Counselling and Psychotherapy Services & Fees
Counselling and psychotherapy take place in a private and confidential setting, and involve a collaborative process between the person seeking help and the therapist. This process is suitable for anyone who wishes to develop greater self-awareness, and a deeper understanding of their relationships with themselves and others.
Whether it is an individual or a couple seeking help, I would emphasise that making a commitment to the therapeutic process in terms of time and openness to work on great difficulties is extremely important, if such conflicts are to be worked through and change is to take place.
I am an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist, using whatever therapies I feel will help a client to overcome their concerns. Using the relationship between myself and the client, we can explore connections and relationships, to challenge anxieties and beliefs, to answer questions and in fact, sometimes find out what those questions are to work towards a resolution.
Gaining a deeper insight into the nature of any underlying emotional conflicts can bring relief, and also opens up the possibility of transforming unhelpful patterns which were previously repeated without awareness.
I truly value and respect diversity, and aim to adopt an accepting and unbiased approach when engaging with areas of difference such as gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, age, culture and nationality.
Various issues bring people from all walks of life to seek therapy. Sometimes there is a very specific reason, but in other cases the immediate cause of distress is much less apparent.
The relationship between the individual and the therapist is of great importance in the work of any therapy. I aim to attend closely to whatever you bring to your sessions, in order that we can explore and try to understand the less conscious aspects of your thoughts, feelings and behaviour, which may be contributing to the pain and distress you are experiencing.
"Thank you Miricia for helping me to work through my difficulties during some really tough times. You're one in a million"
- Female aged 30's
"I found the sessions very helpful and Miricia was extremely knowledgeable and approachable. I am attempting to move on with my rehabilitation and these sessions have helped a lot with that"
- Male aged 20's
"You're brilliant at what you do. You've helped me to develop powerful coping strategies for my anxiety and after our sessions, I feel like a completely different person"
- Female aged 50's
Therapies Offered
Person-Centre Therapy (PCA)
Person-centred therapy - also known as person-centred counselling or client-centred counselling - is a humanistic approach that deals with the ways in which individuals perceive themselves consciously rather than how a counsellor can interpret their unconscious thoughts or ideas.
Created in the 1950s by American psychologist, Carl Rogers, the person-centred approach ultimately sees human beings as having an innate tendency to develop towards their full potential. However, this ability can become blocked or distorted by our life experiences - particularly those that affect our sense of value.
The counsellor or psychotherapist in this approach works to understand an individual's experience from their point of view. The counsellor must positively value the client as a person in all aspects of their humanity, while aiming to be open and genuine. This is vital to helping an individual feel accepted and better understand their own feelings - essentially helping them to reconnect with their inner values and sense of self-worth. This reconnection with their inner resources enables them to find their own way to move forward.
Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT) including Schema Therapy
Living with a mental health problem can sometimes make it hard to know where to turn for support. If you are not comfortable talking to your friends and family, you may turn to a professional. Cognitive behavioural therapy is a talking therapy. It looks to help you manage problems by enabling you to recognise how your thoughts can affect your feelings and behaviour. CBT combines a cognitive approach (examining your thoughts) with a behavioural approach (the things you do). It aims to break overwhelming problems down into smaller parts, making them easier to manage.
Cognitive behavioural therapy has become one of the most popular forms of talk therapy. It is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for common mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. During the treatment, your therapist will work with you and help you focus on the "here and now". They will help you recognise how past events may have shaped your thinking and behaviours.
Attachment Theory
Attachment theory is a psychological model that attempts to describe the dynamics of long-term and short-term relationships between humans. However, "attachment theory is not formulated as a general theory of relationships. It addresses only a specific facet": how human beings respond within relationships when hurt, separated from loved ones, or perceiving a threat. Essentially all infants become attached if provided any caregiver, but there are individual differences in the quality of the relationships. In infants, attachment as a motivational and behavioural system directs the child to seek proximity with a familiar caregiver when they are alarmed, with the expectation that they will receive protection and emotional support. John Bowlby believed that the tendency for primate infants to develop attachments to familiar caregivers was the result of evolutionary pressures, since attachment behaviour would facilitate the infant's survival in the face of dangers such as predation or exposure to he elements.
Compassion Foucsed Therapy
Compassion focused therapy (CFT) is a system of psychotherapy developed by Paul Gilbert that integrates techniques from cognitive behavioural therapy with concepts from evolutionary psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, Buddhist psychology, and neuroscience. "One of its key concerns is to use compassionate mind training to help people develop and work with experiences of inner warmth, safeness and soothing, via compassion and self-compassion."
The central therapeutic technique of CFT is compassionate mind training, which teaches the skills and attributes of compassion. Compassionate mind training helps transform problematic patterns of cognition and emotion related to anxiety, anger, shame, self-criticism, depersonalization, and hypomania
Mindfulness
As humans, we have a tendency to work on autopilot a lot of the time - completing tasks automatically without really giving them any thought. Consider your drive to work in the morning - are you thinking about changing gears and steering, or are you mentally planning the day ahead? Have you ever eaten a snack while working/watching TV only to later find yourself with an empty packet and no memory of having eaten anything? These are both perfect examples of mindlessness - something many of us can relate to.
Mindfulness aims to reconnect us with ourselves to alleviate stress. It also helps us to feel more attuned with our emotions and generally more aware of ourselves both mentally and physically.
Issues Covered
- Abortion
- Addictions
- Affairs
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Anxiety
- Asperger's syndrome
- Attachment
- Avoidant Personality Disorder
- Bereavement
- Binge Eating Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder/Manic Depression
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Bullying
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME
- Compulsive Hoarding
- Couples Counselling
- Dependent Personality Disorder
- Depression
- Disability
- Domestic Violence
- Eating Disorders
- Emotional Abuse
- Family Issues
- Gender Identity
- Low Self-Esteem
- Low Self Confidence
- Miscarriage
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Panic Disorder
- Passive Aggressive Behaviour
- Personality Disorders
- Phobias
- Physical Abuse
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Postnatal Depression
- Psychosis
- Relationship Issues
- Schizophrenia
- Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Self-Harm
- Separation and Divorce
- Sexual Abuse
- Sexuality
- Smoking
- Spirituality
- Stress
- Suicidal thoughts
- Trauma
- Work Related Issues
Fees
Assessment fee/session payments are required to be paid in advance to secure the appointment.
Please note that the session will not take place if payment is not made under these terms.
Initial appointment (assessment): £25.00 for 50 minutes.
Subsequent session: £45.00 for 50 minutes.
Couples therapy: £55.00 for 50 minutes.
Cancellation policy: Please be aware that in the case of cancellation or missed appointments less than 24 hours before the time of the booked session, the full fee will be required.
