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Counselling and Therapy Services
Everyone experiences times when life feels difficult, overwhelming or uncertain. Counselling provides a safe, supportive and confidential space to explore what you are experiencing, understand yourself more deeply and begin to find a way forward.
At WSM Counselling, I offer a range of therapeutic approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Integrated CBT, anxiety and depression counselling, relationship and couples counselling, and support for children and young people. My approach is tailored to you, your circumstances and the changes you want to make.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT):
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that can help you understand the connection between your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Together, we can explore patterns that may be affecting your wellbeing and work towards developing more helpful ways of thinking and responding. CBT can be used to support a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety, depression, stress, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), anger, trauma and other emotional and behavioural challenges. It can also be adapted to support people experiencing neurodiversity, including ADHD and Autism.
Life can sometimes feel overwhelming. We can all experience periods of pressure, difficulty, loss, conflict or uncertainty when the ways we normally cope no longer seem to work. Seeking counselling is not a sign of weakness or failure. It can be a positive and courageous step towards understanding what is happening, finding new ways of coping and improving your wellbeing.
Through a non-judgemental and collaborative approach, CBT can help you recognise patterns of thinking and behaviour that may no longer be serving you. Together, we can explore alternative ways of thinking and responding, helping you to develop greater self-awareness and make positive changes. The aim is not to change who you are, but to help you understand yourself more clearly, learn from the past, live more fully in the present and develop a more hopeful relationship with the future.
Anxiety and Stress Counselling:
Stress and anxiety are natural responses to the pressures and uncertainties of life. At times, however, these feelings can become overwhelming and difficult to manage. You may find yourself constantly worrying, overthinking, feeling tense or unable to switch off. Stress can also leave you feeling exhausted, irritable or unable to cope with everyday demands.
Some stress can be helpful and motivating, but when stress or anxiety continues for a long period of time, it can begin to affect our emotional and physical wellbeing. It may affect sleep, concentration, relationships, confidence and our ability to enjoy everyday life. Understanding what is driving these feelings can be an important first step towards feeling more in control.
Counselling can provide a safe and supportive space to explore the causes of your stress or anxiety and understand the thoughts, feelings and experiences that may be contributing to them. Together, we can develop practical strategies to help you manage difficult feelings, build confidence and gradually regain a greater sense of control and wellbeing.
Depression and Low Mood Counselling:
Everyone has times when they feel low, tired or disconnected from the things they normally enjoy. Depression can feel different. It may leave you feeling persistently low, hopeless, exhausted or unable to enjoy life in the way you once did. You may also find it difficult to concentrate, sleep, make decisions or feel motivated. Depression can affect anyone, and experiencing it is not a sign of weakness or failure.
Counselling can provide a safe, non-judgemental space to explore what you are experiencing and begin to understand what may be contributing to your low mood. Together, we can explore your thoughts, feelings and experiences and develop ways of coping that feel realistic and manageable for you. You don't have to have all the answers before you seek support — taking the first step can simply be about finding someone you feel comfortable talking to.
Counselling for Children and Young People:
Children aged 8-13 (30 minute session)
Young people aged 14-17 (40 minute session)
Please note: in-person therapy is currently available for children aged 8–13.
Anxiety is something that everyone experiences at times, but for some children and young people it can become overwhelming and difficult to manage. Anxiety can show itself in different ways, including worry, fear, physical discomfort, changes in behaviour, difficulty sleeping, withdrawing from activities or becoming reluctant to attend school. Sometimes a young person may struggle to explain what they are feeling, and their anxiety may instead be expressed through anger, frustration or challenging behaviour.
When anxiety becomes persistent, a young person may begin to feel overwhelmed, distressed or unable to cope with situations that previously felt manageable. They may withdraw from friends or activities, avoid certain situations or become increasingly worried about school, social situations or everyday experiences. Over time, this can affect their confidence, relationships, learning and enjoyment of life.
