Cherry Hill Counselling Practice
Psychotherapy, EMDR & Supervision in Durham
Psychotherapy, EMDR Therapy & Supervision Services in Durham
What I Offer
I offer a safe, friendly and confidential environment in which to explore your concerns. I will help you identify what choices you have to enable to you create positive change, and I will support you during this process.
Counselling and Therapy is a dialogue between client(s) and counsellor that has the ability to allow you to hear yourself and also to be heard in a respectful and non-judgmental way by the counsellor or therapist.
I work face to face with my clients in a friendly and comfortable environment. I use a range of approaches which I discuss with each individual or couple and which are designed to suit each client’s particular need. I normally see people weekly but can usually accommodate clients who work shifts.
Clinical Supervision is something that is a requirement of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy for any Counsellor who is in practice. Ros has delivered Supervision to both individuals and in a group setting within the workplace. She offers an opportunity for practitioners such as Trainees, Counsellors, Clergy and Psychologists to discuss the support they give to individuals alongside other professionals.
I am currently training to be a Pastoral Supervisor with Association for Pastoral Supervision and Education.
I also offer individual therapy, EMDR and Clinical Supervision remotely.
Counselling and Psychotherapy
You don’t have to have reached rock bottom before you can access counselling or therapy. It is often more beneficial to access it before the situation becomes too difficult.
Could it help?
Counselling or therapy could help you if:
- you are worried about something that just doesn’t go away despite your own best efforts or help from your friends and family
- you have felt depressed, anxious or angry for a long time
- you have relationship issues
- something has happened in your life which is hard to cope with
- you find it difficult to concentrate on your work or to enjoy life
- you feel an overwhelming sense of sadness, helplessness or emptiness
How it works
Counselling works by giving the opportunity to look at the root of the problem and not just the symptoms. This can be very hard to do on your own or even with a friend because however hard we might try someone who knows us well will find it difficult to be objective and non biased. Counsellors have been trained to listen very carefully to what you say and how you say it and to reflect back to you what they think they have heard you say. This can give you an opportunity to “listen” to yourself and hear, from a different perspective, what you are saying about yourself. This may help you to gain insights about whatever it is you are struggling with and thus enable to you make decisions about the way forward.
What will happen to start with
To begin with we would see you for an assessment session to hear from you about what you are hoping for and to make sure that what you are wanting help with is something that we are trained to work with. This assessment session also gives you an opportunity to find out whether or not you want to work with me. We would then aim to arrange further appointments on a weekly basis generally at the same time and on the same day.
Child and Adolescent Counselling
Ros offers psychotherapy and EMDR to children and young people and their parents.
An initial consultation usually takes up to an hour and a half, where she meets both the young person and their parents. She likes to think carefully with you about your life and the current difficulties that lead you to consider therapy and to think through the options for therapy.
This assessment session is to hear from you about what you are hoping for and to make sure that what you are wanting help with is something that I am trained to work with.
This assessment session also gives you an opportunity to find out whether or not you want to work with me. Sometimes a series of four shorter meetings of 50 minutes can be offered instead of one consultation for young people and adolescents.
She usually offers open ended therapy or EMDR, usually on a weekly basis for 6 or 12 months according to what fits best with individual circumstances. She makes sure that you are informed well ahead of time of therapy for breaks in the Summer, Christmas and Easter.
Your regular attendance is important and times are preserved so all sessions missed are charged for.
Time limited therapy of 18 sessions is also available for young people.
Clinical Supervision
Clinical supervision is offered either within a group setting or to individuals. It lasts 1.5 hours for individuals and 2 hours if part of a group.
This is a place where for a supervisee to reflect on all aspects of their clinical work, where they receive feedback on that work and where the welfare of clients and quality of service they receive is central.
The supervisory relationship is reviewed at yearly intervals.
These sessions are confidential and the BACP Ethical Framework is adhered to. Supervisees will be expected to prepare for sessions bringing their notes and giving the supervisor advance notice of how many cases will be presented.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
EMDR is an acronym for ‘Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing’. EMDR is a powerful psychological treatment method that was developed by an American clinical psychologist, Dr Francine Shapiro, in the 1980s. As a Senior Research Fellow at the Mental Research Institute, she published the first research data to support the benefits of the therapy in 1989.
When a person is involved in a distressing event, they may feel overwhelmed and their brain may be unable to process the information like a normal memory. The distressing memory seems to become frozen on a neurological level. When a person recalls the distressing memory, the person can re-experience what they saw, heard, smelt, tasted or felt, and this can be quite intense. Sometimes the memories are so distressing, the person tries to avoid thinking about the distressing event to avoid experiencing the distressing feelings.
Some find that the distressing memories come to mind when something reminds them of the distressing event, or sometimes the memories just seem to just pop into mind. The alternating left-right stimulation of the brain with eye movements, sounds or taps during EMDR, seems to stimulate the frozen or blocked information processing system.
In the process the distressing memories seem to lose their intensity, so that the memories are less distressing and seem more like ‘ordinary’ memories. The effect is believed to be similar to that which occurs naturally during REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement) when your eyes rapidly move from side to side. EMDR helps reduce the distress of all the different kinds of memories, whether it was what you saw, heard, smelt, tasted, felt or thought. Further information can be found at emdrassociation.org.uk
Ros offers EMDR to both children, adolescents and adults. She is currently working towards Consultant status.
Video Introductions
Part 1: What is Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)?
Part 2: How does EMDR work with memories?
Part 3: What happens in EMDR therapy?
