Sally Edwards
Member Status: Accredited
Member No: NCS22-00681
Location: Orpington
I am a fully qualified counsellor / psychotherapist, a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and an accredited member of the National Counselling Society (NCS), which are registers that have been accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
I have genuine empathy for anyone who is struggling with difficulties in their life. Unhelpful and counter-productive patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving can contribute to poor mental health, dissatisfaction with life and unhappiness. Traumatic experiences in childhood and/or as an adult can compound the problems and make life seem very difficult to navigate.
With the right support, such as the counselling relationship offers, it is possible to overcome difficulties and find strength, happiness, meaning, and fulfilment in our lives, even during the really challenging periods.
I understand the courage it requires to take the first step and seek help. But I also know that it is possible to find a way through challenging personal issues and difficult times and lead a happier and more productive life, with more meaningful relationships and less emotional instability.
Please note that I only work with adults over the age of 18 and I do not offer couple's counselling.
About me and how I work
I originally studied English Literature at university, followed by a career in finance. But after a parenting career break I decided to follow a different path and retrained as a counsellor, a choice largely influenced by my own life experiences and my personal journey through counselling and healing.
My specialism is on the impacts of trauma, from events such as accidents, violence, childhood neglect, adult and childhood sexual abuse, sexual trauma, domestic abuse and emotional abuse. However, I work with adult clients in my private practice with many problems, including: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, stress, low self-esteem, poor self-confidence, identity issues, family, friendship or relationship problems, self-destructive behaviours and addictions, eating disorders and body image issues.
I will actively listen and offer you my skills, time and understanding to talk about your particular issues, with the aim of reducing negative feelings and confusion and increasing your ability to cope with challenges and make positive changes to your life. In the counselling sessions you explore your own experiences, and so ideally you need to be open to self-exploration and to identifying what factors in your personal history and current life are maintaining and/or are causing your current issues.
It is important that the counselling relationship is one of trust and respect. I will be impartial and non-judgemental, providing a safe and confidential environment for you to explore and make sense of who you are, your life and your experiences. My role as a counsellor is to support you to explore your thought and behaviour patterns, and this may involve gently challenging your beliefs and thought processes in order to help you see things from different perspectives.
I have full public liability and indemnity insurance, an up-to-date Enhanced DBS certificate, and I practice under the ethical framework established by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). This means that I am committed to working with you in a safe and professional way that empowers you to identify what choices you have available to you and what resources you already possess.
Integrative Counselling
There are many ways of working, or 'modalities', in counselling. I work in an integrative way, which as the name suggests is a combined approach that brings together different elements of specific therapies. Integrative counselling takes the view that there is no single approach that can treat every client in all situations. Rather, each person deserves to be considered as an individual with a unique set of problems, and counselling techniques need to be tailored to your personal needs and circumstances. I work in a trauma-informed way with clients who have experienced trauma in their lives.
The different counselling styles I incorporate are:
Person Centred Counselling - An approach that aims to understand your experience from your unique perspective, focusing on developing a sense of personal power, identifying how you want to live your life and working towards achieving your goals.
Psychodynamic Counselling - An approach that helps to unravel and understand your deep-rooted feelings in order to resolve them by looking at past experiences and relationships and how they influence you in the present.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) - An approach that looks at your thought, feeling and behaviour patterns, working together in sessions to change some of these to manage your problems.