Children and young people face pressures from many directions, including education, friendships, social media, body image and expectations about their future. These pressures can sometimes become difficult to manage and may affect how a young person feels, thinks and behaves.
Developmental, learning and neurodiversity-related needs can also affect a young person's emotional wellbeing. They may find social situations, communication, change, school expectations or emotional regulation more difficult to manage. These challenges can sometimes be seen both at home and at school, and may leave a young person feeling frustrated, misunderstood or lacking in confidence.
Counselling can give a young person a safe and supportive space to talk about what they are experiencing without fear of judgement. We can explore the thoughts, feelings and situations that may be causing difficulties and develop practical strategies that are tailored to their individual needs. The aim is to help them understand themselves better, build confidence and gradually develop ways of managing difficult emotions and situations more successfully.
Before working with a child or young person, I offer an initial consultation with their parent or carer. This gives us an opportunity to understand the wider circumstances and gain a fuller picture of the young person's needs, experiences and support network before meeting with them.
Every child and young person is different, so the therapeutic approach is tailored to their individual needs, circumstances and personality. We work collaboratively with parents or carers and the young person to agree an approach that feels appropriate and supportive for them.
Relationship, Couples and Marriage Counselling:
All relationships have their ups and downs. Even strong relationships can go through difficult periods when communication becomes harder, arguments become more frequent or one or both partners begin to feel disconnected. Pressures around family, finances, work, children and everyday life can all place strain on a relationship, sometimes leaving couples unsure how to find their way forward.
Couples or relationship counselling provides a safe, supportive and non-judgemental space for both partners to explore what is happening within their relationship. It can help you understand patterns of communication and behaviour, explore what may have created distance or conflict, and begin to see your relationship from a different perspective. The focus is on creating a space where both partners feel heard and understood, rather than focusing on blame or who is right or wrong. Counselling can help partners reconnect emotionally, communicate more openly about their needs and feelings, understand each other's perspectives and explore whether there is a healthier and happier way forward together.
Counselling can help you explore how you communicate, express your needs and respond to each other during difficult moments. It can provide an opportunity to develop healthier boundaries, understand recurring patterns and find new ways of relating to one another. Whether you are hoping to repair difficulties, strengthen an existing relationship or simply understand each other better, couples counselling can provide a supportive space to explore what matters to you both.
Mindfulness, Spiritual Wellbeing and CBT:
For some people, counselling is not only about managing difficult thoughts, feelings or circumstances. It can also provide an opportunity to develop greater self-awareness and explore a deeper sense of who we are beneath the pressures, expectations and stories we carry through life. My mindfulness and spiritually informed approach can support this exploration, helping you become more aware of your inner world and discover a greater sense of balance, connection and inner peace.
Mindfulness can help us become more aware of what is happening within us without immediately judging, resisting or reacting to it. By learning to notice our thoughts, emotions and patterns of behaviour, we can begin to create a little more space between what we experience and how we respond. This can help us approach difficult situations with greater clarity, compassion and choice.
Sometimes, the way we experience ourselves and the world around us is shaped by beliefs, expectations and experiences that have developed over many years. We can become attached to particular ideas about who we are, how life should be or how other people should behave. These patterns can influence our thoughts, emotions, relationships and choices, often without us fully recognising it.
Through counselling, mindfulness and gentle self-exploration, we can begin to notice these patterns and consider whether they still serve us. This is not about trying to reject who we are or escape from everyday life. It is about developing greater awareness of what influences us, learning to accept what we cannot change and becoming more conscious of how we choose to respond.
For some people, this process can lead to a deeper sense of connection with themselves and the world around them. It can create an opportunity to look beyond the pressures of everyday life and explore what brings meaning, purpose, acceptance and inner peace. Spirituality within this approach is personal and individual; it does not require any particular religious belief or set of practices.
The aim is not to tell you what you should believe or how you should live. Instead, my role is to provide a safe and supportive space where you can explore these questions for yourself. Personal growth can begin when we become more aware of the life we are living, the patterns that shape it and the possibility of choosing a different way forward.