Recommendations

“When I first started with Sarah, I felt incredibly anxious and was having many days where I would cry and not know why I felt so panicked and sad. I wasn’t sure about counselling; I didn’t know if the way I felt was ‘bad enough’ for therapy or whether having it somehow would make it worse but I knew I needed some help to manage my feelings which felt like they were consuming me. Sarah was great all the way through the counselling and really encouraged me to open up and discuss how my feelings and thoughts affected me. She was able to shine a light on how situations I found myself in as a child/teenager or previous adult years were still affecting me now. Having this understanding made me more aware of my feelings and helped me to come to terms with how I felt and accept them. Sarah was gentle with me and prompted me to talk about issues and concerns that I had and would help to guide me to my own answers. I found this more challenging to begin with as it meant I had to be open, not only with Sarah, but with myself. I had to say things I found difficult to verbalise but it helped so much to say them out loud. It is like a weight is being lifted. Sarah was patient with me when I found it difficult to talk and wouldn’t push me to talk if I felt I couldn’t. She gave me helpful thinking points and strategies to use between our sessions to help me to manage the pressure I put on myself and to help me to come to terms with my feelings and manage them. After only six sessions I feel a lot better and have since stopped the counselling. My life feels a lot more manageable and I feel a lot more at peace thanks to Sarah’s help.”

“I attended counselling with Sarah earlier this year for a short period of time. Sarah uses a beautiful room within her home, which is large, but cosy and relaxing, and is furnished with comfortable sofas.

Sarah herself was always easy to contact and always responded to my texts and emails promptly. On first contact over the telephone, she made me feel comfortable and was easy to open up to and I decided to book my first session.

During the sessions, Sarah actively listened to me and prompted me with questions that I had never considered. She didn’t attempt to tell me what to do or suggest changes, instead she helped me to come to my own conclusions and encouraged me to try things out.

I felt safe and comfortable with Sarah and would highly recommend her services.”

“I tried counselling as a way to help me deal with anxiety issues and work-related stress, as I wanted to avoid medication if possible. I attended approximately every 2 weeks over a 3 month period. Having found Sarah through https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk, she was friendly and accommodating, and we managed to find a regular slot that worked.

After 2 or 3 sessions with Sarah I found I was making progress in understanding how different issues linked together, why it was understandable to feel like that, and how I could (with small steps) try and work through things. I hadn’t previously found counselling to be so useful, and was surprised at how helpful it was to talk through certain situations and difficult thinking patterns. I found that, on several occasions, talking with Sarah helped me change my own perspective and identify a way forward.

Having addressed a few key issues and with work stress reducing, I no longer have regular sessions. However, I am planning on going back to Sarah should I need to in future, as I found it so useful. ”