counselling

Counselling will mean different things to different people, and no two people will have the exact same needs or experience of counselling. For some people they may just need the time and space to be listened to without judgement, the process of just saying what is on their mind to someone independent can be therapeutic in itself. For others they may struggle to find the words to express themselves and so a counsellor might support them to express themselves more creatively perhaps through art or imagery. 

Some people are looking for long term support and for others it might be short term support with a specific issue. Other people may not know why they are feeling the way that they are and have no specific goal in itself, other than to feel better and move forwards with their life. Whatever brings you to explore counselling, I will provide a safe space just for you, where you can be your authentic self - free from judgements or expectations, where you can be supported to explore the thoughts or aspects of your life that are troubling you and to empower you to overcome/challenge them through the skills and self discovery that you will learn through counselling.

Food can play a huge part in all of our lives, whether it be for celebration or commiseration, for joy or for comfort, habit or control, alone or socially - the meaning behind each mouthful varies for each individual. 

Sometimes we are aware of the reasons and sometimes we do it subconsciously. It can be that we have learnt our relationship with food from past experiences  or it may be that we have adapted it due to situations that we have faced throughout our life as a coping mechanism. Talking through the past, present and future behaviours and emotions connected to food, weight, shape and size and bringing the subconscious to the conscious, we can help to find other ways to manage life's everyday challenges and empower you to move forwards in your life free from disordered thoughts around food, weight, shape and size.

I am a Licensed Practitioner of Julia Buckroyd's "Understanding Your Eating Programme" (UYE) which I can offer individually online or via the telephone.  The programme is not about what you eat or how much you eat, but focuses more on the reason's behind why individuals eat. It helps to identify if individuals are  "emotional eaters" and equips them with the tools to find other ways to manage feelings and emotions in the daily challenges of life rather than using food. 

In addition to being a qualified Practitioner of the UYE Programme, I also studied with the National Centre for Eating Disorders (NCFED) in London and was successful in being awarded the Master Practitioner Programme, Eating Disorders and Obesity status.