Person Centred Counselling and Supervision
My counselling approach is Person centred, which was developed by Carl Rogers. I will offer you a safe, confidential, non judgemental space in which you can explore your feelings and problems, at your own pace. Person centred counselling is a way of working that gives you the space and time to reflect on how you feel and gradually come to hear and trust yourself, so you are able to make the best decisions for you.
I believe that in the right counselling relationship where I will give you time, listen to you empathically and be non-judgemental, change can happen. I see you as a unique individual. I do not interpret, diagnose, or pathologise you. I believe that everyone has the potential for growth in the right environment. I do not provide an agenda for the sessions, you decide what you want to discuss, and I will move at your own pace. My aim is to understand you from your frame of reference.
"It is the client who knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried."
(Carl Rogers, On Becoming a person,1961, Pg 12)
Person centred counselling can help you to get to know yourself better so that you can understand your feelings. Some of us have friends and family who we can talk to, but we may often feel we need to filter what we share with them, as they may start worrying about us, or judge us. Person centred counselling can be beneficial, as you will not be judged, and will not have to worry about taking care of your counsellor, and what they think or feel, so you may talk freely.
"In the emotional warmth of the relationship with the therapist, the client begins to experience a feeling of safety as he finds that whatever attitude he expresses is understood in almost the same way he perceives it, and is accepted".(Carl Rogers, Client Centered Therapy, 1951, Pg41)
Bereavement counselling
You may find it difficult to talk about your loss with your family and friends. You may feel numbed and shocked by your loss. Find it difficult to accept. Feel lonely, angry, guilty or depressed. Lose your appetite. Find that you are forgetful. Feel you are going mad. Find everyday issues difficult to deal with. Feel there is no purpose in life. Bereavement counselling gives you the opportunity to talk about how you are experiencing your grief, and helps you work through it.
This is a useful article on explaining to children that someone has died
Miscarriage counselling and stillbirth counselling
The confusion, distress and grief following a miscarriage, stillbirth, termination or the death of your baby, is one of the most painful experiences that anyone can deal with. There is no set pattern to grief, or a specific time scale; you may want counselling at the time of your loss,or maybe weeks, months or even years after the original trauma.
I will listen, give you time to talk over what is going on for you and be there with you in your distress. I can see you on your own or with your partner.
Client feedback
"From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all your love and support throughout our journey. We can't easily put into words how much we have appreciated your care and support. Your expertise and ability to listen and relate to our situation helped immensely with guiding us through an incredibly difficult time. You always had our best interest in mind, and we cannot thank you enough."
"I felt very comfortable telling my issues to Sue. There was never any judgement and I felt Sue was really good at listening to both my partner and myself."
"Thank you for all your help, support and kindness, and for helping us to be able to give our baby the dignified send off he deserved. "
"I felt helped and supported, when I was in an extremely bad point in my life, due to several miscarriages and as a consequence bad depression. Sue helped me in many ways and made me feel more confident for everyday situations. The counselling sessions helped me with my mood swings, depression and as a result with my relationships to my husband and daughter."
"Having had no previous experience of counselling I was really impressed at how professional the level of care was, I think this has helped me deal with my issues more effectively."
"I needed space to explore losing my mother while pregnant, and my dad then getting cancer and dying, with a new baby. Counselling was perfect for me-caring, gentle. I returned to Sue for my second pregnancy and it really helped my mental health and wellbeing and my general health overall as I had gestational diabetes. The counselling was good, and valuable" .
"Thank you for listening and being there for us when we needed support."
Person centred supervision
I offer you a space where you will be heard and supported. A space to reflect on your work, and help you understand it. I provide a space that is non threatening where you can bring any aspects of your work that you choose. I see person centred supervision as a collaborative process.
Supervision feedback
"I’ve been one of Sue’s supervisees for the past 4 years. I started working with her in 2013 when I first started seeing clients during my counselling training. Feeling supported and listened to is crucial in any supervision relationship: perhaps it’s particularly important when first seeing clients, which can be quite a daunting time. I felt supported and heard by Sue during our working relationship, and guided by her in those early months when I was starting out.
Sue is warm and encouraging and appreciates the difficulties that can arise in client/counsellor relationships. Being able to discuss any problem within a client relationship in supervision, regardless of how difficult that can be, is so important to be able to do. I was able to explore issues that arose for me in my client work in my supervision with Sue.
I also felt I had a safe space with Sue to explore what I was bringing to supervision. That space often helped me work out how to approach something difficult with a client, or how to reach somewhere new with a problem I was experiencing."
"I've really enjoyed supervision with Sue, which I've experienced as supportive in my journey as a Person-centred counsellor. Sue is not only skilled in facilitating exploration, but does so in a way that deepens reflections on practice. Her empathic way of working has developed my confidence in working with a range of clients. Supervision with Sue has meant more than a regular space to reflect on the context and process of my work. Sue's supervision has also impressed me as an effective way of embodying Person-centred values within a supervisory role."
"Sue was my person centred clinical supervisor for my first counselling placement. I experienced her to be warm, non-judgmental and accepting. In my self doubt and nervousness as I started practice, I found this grounding and validating. In person centred supervision sessions with Sue, I experienced the core conditions offered. In this atmosphere I was able to explore my own process, developing and growing self-reflection and self-awareness as a person centred counsellor. With Sue's gentle accompaniment and steady presence, I gained confidence and a growing condition that " I could do this!" Sue's way of working epitomised what I understand to be person-centred. I feel fortunate that this is my introduction to counselling practice and the supervision process."
" I really appreciated the person centred supervision relationship with you during my placement. It felt like a gentle, respectful, kind easing in to the sometimes rather overwhelming process of counselling. It was exactly what I needed and could not have been more person centred."
"I just wanted to say a big thank you for all your support and listening over the past 8 years! I shall miss our person centred supervision sessions. I have really valued our time working together. I will be in touch in future."
"Sue Thank you for all the hard work you have put in over the past few months, myself, your supervisees and (though they may not know it) our callers, thank you."
"Person centred Supervision has been really helpful, and challenging in all the right places."
" Sue, Thank you so much for the guidance and support (outside the call of duty!) that you have offered unconditionally over the years."
" Thank you so much for such powerful person centred supervision sessions. I feel both empowered and supported in my commitment to bring as much of myself within the counselling role. I feel as though I have been heard."
" Sue is very calm and she explains and explores the presented work in an empathic way. She brings out the person-centred qualities in our work in the way she works with us. I felt very safe and accepted by Sue."
