As Light As A Feather Counselling

Welcome to As Light As A Feather Counselling

Supporting you each step of the way on your journey to recovery

Welcome, and thank you for visiting As Light As A Feather Counselling. My name is Nicole, and I am a Person-Centred Counsellor offering online therapy for adults. Whether you’re looking for short- or long-term support, I provide a safe and compassionate space for you, no matter where you are

How Online Person-Centred Counselling Works

I offer a safe and non-judgemental space to allow you to explore what is going on for you.

Online counselling offers the same depth of connection and support as face-to-face sessions, bringing comfort and guidance wherever you are

Person Centred Counselling puts you at the centre of your world, meaning you are the expert.. not me. You will work at your pace, and we will only cover what you feel comfortable with. The sessions are confidential and open ended, which allows you to take the time you need.

Sessions last up to one hour - you will not need to worry about keeping an eye on the clock, this is part of my role.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A little about me

I love music, reading, travelling and spending time with friends and family. I also enjoy spending time on my own. Self care is a massive part of my world, it helps me stay grounded and on track.

So why the name might you ask.. to me there is something freeing about a feather, they can be light, colourful and to some a sign of hope. I like feathers that much I have one tattooed on my arm as a reminder that I will be ok, even when things seem tough.

As a fully-qualified counsellor I am a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, and abide by their code of ethics.

I have worked with clients from all walks of life, all bringing something unique to their sessions.

Most recently I have worked with clients who are grieving, suffering with anxiety or have experienced a traumatic experience such as abuse to name a few.

I have worked with clients on a short term and long term basis. The number of sessions are completly dependant on the individual.

As a Person Centred Counsellor, I work in a non-directive, respectful and empathic way, allowing a theapeutic relationship to build. This in turn will help you feel safe to explore difficult areas of your life in a confidential and non-judgemental enviroment.

Person Centred Counselling allows you to be in the driving seat during our sessions together, after all your are the expert of your world. My role is to create and offer a safe space for you to explore and share your experiences. I will listen and offer no judgements or advice. I will offer reflections of my understanding of what you have shared. I may also offer gentle challenges. My interactions with you will be genuine, respectful and honest.

Carl Rogers the founder of Person Centred Counselling believes all humans have the ability to work towards their full potential. However sometimes our jouney can become blocked or distorted due to certain life experiences especially ones that may affect our own sense of self and values.

Person Centred Counselling can help you to reconnect with your inner values and sense of self-worth, enabling you to find your own way to move forward and progress.

I promise to be there for you every step of your journey. Our goal together is to help you grow from your struggles, heal from your pain and move forward to where you want to be in your life.

Our sessions will be confidential, I will keep brief notes that will be stored in a locked safe

I adhere to GDPR regulations at all times.

We will explore confidentiality and privacy during our initial assessment together

“It is the client who knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial, what experiences have been deeply buried. It began to occur to me that unless I had a need to demonstrate my own cleverness and learning, I would do better to reply upon the client for the direction of movement in their process”

Becoming A Person: A Therapists View Of Psychotherapy - Carl Rogers

How Can Person Centred Counselling Help You

Talking therapies such as Person Centred Counselling can benefit many experiences and feelings.

What benefits can be expected?

Resolving difficult issues from your past and/or present
Accessing and creating your own personal tool kit to help you work through and deal with issues and any future hurdles
Increasing self confidence and self worth

The non-directive style of person centred counselling is believed to be more beneficial to individuals who have a strong urge to explore themselves and their feelings, and for those who want to address specific psychological habits, or patterns of thinking.

Some examples are listed below of themes that can supported through talking therapies are below:

Anxiety

Panic attacks

Relationship problems

Grief, loss or bereavement

Problems with addiction

Trauma and post-traumatic stress

Abuse

Stress

Depression

Problems with confidence

Self esteem

Self harm

Post natal depression

Stress

Exploration of personal and professional issues

Lonliness

My working hours

All sessions are conducted online via video call, with the preferred platform agreed upon before therapy begins.

