Rate Yvonne Wood

Hello,

I'm Yvonne and I would like to extend a very warm welcome to you.

I am a fully qualified Counsellor, trained in the Person-centred approach and I am a member of The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

I have a Private Therapy Practice, and I also work in a voluntary setting, supporting adults who have experienced sexual abuse and trauma in childhood. I have worked with clients from all backgrounds in these settings.

I am warm and empathic and I fully support mental health well-being, self-awareness, and personal self-development.

My philosophy is that each person is an individual with life experiences that are unique to them and I hold the belief that you are the expert on yourself, your feelings, emotions and needs within your world.

I respect and value your life experiences, whatever they are, and seek to provide a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space in which we can explore the difficulties and concerns that are troubling you, and find a way in which you can feel safe enough to be able to express your deepest emotions and feelings, in a setting where you are truly heard.

I work integratively, with my core belief being a client-led approach, and by listening and gently drawing your attention to the perceptions you have of yourself and your experiences, I can help you to identify and focus on your feelings. It is my belief that if you have the benefit of your voice being heard and your feelings, and beliefs being valued, you have inside you the capacity to heal yourself and discover that you have the capability to achieve the person you would like to be.

As a Counselling Practitioner, I graduated with a Degree in Person-Centred counselling and studied for five years prior to graduating. I have worked in different therapy settings, supporting clients with issues around anxiety and depression, relationships and family difficulties, domestic abuse, bereavement, PTSD, and trauma and I have worked extensively with adults recovering from child sexual abuse.

Although I work from a Client-Centred perspective, I also integrate other approaches to therapeutic work, in a respectful and gentle way, if it feels appropriate for the work we are doing.

Sometimes our experiences of life are too difficult or painful to manage at the time they happen, so we hold onto and store those memories and experiences in our bodies, pushing them into 'boxes', sealing them up, and on a superficial level, we forget the contents. Later on, perhaps months or years later, something triggers a memory in that 'box' and although it may feel unrelated to the experience currently being had, the feelings, emotions, messages and memories tumble out, a bit like a muddled ball of string, leaving our heads and physical body in a state of anxiety and uncertainty that we are unable to understand.

During the Counselling process, together we will slowly, gently and carefully unpick the ball of the string of your experiences, looking at each strand, so that we can make sense of how it affected you, and allowing it to shine a light on how it affects your thoughts and feelings currently. This is how we can work together, understand how you feel and why you feel that way, and find ways to help you move forward on your healing journey.

I know that taking the first step to seeking help is really difficult, and I want to reassure you that you are not alone. I can support you as together we navigate those feelings that are overwhelming, identify them, and help you discover coping strategies that you can use yourself, as you move forward, through challenging times in the future.

I very much look forward to working with you.

Warm wishes,

Yvonne