Welcome to Holistic Counselling and Wellbeing
A confidential space to explore the thoughts, feelings and challenges in your life
Counselling and therapy for individuals
Welcome, and thank you for visiting Holistic Counselling and Wellbeing
My name is Claire Cunningham and I am a qualified Integrative Counsellor offering individual (one to one) counselling sessions in Clevedon.
I have many years of experience supporting individuals with their mental health difficulties, through my work within the NHS and Social Care services.
People seek counselling for many different reasons it may be that you are experiencing feelings of anxiety or being overwhelmed and unable to cope with life. You may be experiencing low mood and depression or a lack of meaning and direction in your life. You may be finding relationships difficult, or experiencing isolation, loneliness, loss and grief. You may be going through a time of significant change, a personal crisis or trauma. Whatever brings you to counselling, I will treat with understanding, support and respect. Together we can work to find ways to help you cope with your unique difficulties. I believe that everyone has the capacity for growth and change and that this starts with the first step.
I am a member of the National Counselling and psychotherapy Society and work within their code of ethical practice. I am fully insured, DBS checked and GDPR compliant.
My practice aims to be inclusive and accessible to all. Please let me know if you have any additional requirements.
I work from a private office in Clevedon, which is within easy reach of Portishead, Nailsea, Worle, Weston Super Mare and Bristol.
My approach
I can provide a safe confidential space for you to explore and reflect upon your feelings. I work in a Person Centred way which means I will work with whatever you want to talk about, in an empathetic non judgemental way. I will work at your pace and together we can explore any feelings or difficulties you are experiencing, and work towards making sense of these experiences to help you gain more understanding, clarity, and move towards positive growth and healing.
I work within a holistic approach which encompasses the psychological, emotional, social, cultural, physical and spiritual wellbeing of each unique person.
As an integrative counsellor I may draw upon other modalities where these may be helpful to you such as: Attachment Theory, Gestalt, CBT, Transactional Analysis, Solution Focused Therapy, mindfulness and transpersonal and spiritual, as well as use creative therapy.
It can take courage to engage in counselling but being listened to with attention, care and understanding can be the beginning of your unique healing journey.
Speak in Confidence
Counselling takes place in a safe space, where you can meet with someone who will listen with sensitivity and empathy - and without judgement. In the therapy space thoughts and feelings can be expressed freely and in confidence.
A problem shared...
Trouble with a relationship; anxiety or panic attacks; mood swings or depression - many people face difficulties in their everyday lives that can be hard to get on top of. Counselling gives us a set of tools we can use to help gain a better understanding of what’s causing these problems - and how you can move towards managing or resolving them.
Make better, healthier new choices
Working together I can help you gain greater insight into the difficulties you are facing, help you understand why you act or react to them the way you do, and see how you can start to make better, heathier choices moving forward.
"Together we can face challenges as deep as the ocean and as high as the sky."
Sonia Gandhi
"When I have been listened to, and when I have been heard, I am able to perceive my world in a new way and to go on. It is astonishing how elements that seem insoluble become soluble when someone listens. How confusions that seem irremediable turn into relatively clear flowing streams
when one is heard...."
Carl Rogers
What issues can counselling help with?
People come to me for help with a wide range of issues. Here are a few of the more common difficulties that can be supported through counselling:
Feelings of stress or anxiety
Panic attacks
Relationship problems
Grief, loss or bereavement
Problems with addiction
Trauma and post-traumatic stress
Abuse
Depression
Problems with confidence or self-esteem
Anger management
Issues relating to sexuality
Difficulties at work or in retirement
Problems with family or school life
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works or to arrange a free initial telephone call. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help. If you decide to engage with counselling, weekly appointments can then be arranged either face to face, online or by telephone.
You can also call me on 07534 139877. If I am unable to answer you call please leave a message, or get in touch by text or email and I will get back to you.
Frequently asked questions
Counselling provides a safe confidential space for you to explore the issues that brought you to therapy, and to help you make sense of your experiences both past and present. Counselling can help you find inner resourcefulness and ways of coping that can lead to peace of mind and wellbeing.
How long a period of counselling lasts will vary from person to person and depend on the depth of the issues they are facing. For some people a couple of sessions helps to bring their problems into focus, and they feel ready to move forward; other problems may require more of an open-ended approach.
I offer short and long term counselling. I will regularly review how counselling is working for you and as long as we both agree counselling is of benefit to you sessions can continue.
I will make contact with you to arrange an free initial telephone call to discuss your counselling needs. Weekly appointments can then take place at the same time every week that is convenient for you and where I have availability. How quickly sessions can begin will depend on the availability of that free slot.
Everything that is said within the counselling room is private - this is one of the main ways counselling and therapy differ from talking to a friend or relative. Once you are comfortable with the format of weekly sessions and the safe space they provide, you will find the freedom to speak in confidence is of great value.
Note that there are some situations where you may be a risk to yourself or others, and there the law requires that I notify an authority; in these cases I may not be able to keep total confidentiality. Breaking confidentiality is very rare though, and only happens after the person concerned has been informed.
Usually I am asked this question by people who are nervous about entering into counselling, or when they are looking for support in coming to see a therapist. This anxiety is understandable, but a key aspect of therapy is that you should feel free to talk about any issues you feel are important to you. Having someone else with you who can be connected those issues makes this opening-up more difficult, so for this reason I do not see clients accompanied by friends or family.
My location
I work from a private office located in Clevedon, within easy reach of Portishead, Nailsea, Worle, Weston Super Mare and Bristol.
In addition to providing face-to-face therapy, I also offer telephone counselling and online sessions for clients throughout the UK.
Fees & availability
I offer an initial free 15 minute telephone call to see if what I offer can be of benefit to you.
I work both in person online and telephone.
My fees are £45.00 appointments are for 50 minutes (some concessions available).
Qualifications
BACP Accredited Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling
Dip SW
BA Humanities
Member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society
© Claire Cunningham
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