CONTROL AND EMPOWERED?

You will remain in control, fully alert and wide-awake. This is not a form of hypnosis and you can stop the process at any time. Reprocessing is usually experienced as something that happens spontaneously, and new connections and insights are felt to arise quite naturally. As a result, most people experience EMDR as being a natural and very empowering therapy.

Training, qualifications & experience

Experience

I have experience within several NHS trusts providing counselling services for adults experiencing a wide variety of psychological problems, as well as several third sector organisations. My career areas prior to training as a counsellor have been within Criminal Justice, Substance Misuse Services and Youth Offending Services.

Qualifications

• Higher Education Diploma in Relational Counselling and Psychotherapy, Leeds Beckett University (BACP Accredited).
• Certificate in Counselling Studies L3; Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body.
• Certificate in Counselling Skills L2; Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body.
• Drug Issues for Public Health Practitioners L3

Certificates and Further Training

• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Europe Accredited Training
• Sand tray therapy
• Trauma and the body
• Introduction to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• ITEP Advanced Psycho-Social Interventions
• Therapeutic crisis intervention
• Solution-focused therapy
• Working with the aftermath of sexual abuse