Alison Whiting Dip.Couns
"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears."
- Nelson Mandela
Welcome and thank you for visiting my website.
My name is Alison Whiting, and I am a qualified counsellor providing both short and long term therapy for individuals across Stanford Le Hope and Essex.
I hold a CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling along with appropriate professional insurance and an enhanced DBS certificate.
Your Time, Your Space
As a therapist I am passionate about putting my clients first and this includes providing a safe private space in which the counselling sessions take place. I practice from my private therapy room within my own home where I am able to offer a safe and peaceful setting. Within this setting I provide a caring, confidential and supportive space for you to talk about and explore any difficult issues and problems you may be struggling with.
Why Counselling?
During our lifetime we may suddenly find ourselves facing events or situations which can feel extremely challenging or even overwhelming. These difficulties can be hard to cope with and sometimes leave us feeling stuck and it can be both confusing and difficult trying to understand what adjustments we need to make in order to move forward. Recognising that we need help is a significant step forward, but working out how to access that help can sometimes feel like an additional hurdle to negotiate. Please read on to find out more about how I can help you.
How can counselling help?
I fully understand that making the decision to see a counsellor takes courage and that it can feel like a scary step to take, but these are the first steps towards improving your life. To help with this process, I aim to build a therapeutic relationship which is completely non-judgemental and is based on confidentiality, total respect and trust. This person-centred approach to therapy creates a safe foundation for us to work from and provides an opportunity for us to explore your issues on a deeper level and at your own pace, with the aim of allowing you to gain a greater understanding of what’s going on for you whilst working towards positive lasting change.
People come to counselling for help with a wide range of issues. Some of the more common difficulties that can be supported through counselling include:
relationship breakdowns, becoming a parent, changing or losing your job or retiring, reaching a significant age, experiencing bereavement and loss, or being diagnosed with a chronic or terminal illness.
The feelings that can arise from these events such as anxiety, grief, anger, loss and loneliness can be incredibly distressing. These emotions can become extremely difficult and overwhelming to cope with and this can feel like an incredibly lonely and vulnerable place to be. But you are not alone.
What issues can counselling help with?
Counselling provides a safe space for us to work together at a pace that feels right for you. Together we can explore these issues and feelings on a deeper level, allowing you to reach a new understanding of yourself and what it is that you wish to change in your life. These discoveries can create positive change along with a deep feeling of empowerment.
The range of difficulties I can help with include:
Trauma
Depression
Menopause
Difficulties at work or in retirement
Relationship and family problems
Eating Disorders and body dysmorphic disorder
Long term health issues and terminal diagnosis
Stress
Self-harm
Trauma
Anxiety and panic attacks
Bereavement and loss
Obsessive and compulsive behaviours
Problems with confidence or self-esteem
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
-Maya Angelou
Get in touch
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. If you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me to discuss your queries, you are welcome to call me on 07368 300248. All enquiries are usually answered within 24 hours and all contact is strictly confidential.
All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.
Frequently asked questions
For anyone who is thinking of entering into therapy this is an important question as the unknown can create an additional element of fear.
Counselling begins with us getting to know each other and this includes a discussion about the issues that have brought you here as well as exploring how we will work together towards change. This initial discussion becomes the basis of the agreed working therapeutic relationship between the counsellor and client and within this safe space a relationship of mutual respect and trust is gradually developed. This relationship is built from the interaction and skills of the therapist, alongside the client's own personal commitment and willingness to engage and work with any issues that may arise as the sessions progress. By building on this mutual place of trust, we can work together in a totally honest and non-judgmental way.
Therapy plays a fundamental part in learning how to connect with ourselves as individuals and the opportunity to explore and learn about ourselves in this way is often something we've never experienced in our lives before. The self-awareness that can be gained from this process can allow us to understand what it is we want to change in our lives moving forward. Counselling and psychotherapy is all about connecting, not only with the therapist but ultimately with ourselves and when this occurs powerful changes can also occur.
Therapy can also help us gain a clearer insight into all of the options that are open to us in any particular situation. It may for example help us understand that we have the ability to stop being the person we believe others want us to be, and with this insight we can then allow ourselves to make our own decisions in life and choose our own path moving forward. Walking this new path allows us to let go of any external pressures we may be experiencing from friends or family, along with any feelings of stress and anxiety that can often arise from trying to live up to our own personal expectations. Quite simply, counselling and psychotherapy provides us with the opportunity to discover our true inner selves.
I offer 50 minute face to face sessions on a weekly basis. During each session I provide a safe supportive non-judgemental space to help you work through your issues and problems.
This is your space and your time in which you are free to discuss anything you feel you are struggling with whilst working at a pace which is right for you.
I offer both short-term therapy and longer-term therapy depending on the depth of the issue and the needs of the client. Open-ended therapy, with no specific end date allows for a more exploratory approach and involves working at a slower pace as some issues may require this gentler longer term approach. In order to gain a clearer understanding of what will work best for you should you decide to go ahead with the sessions, I offer the first consultation for free. This free consultation allows us to discuss and plan the basis of the work accordingly and we will also review our progress at regular intervals.
Location
My counselling and psychotherapy practice is based in Stanford Le Hope, Essex. My practice can be accessed easily by car as well as by the local bus service nearby.
Car parking is always available outside the practice and is free of charge.
I see clients for counselling sessions from the surrounding areas of Basildon, Southend, Chelmsford and Thurrock.
Fees and Availability
Counselling sessions are £50 (this is reviewed annually). All sessions are 50 minutes long.
Typically, sessions are weekly and take place at a regular time and day which can be agreed during the initial assessment.
Payment
Payment can be made by bank transfer or cash, the details for this will be provided at the time of booking. Payment is requested prior to each session.
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