Great Oak Counselling, Loughborough, Leicestershire & Online
With over 30 years’ experience in nursing and therapy, I offer a safe, confidential space for adults, children, young people, couples, and families to explore life’s challenges at their own pace. Working from my garden-based therapy room in Loughborough, I draw on a wide range of approaches including EMDR, play therapy, and relationship counselling to support healing, connection, and emotional wellbeing.
About Me
After a 30-year nursing background working in a variety of settings from medicine, surgery and palliative care. I trained as a person-centred counsellor (2002) Play Therapy Practitioner (2007) Level 5 Diploma in Relationship Counselling (2013), Therapeutic Counselling skills with children and Teenagers 8-18 (2014) Postgraduate certificate in Systemic Thinking and Practice (2019) EMDR Therapist (2024) EMDR for children (2024)
I work with adults, children, young people, couples and families
I provide a safe confidential space, to get to know my clients for them to feel comfortable to explore and work through issues that may have become overwhelming to manage, at a pace that suits them.
Areas I work with depression, bereavement, carer distress, health anxieties, relationships, work life balance, anxiety, trauma, self-harm and other life events. I work from my therapy room situated in my garden in Loughborough with off road parking.
I aim to respond promptly to all enquiries within 24hours and offer a free initial telephone consultation to check if I am the right fit counsellor for you needs.
I have spent a number of years working in schools working with children from 5 – 18 , and now working in a bereavement service in local hospice working with children , young people and families and my private practice .
My Services
Experienced Counselling for Adults, Couples, Children & Young People and Families
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EMDR Eye movement desensitisation reprocessing
What is EMDR ?
Old disturbing memories can be stored in the brain in isolation; they get locked into the nervous system with the original images, sounds, thoughts and feelings involved.
The distressing material keeps being triggered over and over again. This prevents learning/healing from taking place. In another part of the brain, you already have most of the information you need to resolve the problem; the two cannot connect. Once the EMDR starts, a linking takes place.
New information can come to mind and resolve the old problems. This may happen in spontaneously in REM of dream sleep when eye movements help process unconscious material.”
Who can benefit from EMDR
Individuals who have experienced various forms of trauma, whether singular distressing event or a series of accumulated negative experiences.
What to expect
An initial assessment, history taking and full explanation of what to expect with preparation and grounding before EMDR will begin to ensure client feels comfortable and safe in the environment when memories can be triggered.
The session will last 1.5hours
Processing of the memory will not necessarily involve you having to talk about every detail of the incident as this processing takes place during the desensitisation as this can be a reason that individuals do not seek help at the time of the trauma.
Fee: EMDR for 1.5 hours £80
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Child and Young Persons Counselling
I have many years’ experience working children and young people both in primary and secondary school ages I aim to build a therapeutic connection so they feel at ease to be enable them to explore issues in a safe confidential space.
I work creatively depending on the need of the child/young person. Working with issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma, bullying, difficult relationships, school stress, learning difficulties, bereavement, suicidal thoughts, self-harm and other life events.
What to expect
An initial assessment with both child and parent to be able to gain a full background and history explaining confidentiality and the exceptions to this with parent and child/young person.
First session is spent getting to know the young person in a safe space to enable them to feel comfortable and at ease using creative means such a paint, sand tray, cards when a young person is unable to find the words for what is going on for them.
Fee for Child/Young persons sessions £55
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Couples sometimes reach points in their relationship where they seek support such as times of transition ie birth of a child, redundancy, children leaving home, extra marital affairs, bereavement, trauma, family discord amongst other reasons.
I offer a space that couples can explore what brought them to this point giving them the space to talk and have conversation working to a solution and a better understanding of both individuals in the relationships Leading agreeing on a way forward
Fee for 1 hour £65 and 1.5 hours £80
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Family work can be useful when communication in family has become difficult or broken down when issues/events have occurred.
Provides a space for all family members to have voice in a safe environment allowing each person to gain new information that opens up the conversations to be able to work to a solution with whatever issues a family faces.
This could include, changes in the family, bereavement, stresses around school and development , illness and terminal diagnosis etc.
Fee £70
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