I offer confidential, professional, individual counselling and therapy for adults in central Exeter and Newton Abbot, Devon. My services are also accessible online. As a qualified Integrative Counsellor, I help you identify and find a way through difficulties that may be causing you emotional distress or affecting your mental health. Counselling will enable you to gain a deeper understanding of your emotions, thoughts and behaviours. It will also give you skills for managing these going forwards once our sessions finish.
My intention as a Counsellor is to provide you with warmth and compassion and to help you feel comfortable, secure and connected while supporting you on your emotional journey. I want you to feel safe to seek a deeper understanding of yourself and find ways to bring about lifelong change that will allow you to experience a greater sense of wellbeing, pleasure and balance.
What can I expect from counselling?
During the free initial telephone or video call session, we will talk through your reasons for seeking therapy as well as what you would like to gain from it. You are very welcome to ask me any questions you may have about my approach and how I anticipate counselling working for you. If you are happy with me being your Counsellor, I would then suggest that you initially commit to six sessions, after which we would review how this has been for you and whether you wish to continue. I offer short, medium and longer term therapy according to individual needs.
The first in-person session will be fairly introductory, giving us a chance to start getting to know each other and allowing me to build up a fuller picture of what you are seeking help with so I can establish how I can best support you with this in future sessions. The pacing of sessions will be guided by what feels right for you. I will help you to gain greater awareness of yourself and to open up new perspectives so that you find it easier to cope with difficult feelings and thoughts.
Psychological Therapies I Specialise In
I believe an integrative approach to counselling is most beneficial to the majority of clients. I specialise in, and frequently use: person-centred, mindfulness, compassion, and acceptance and commitment theories during individual counselling sessions. I also draw on other approaches I have been trained in including Transactional Analysis (TA), Gestalt, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), creative interventions and transpersonal psychology. All these are provided within a Humanistic framework. I love working in this way as everyone is unique and different presenting issues respond best to different interventions. Integrative counselling enables me to tailor what I offer to you as an individual and around the specifics of what you bring to sessions.
To read more about why I am so passionate about the integrative way of working, please see the article I have written on the subject: The beauty of the Integrative Approach to Counselling.
Humanistic Counselling
Person-Centred Therapy, developed by Carl Rogers, is a foundation of the humanistic approach. It allows you, as the client, to guide what is focused on in sessions. It trusts that you have an innate desire for growth and fulfilment and that you have the answers you seek for your difficulties within you. It gives me, as the counsellor, the role of providing the “core conditions” of unconditional acceptance, empathy and genuineness to enable you to find the answers for yourself and flourish. I have found that providing these core conditions is particularly helpful for clients who have experienced grief, loss and bereavement.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Alongside traditional counselling approaches, I integrate mindfulness-based therapy. This focuses on developing a greater awareness of thoughts, feelings and body sensations. It helps you to create a healthy distance from your thoughts and gives you a way to be with and process difficult emotions. If you’re experiencing stress or anxiety, mindfulness-based therapy can help to reduce these feelings.
To read more about mindfulness, please see my article on what mindfulness is.
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) reduces self-critical thinking, and feelings of shame and self-dislike. If you experience low self-esteem, developing more self-compassion using practices from Compassion Focused Therapy can significantly improve your wellbeing. It is beneficial for people with anxiety, depression or trauma who have these type of thoughts and feelings.
To read more about Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), please see my article on what Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a relatively new form of therapy which has evolved out of traditional Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It combines a mindfulness-based approach to thoughts and feelings with taking action in line with your own personal values. It is particularly helpful for working with depression and/or anxiety, but is also applicable in lots of other contexts.
To read more about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), please see my article on what Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is.
Testimonials
“All of the objectives I set were fulfilled by the experience, and then some further progress made beyond those. Sarah’s ability to let you lead the session, but also give you the right amount of compassion, feedback and pointers, enabled the process to flow until it naturally ended.” – T
“Extremely helpful process which has helped me recover from the toughest experience of my life. Now feel much better able to think about what happened without the overwhelming and all-encompassing mindset…how grateful I feel for the help I needed and received.” – S
“It has been really helpful to have someone neutral to talk to and discuss any worries without judgement. The techniques I was taught are very helpful for anxiety…This service has helped me get through a really tough time. Especially good that the price is more affordable…” – H
“Very friendly and comforting which really helped me relax and open up from the first session onwards.” – S
Pricing Policy
I offer a free initial telephone or video call consultation of up to 30 minutes to help us decide if I am the right counsellor for you. If we decide I am not, then I can advise you on how to find another therapist.
After the initial consultation, sessions will last for 1 hour. It’s important to me that counselling is available to everyone who needs it at an affordable rate so I have a flexible payment policy. The suggested payment per session is £55 and the minimum rate is £40. The exact amount you choose to pay (over and above the minimum £40 charge) is at your discretion. You are encouraged to give what you feel the session has been worth for you, where you can, so that this can be a sustainable initiative.
Please contact me if you would like to book an initial free consultation.
Counselling sessions in Exeter will take place at The Practice Rooms. Sessions in Newton Abbot are delivered from Ashcroft House on St Paul’s Road.