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Counselling Outdoors
The calming effect of being out in the open air can help us gain a new perspective on our worries and allow new thoughts and feelings to arise.
A bit about how I work
At the centre of the therapy is our relationship together and this is where I start, with getting to know you, spending time listening to you. Being able to talk to someone in an accepting, non-judgemental and confidential place can feel liberating and safe, allowing you to acknowledge and explore parts of yourself that may not have felt safe enough to be present before. We can make space for all of these parts of you.
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I work in a way that not only helps you to pay attention to how your mind is feeling, but also sensing in your body, increasing your awareness of the whole of you. Our bodies are continually giving us information (for example, feeling tense and anxious) that we so often criticise ourselves for having or try to ignore or get rid of. When we appreciate that these feelings are our body’s way of trying to get our attention and we turn towards and listen to this deeper knowing, we can start to see what we are struggling with in new ways, allowing change to follow naturally.
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Being in therapy can often highlight patterns that we may have started in order to protect ourselves or to help us cope, but that no longer serve us or are causing us suffering. Having time to explore these patterns can build a greater sense of understanding of ourselves. When we are able to notice these patterns, we can make new choices that serve us better.
Walk and Talk Therapy
The healing powers of talking and nature combined
I offer walk and talk on the edge of Stroud, in beautiful natural surroundings where the healing power of talking in nature can help you to reflect on what is troubling you. When you walk, you have time and space to process your emotions, reflect on your feelings and listen to your inner voice. It's often easier to talk about difficult issues while walking outside.
I usually suggest that we meet on Rodborough or Minchinhampton Common, where there is plenty of space to walk, places to sit and beautiful views.
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When the weather is wet, we can either agree to wrap up and walk in the rain or we can meet on Zoom for that week or we can try to rearrange the session. It continually surprises me how few sessions each year are actually disrupted by the weather and often walking in different weather can bring new opportunities inside us.
So many of us live in a near constant state of stress and worry, feeling overwhelmed and drained. It can be hard to know how to change things and to start to feel more at peace and in touch with your relaxed self.
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Choosing to talk about your fears and worries—and having someone truly listen with kindness and genuine attention—can be a profoundly powerful step toward transforming those feelings.
Creating time for yourself
Prices:
£50 for each 60 minute session
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Sessions can be a mixture of outdoors, online or on the phone to suit you.
.... High up on tops of hills with far reaching views .... or in hidden forested valleys.....
....reflections by a beautiful lake....
Some of my favourite walks....
About me
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Having originally trained and worked as a mental health nurse in the NHS, I went on to train in Person-centred counselling. I discovered that by moving the focus away from illness and towards self-awareness, self-understanding and self-acceptance, we are empowered to make the changes we are seeking.
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I then discovered Focusing and went on to train as a Focusing Practitioner. I use Focusing as a way of helping you access your inner experience. Focusing is a gentle, creative and often profound way of listening to your body, hearing whatever is within you and being with what you find kindly, allowing forward movement and change.
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In our lives, we often feel inner discomfort and a sense that there's more to know about something, but it can be hard to know what that is and what to do differently. We go round and round in the same mental ruts, feeling stuck. Much of the time our attention is directed outward. When we are Focusing, we are turning that attention inward, listening to what our inner feelings are telling us, noticing together and being curious. At first, it may feel a little tricky to feel or to trust that what is there is important and valuable. But when we stay with what feels unclear and something we would often ignore or want to push away, in a curious way, what comes is usually fresh, new, surprising, and deeply satisfying: being with even our most difficult feelings in a Focusing way can actually feel good. Focusing can allow you to get past what has been making you stuck, using the body-mind’s inherent ability to heal and live forward into new possibilities. When we are Focusing with something we experience as being stuck, a problem or difficulty may start to shift of its own accord in a direction that we haven’t expected.
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In our sessions, I am there with you, listening closely, gently guiding, suggesting, pointing to and enquiring about feelings that may be helpful to notice, guiding the exploring process, encouraging you to notice and stay with these feelings longer which allows new things to emerge. I make gentle suggestions and invitations, helping you to pause as you talk, getting a sense of your whole body in that moment to help you notice the sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle feelings in your body, inviting the wider picture, broadening your awareness, finding places of calm inside for us to be able to explore from. This can bring about a fresh feel to something that feels overwhelming, stuck or repetitive, allowing clarity and change. A lot can be noticed in a pause!
I have a passion for continual learning and discovering new ideas. I feel it is an honour to be a counsellor, to connect deeply with people, share their inner worlds and help them bring about lasting change.
