I am a UKCP registered psychotherapist, offering professional counselling and psychotherapy for adults in Stratford-upon-Avon and online.
Life can be a struggle at times, and I guess you're here because you are finding things difficult, and wondering if counselling or psychotherapy may be of help.
• Is there something in the past or present that is troubling you.
• Are you struggling with your mental health.
• Perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed with emotions.
• Experiencing difficulties with your relationships.
• Or maybe you just feel stuck or lost.
My hope is to walk alongside you on your journey, to find a way through suffering, and just getting through the days, towards creating a life with meaning and fulfilment.
Counselling is talking therapy, with the aim of helping you to help yourself. It is an opportunity for you to explore, process and resolve your issues in a safe, supportive, and confidential place. Counselling can offer you a space to fully express your thoughts and feelings, to explore options, and to learn new coping skills. All whilst being supported by a professional who is unbiased, non-judgemental, and empathic.
Psychotherapy is a longer-term process towards self-discovery, healing, and personal growth. It is an opportunity to look more deeply at your life, exploring your feelings, beliefs, thoughts, embodied processes (how you experience yourself in your body), and patterns of relating and behaving, which may be rooted in the past. These patterns may become evident within the therapeutic relationship, which can then be brought into awareness and explored fully with curiosity and compassion.
My therapeutic approach is integrative, which means I draw upon a range of theories and methods, enabling me to tailor the therapy to your individual needs. My main theoretical influences are from Gestalt Therapy and Psychodynamic ideas, from a relational-developmental perspective, but I do also incorporate other therapeutic methods and ideas accordingly.
I strongly believe in the power of relationship in the process towards healing, self-acceptance, and growth. I therefore place great importance on the therapeutic relationship that develops between us. I have a down-to-earth style, and offer a warm, non-judgemental, and empathic relationship, with the hope that you will feel truly heard, understood, and accepted.
Based on theoretical assumptions, my belief is that humans are naturally creative and are constantly adapting to life's challenges. However, our present is often influenced by past experiences, and our ways of being that were once adaptive can become fixed. We can then get stuck in patterns of relating or behaving that may be unhelpful or self-defeating. I can help you to make connections to how your past may be impacting you now. I focus on your whole experience of thoughts, feelings, beliefs, embodied processes (how you experience yourself in your body), and styles of relating and behaving, to enable you to better understand yourself. Once we know ourselves better, we are then free to choose to accept ourselves, or explore the possibility of change, by trying out new ways of being.
You will notice that I say ‘us’ and ‘we’ when I describe counselling/psychotherapy. This is to show that no one is immune to life struggles, including me. I strongly believe in hope, and that we all have the potential to heal, grow and change.
My work is trauma-informed, in that I view mental distress through the lens of what has happened to us, and the environment around us, rather than something being wrong with us. I work in a holistic way, whilst appreciating that mental health labels can be helpful to some people, my focus will be on working alongside you, in putting together the pieces of your unique life story, understanding the impact, and integrating those experiences in a way that is meaningful to you.
Alongside talking therapy, I can also offer practical resources in the form of grounding and stabilisation techniques, to help regulate your emotions at times of overwhelm. This can enable you to feel more at ease and connected with yourself, others, and the world around you. I believe there are no good or bad emotions, just healthy and unhealthy ways of dealing with them.
If and when appropriate, I may also invite you to try out creative methods such as drawing, or using cards, or objects to aid expression, to get beyond words, and to access deeper parts of your inner self. If this is not for you, we can just talk.
My training and experience enables me to work with a broad range of issues, life situations, and mental health needs. For instance, but not exclusively:
Anxiety and panic
Depression
Confidence and self esteem issues
Trauma
Difficult or traumatic early experiences
Health issues
Sexuality issues
Difficult life experiences
Pregnancy related issues
Stress and burnout
Work issues
Bullying
Abuse
Relationship difficulties
Identity issues
Loss and grief
Life transitions
Personal development
I have worked with people from all walks of life, and I value uniqueness and diversity. I work with adults and can provide short term counselling with a specific issue, or to support you through a particular life crisis. I also provide more longer-term in-depth psychotherapy.
My Location
I am a psychotherapist providing in person and online counselling and psychotherapy in Stratford-upon-Avon.
I can offer sessions from my private home therapy studio, which is a tranquil space in my garden, located on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon. I also work from Lifeways Therapy Centre in Stratford-upon-Avon. Both locations offer on-street parking.
Full location details will be given upon booking.
My preference is to meet face to face, but if meeting online suits you better, I can offer therapy sessions through Microsoft Teams.
What to expect
A session lasts for 50 mins, and we typically meet on a weekly basis. The number of sessions depends greatly on the nature of the work and your preferences.
The first session is an introduction, for you to get a feel for me and the way I work, and for me to find out more about you, and then for us both to decide if we are a good fit.
My fees are £60.00 per session, which I review on an annual basis. I do have limited availability for therapy at a concessionary rate. Please contact me to discuss & check current availability.
I have always held a special interest in psychology and mental health. Prior to training as a psychotherapist I worked in the public sector, in social and mental health care. I worked with older adults, adults who were experiencing a mental health crisis, with vulnerable adults who were experiencing abuse or neglect, and in primary care mental health (now IAPT talking therapies). After twenty years I was in need of a change in direction.
Several personal challenges led me to seek my own therapy and set me on my own journey of self-discovery and personal growth. I was inspired by how much comfort I gained from the therapeutic relationship, how much I learnt about myself, and how valuable it can be to have someone alongside you, that totally accepts you as you are, but also holds in mind your potential.
With my background in mental health, and my own positive experiences of therapy, I thus embarked on training to become a psychotherapist. After volunteering for a local counselling charity for three years, I now work part-time as a psychotherapist in the NHS, and part-time in private practice. I love my work and find it extremely rewarding, and a real privilege to walk alongside people on their own personal journey’s.
Qualifications:
In order to qualify as a UKCP registered psychotherapist, I undertook 4 years of in-depth training, including 450+ hours of supervised clinical practice & 160+ hours of personal therapy.
Additional Qualifications:
I bring all my knowledge and experience to my work, and have a commitment to lifelong learning, in keeping up to date through continuing professional development.
I am a registered member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, which means I have committed to the principles and values of good practice set out in the ethical frameworks. I hold a current advanced DBS check and hold relevant insurances.
If you feel I may be able to help, please get in touch. There are several ways you can do this at your preference. You can email me directly at info@lornawilsonpsychotherapy.com, or fill out the contact sheet (please ensure your contact details are inputted correctly). You can also call me on 07810 323237. I will endeavour to respond to your enquiry within 48 hours. We can then have a brief chat about what brings you to therapy, and I can answer any questions you may have. If you then wish to meet, we can arrange a suitable time for an initial session.
I appreciate taking the first step in making contact is daunting, but I can guide you through it, and will take things at your pace.
© Lorna Wilson Psychotherapy
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