I currently offer sessions from Wednesday to Friday between 3:15 PM and 7:00 PM

Session costs & availability

Counselling sessions for individuals last 50 minutes, usually taking place on a weekly basis, and cost £50 per session.

Initial assessment appointments last around 40 minutes and will cost £40. The session will allow you to briefly talk to me about the reasons for wanting counselling. During this session I will take brief notes and some contact details. We will also go through the counsellor/client contract which will be emailed to your prior to our initial session

I will endevour to respond and set up an initial assessment within 1-2 weeks. However if i cannot meet this I will contact you to advise of the approximate waiting time.

Please note that if you want to cancel an appointment I require 48 hours’ notice; otherwise you will still need to pay for any sessions missed. I accept payment via bank transfer or PayPal.

Get in touch

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. 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.

You can also call me on 07933716273 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first. I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.

All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services. Find out more by requesting a copy of my Privacy Policy.

Some frequently asked questions

Many therapists tend to view Counselling as ‘short-term’ work; when someone has a problem that can be looked at and discussed in a clearly-resolvable way. This work often requires undertaking sessions for a certain number of weeks, to explore, discover and clarify a way forward. Therapy is a word used more to describe ‘long-term’ work; discussion that tends towards substantial issues and things that might be life-changing on a deeper level.

Whether counselling or therapy work best as a short- or long-term option depends on the client though, and the difficulties they are facing. In some cases counselling can prove helpful as a continuing, longer-term option, or therapy can help resolve an issue in just a few sessions.

There’s no fixed or ideal length of time for the counselling process; it varies from person to person and will often depend on the depth of the issues they are facing. While I can work on an open-ended basis with clients, I find it is helpful for us to both agree before we start on undertaking a certian nunebr of sessions and reviewing where we are at once we reach that point. You are able to decide how long your therapy willl last, and in return my aim is to make sure therapy continues for only as long as it is of benefit to you.

This depends on what your needs are. Some people find that after only a very few sessions they have some clarity and focus and are ready to end the therapy. Other people value the ongoing support and relationship with me and will continue to come for weeks, months, or even years. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' when it comes to therapy.

My aim is to offer you a first appointment, known as an assessment session within 1-2 weeks, this is once we receive your completed client pack back. However, waiting times will vary according to pressure on my resources, your own availability and the service you seek.

Confidentiality is one of the main ways in which therapy differs from many other forms of helping - for example, talking to friends or family can rarely offer the same degree of confidentiality as talking to a counsellor. Because of this confidentiality, you will find that - as you get used to coming for therapy - you are freer to talk about whatever you wish to.

No therapist can offer 100% confidentiality: there are some situations where the law requires disclosure of risk (e.g. certain child protection issues) and in common with most other therapists, there are some situations where I may not be able to keep total confidentiality. In particular, if someone tells me that they are thinking of harming themselves in a way that I believe puts them at serious risk, or if someone tells me that they are doing something that could put others at risk, I may not be able to keep such information confidential. However, breaking confidentiality is rare, and only happens after talking to the person concerned.

When you come for counselling it's important that you feel free to talk about whatever is important to you. Sometimes, you may not be clear what those issues are. Having a friend or family member with you is not usually helpful because they may have their own agenda for you. Even if this is just that they want to be supportive, or want you to 'get better', this agenda can prevent us opening issues up. When you come for therapy, you may need to explore thoughts or behaviours about which you feel ashamed or embarrassed and you may censor yourself so as not to hurt someone, or you may find that what they want you to talk about is not really what you need to discuss.

Sometimes, family/friends can even be part of an underlying issue which needs to be aired and discussed. Usually, people who ask this question are nervous about coming for a session alone, or they are anxious for the person who is thinking about arranging sessions. This anxiety is quite normal, and you will not be forced to talk about anything you feel uncomfortable about - but you do need to be able to talk about whatever is important. For this reason, I do not see clients accompanied by friends or family