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Welcome and thank you for taking the time to view my listing.

I work in private practice on Tuesdays between 830am – 330pm. 

If weekday evening sessions or Friday mornings are required, please do not hesitate to contact me and we can discuss this further.

I realise you have a choice in who you choose to join you on your journey to explore your situation and make the changes necessary to achieve your aims in counselling so let me tell you a bit about myself:

I am based in Elgin, Moray, where I offer face-to-face therapy sessions in a fully accessible, comfortable setting. I also welcome clients online from throughout the UK.

I offer a safe, confidential, inclusive, empathic and supportive environment where you feel heard and can explore your situation without fear of judgement. I prefer to work face to face with clients and aim to build the rapport and connection to develop that open and honest and authentic relational depth in the therapeutic relationship that is central in helping lead to the most positive resolution for you and your mental health and personal well-being.

I believe we are all unique and are the experts of our own life. My role as Counsellor is to facilitate the therapeutic process and to empower you as you navigate your way to a meaningful and lasting outcome that works best for you. I adopt a holistic approach to help you address your situation in a manner and pace with which you are most comfortable.

Whilst primarily ‘Person-Centred’ trained and in my approach, I work integratively by taking aspects or tools from other counselling modalities to tailor my approach to best suit your needs.

I hold a Higher National Diploma in Counselling, and I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). As a registered member of BACP, I have passed the ±«ÓãÊÓƵCertificate of Proficiency and appear on their register for Counsellors and Psychotherapists which is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care.

I am also committed to undertaking Continuous Professional Development to enhance my service and provision for my clients.

Whist I will not tell you what to do, or give you advice, I offer a service that is supportive, empathic, inviting and based on respect, where confidentiality is key and where you, the client, can express yourself freely. Whilst always professional in my approach, I bring an authentic desire to help you address your situation.  In addition to this, services i can offer, depending on your situation, include:

• Behavioural Techniques

• Decision Making Models

• Emotional Regulation Skills and Strategies

• Mindfulness

• Relaxation and Visualisation Techniques

I have knowledge of, and have had the privilege of working with, a range of clients who have presented with many different issues. In addition to those listed, I am also experienced with:

• Blue-Light Working

• Carers

• Disabilities

• Military

• Parenting Concerns

• Perinatal

• Relationships (although NOT couples counselling)

• Suicide

• Trauma (Trauma Informed Therapist)

My experiences and appropriate training enable me to understand the unique challenges in these fields.

Please feel free to contact me should you have additional or different requests, and I will endeavour to facilitate this where possible, subject to due diligence.

Our therapy sessions together are typically 50-60 minutes long, held weekly, either short term or of longer-term duration (which will be agreed upon and reviewed regularly). However, session length and duration are negotiable and can be tailored to suit your needs.

I currently offer Face-to-Face or online sessions.

I recognise that therapy is not a ‘one-time-thing.’ As such, should our sessions end but you find your situation has changed or you wish to address another issue or concern, my practise is open ended, which means that you are free to contact me or return for further counselling if deemed suitable, at that time.

I appreciate that therapy is an intensely individual matter, with different concerns or issues for you to consider whilst choosing a suitable therapist. As such, I offer a free, no obligation 20-minute telephone consultation session. This allows you to briefly outline your situation, ask any questions you may have about therapy, to gauge how I work and if you feel it is right for you.

If you decide we could work together, then we can book our first session.

Prior to our first session, I will send you paperwork to complete. This is to provide me essential details about you. This paperwork will also include the counselling agreement for you to read.  This outlines the parameters of our work, including what you can expect from me and what I will need from you in return, to help us develop our therapeutic relationship together. I will revisit this paperwork to ensure your understanding, agreement and answer any questions you may have, as part of our first session.

This initial, or first session, is important as it allows us the opportunity to get to know each other, complete and explore the required paperwork and assessments, allow you chance to provide further details about why you are seeking counselling and also allows you to explore and set possible goals or outcomes you wish to achieve from counselling.

By completing the paperwork during this session, it frees up time in future sessions to concentrate solely on helping you reconcile your situation and work towards achieving a meaningful and long lasting conclusion to your situation.

Anyone interested in finding out more about my practice is warmly welcome to visit my website: https://www.whitesquirrelcounselling.co.uk