Part 4: Choosing a therapist
Reflective Practice
Reflective practice was something which developed in disciplines such as teaching, medicine and social work as a way to learn from real life experiences. People in these areas would think about encounters with their students, patients or clients, how these worked and what lessons they could take away.
Although a definition of reflective practice has been included above this is only one part of a larger process. Reflection is a very personal thing and different people will define it in different ways. It is important to remember that there is no one 'correct' way of defining what reflection is or how it should be done as a lot of this will depend on your own circumstances.
Why reflect?
You can practice reflection during your education, within the workplace or as part of your general personal wellbeing. It has many benefits at both a personal and professional level and can help you to focus on planning for future experiences.
So what are the main benefits of reflection?
- It can help with the issue of 'self-talk'. We all have a little voice inside our heads which reminds us of all the things we could have done differently in certain situations. Reflecting on an experience can help to put this voice to use as we learn from what we have done and move forward.
- It gives you areas to improve on or develop. Whether you are a student or in the workplace you will find that you are constantly being asked for ways in which you can develop your knowledge and skills. Undertaking reflections can help you to think about areas that you can work on as well as what you are doing well.
- Reflection can help you to be more creative and try new things. It's very easy to get stuck in a rut and it can be helpful to think about what you are doing and why you are doing it. This can help to spark new ideas and ways of thinking.
- Human nature means that we all make assumptions about people and situations. Taking a step back and reflecting can help you to challenge some of these assumptions and see things from a new perspective.
- Reflection is a key part of emotional intelligence - the ability to understand and remain in control of our emotions. This is a useful skills to have both for our own wellbeing and when working with others.
- It helps to maintain a healthy work/life balance by offering a defined process for thinking things through. Hopefully you can learn from them and move on rather than dwelling on what happened.
How to reflect
Now you understand the benefits of being reflective how do you actually go about doing it? There is no one magic formula to follow and you will find that what works for your peers might not work for you. Some people find reflecting out loud works for them whilst for others it's something private. You can be really organised and regularly write your reflections down or you can do it as and when you can. It's best if you can reflect regularly as this will help you get into the habit and you will be able to build on what you learn.
The easiest way to get started with reflection is to ask yourself some of the following questions about the experience you want to reflect on. As you look at the questions think about how you might record your answers, for example in a reflective journal, so that you can remember them in the future.
The easiest way to get started with reflection is to ask yourself some of the following questions about the experience you want to reflect on. Think about how you might record your answers, for example in a reflective journal, so that you can remember them in the future.
- What did I learn?
- What do I need to learn more about?
- Why did I feel the way I did?
- What was easy?
- What went well?
- What was difficult?
- What went badly?
- How can I improve in the future?
- I wonder what would happen if…
Areas of Support
You may be looking for help to explore and clarify some important aspects of/challenges in your life, or you may want to accelerate your own personal growth and discovery, or you may be looking for a behavioural change, or to work on specific symptoms or issues that affect your quality of life.
Whatever your reason to attend therapy, it can be better done in presence of a trusted other who is not a friend nor a relative, who can listen to you in a non-judgmental way and in confidentiality, who can help you to find out what is right for you to bring a better balance in your life.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of symptoms/issues/focuses my clients and I worked on over the years:
Anxiety, Stress & Emotional Wellbeing
- Anxiety
- Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Social Anxiety
- Panic Attacks
- Stress
- Burnout
- Compassion Fatigue
- Health-Related Anxiety
- Feeling Sad
- Low Self-Esteem / Self-Confidence
- Confidence Issues
- Perfectionism
- Loneliness
- Phobias
- Paranoia
- Burnout
- Compassion Fatigue
Trauma, Loss & Recovery
- Trauma (One-Off Events, Developmental, Relational, Intergenerational)
- PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
- Complex PTSD
- Bereavement
- Loss
- Post-Trauma Growth
- Dissociation
- Sexual Abuse
- Abuse (Physical, Sexual, Emotional)
- Domestic Violence-Related Mental Health Issues
- Neglect
Relationships & Family Life
- Relationship Problems
- Relationship Issues
- Marriage / Couple-Related Issues
- Family-Related Mental Health Issues
- Attachment-Related Issues
- Separation and Divorce-Related Mental Health Issues
- Separation Anxiety
- Envy and Jealousy
Mood, Identity & Personal Development
- Depression
- Mood Disorders (Depression, Bipolar Affective Disorder)
- Identity Problems
- Gender Issues
- Cultural Issues
- Men’s Issues
- Women’s Issues
- Personal Development
- Spirituality
- Feeling Stuck (Personal or at Work)
Behavioural & Compulsive Difficulties
- ADHD
- Anger
- Compulsions
- Obsessions
- Addiction(s)
- Internet Addictions
- Impulse Disorders (Shopping, Gaming, Gambling)
- Procrastination
- Self-Harm
Health, Wellbeing & Life Challenges
- Serious Illness and Life-Limiting Illness
- Somatic Illness
- Psychosomatic Disorders
- Unexplained Medical Symptoms
- Dementia
- Menopause-Related Stress
- Work-Related Issues / Career Change
- Redundancy-Related Emotional IssuesSerious Illness and Life-Limiting Illness
- Somatic Illness
- Psychosomatic Disorders
- Unexplained Medical Symptoms
- Dementia
- Menopause-Related Stress
- Work-Related Issues / Career Change
- Redundancy-Related Emotional Issues
Feel free to contact me to explore how I can help, even if your symptom/diagnosis is not mentioned on this page.