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I am a member of the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists) and work to their ethical guidelines.
Relaxation is the key
During a counselling session, difficult feelings may arise. If you would like, I am able to end sessions with a variety of grounding and relaxation techniques which help you to go away from each session feeling safe and held. This allows you to re calibrate in the new found space you have created in your life.
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My commitment to you is to ensure that you feel emotionally fit to go about the rest of your day when you leave the session. These techniques take a few minutes which is why I offer 60 minutes for each counselling session rather than the usual 50 minutes. I feel it is important to take our time and not feel rushed.
"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change"
Carl Rogers
"Every bad feeling is potential energy toward a more right way of being if you give it space to move toward it's rightness"
Eugene Gendlin
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where do the sessions take place?
Outdoors, online or on the phone or a mixture to suit you.
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Where do walk and talk sessions take place?
Rodborough or Minchinhampton Common on the edge of Stroud.
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What happens if it’s raining?
In wet weather, if you are happy to wrap up in waterproof clothes and still be outside, then I am too. Alternatively, we can either have that session online or on the phone or rearrange it, if we can find a different mutually convenient time that week, or to postpone it to the following week, so please let me know how you feel about these options. It is always surprising to me how very few sessions in the year are actually not able to happen due to the weather. So often I notice how the weather looks much worse when we look at it from indoors than when we are out in it! Walking in wet weather can also bring out different feelings and moods in us too. I know a couple of routes to walk from where we meet, which are much more sheltered, which can be useful when it is very wet or windy.
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How far do we walk?
I will take your lead on the speed you would like to go, however I generally encourage us to walk quite slowly as this can help us to listen inside as we walk. There are several benches to sit on which feel quite private, with beautiful views which we can incorporate into our walk if you would like this.
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Is it flat or hilly?
We have a few different options of terrain from flat to hilly, all with beautiful views and easy, free parking. Please let me know your particular requirements.
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What about being overheard outside?
Although the common is a public place, there are huge spacious areas with very few people and if someone comes close by I generally encourage us to pause our talking a moment to maintain privacy, resuming when they have passed by. Our sessions can be a mixture of walking and sitting on a bench with privacy with beautiful views.
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Where do I park?
There is ample free parking where we meet on both Minchinhampton and Rodborough Common. I will send you directions and a pin on Google maps to follow for our first session.
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How does walk and talk therapy compare to therapy in a room?
Many people say that they find walking alongside someone as they talk can feel less intimidating than sitting in a room with someone, that it’s less intense. Eye contact can feel easier and silences and pauses can feel very natural. Being in nature can feel very grounding and there is more of an alongside feeling of us together with whatever you are bringing. The regular movement of walking can help us to process and regulate our emotions too.
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What if I bump into someone I know?
We can discuss how you would like us to be if you see someone you know when we first meet. It might feel ok to say a simple hello or acknowledging smile and walk on. If you have thoughts on this, please let me know when we meet.
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Animals on the common
During the summer months, cows and horses graze on the common. I've always found that they keep themselves to themselves and have very little interest in and a lot of tolerance for the humans they share their space with. They seem to behave in a much more relaxed way on the common than when they are in fields, perhaps because they are not confined to a small space. Dogs are also on the common, sometimes off the lead. Please let me know if any of this is worrying to you.
Does having therapy mean I have a mental health problem?
No, in fact having therapy and exploring our feelings, understanding our reactions to relationships and situations can help us to prevent developing mental health problems. As humans, I feel we all need a kind and non judgemental space to be heard and to reflect on how we are. By making space for ourselves in an often busy world, we can learn new things about ourselves and grow, which can bring a sense of calm and relief. This in turn can help us go about our lives with a wider perspective and less fear.
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You might be here, looking at this website, because you’re feeling anxious, stressed or stuck. Maybe you're finding your mood is low and you're feeling overwhelmed a lot of the time. I help people who are feeling like this to find new ways to be with their experiences, bringing clarity, a fresh feel to repetitive emotions and change. I work in a gentle, supportive way, helping you to explore what you are finding difficult and find new ways forward.
Counselling is a space you give to yourself, allowing you the time to explore your inner world within a safe, empathic and supported relationship. When we give ourselves this opportunity, relief, healing, change and a greater understanding of ourselves can occur.
I offer walk and talk therapy, in beautiful natural surroundings. It’s often easier to talk about difficult issues outside. I also offer sessions online and on the phone. Our sessions can be a mixture of outdoors, online/ the phone to suit you.