Alison is Senior Accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and has been running a successful private practice as Psychotherapist/Counsellor for over fifteen years. How much does it cost? The Fee is £45 - for an hour of my time (spread over several days or weeks) to read and respond to your emails. To Book click here. What is Creative Counselling/Coaching? There are plenty of websites out there offering 'Manuscript Assessment' and 'Literary Consultancy' for writers - but what if you're struggling each day to get your creative Mojo revved up and nothing's happening? Or you're overwhelmed with despondency, disappointment, frustration or fear of failure? Creative counselling/coaching is about personal and individual support for YOU at the stage you have reached on your own creative journey. It is aimed at the vulnerable, fearful, lost creative person inside you, who is fighting to get your work started/finished/recognised and going through a temporary meltdown. The creative life is often solitary and daunting. You're on your own, ploughing away at a project. You're not sure if it's any good, if you're wasting your time, if anyone is ever going to be interested in what you have to say. Friends offer polite compliments, but are they just trying to keep you happy? What do you do when your ideas dry up, you lose all your confidence, your work gets rejected for the seventeenth/hundredth time? Do you give up? Do you let setbacks get the better of you? Do you put all you've done into a bottom drawer and slam it shut? Creative Counselling/Coaching is designed to offer you emotional and practical support for those times when nothing is flowing and you're stuck. When you're on the verge of throwing in the towel. As an experienced therapist and a creative person (having journeyed along a bumpy road), I know what it's like to need inspiration, guidance, support and encouragement. I've developed plenty of tools over the years for dealing with most aspects of the creative life - and plenty of experience as a counsellor and life-coach working with writers, artists, composers, make-up artists, costume designers, actors, film-makers and so on. How does Email Counselling/coaching work? I firmly believe that writing things down is the first step towards change. By finding words to describe what you're going through and the hurdles you face, you gain an immediate sense of clarity. By sharing your thoughts on email, we can work together towards identifying what the real issues are (sometimes they're tucked away), what you want to do about them and how we can start to see positive steps forward. The initial step is for you to send me a brief email outlining your situation. If I think I can help you, we get started. You pay on-line through my website and send me more details about what you want to work on and what kind of help you might want. You pay £45 for an hour of my time (spread over several days or weeks) to read and respond to your emails (see Terms & Conditions.). This might include practical exercises and tips to try, it may involve more emotional insights to help you make sense of your issues. We may bat a few emails back and forth, in one go or over several days, before your hour is used up. You can then sign up for more or leave things, to see how you get on. Alison's QualificationsI gained a Distinction in the post-graduate Diploma in Counselling & Psychotherapy at the University of East London (Integrative/Humanistic) in 1995 and am Senior Accredited by the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) (1997 & 2008). I also have qualifications in Teaching (PGCE) and Counselling Supervision (CPCAB). I have undertaken further training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution-Focused therapy, Psychosynthesis, Imagework and Transpersonal Therapy at City University, London. Code of Ethics and PracticeI work under the 'Ethical Framework for Good Practice' established by the
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), which
outlines the ways in which counselling should be conducted. ConfidentialityUnder the above code, your consultations with me are entirely Confidential. Whilst I am not entitled to divulge any information or details you tell me, if I felt you were in immediate danger to yourself, or to any other person, I would need to consider contacting an appropriate person/agency. I would always try to discuss this with you first and it would only occur in very extreme circumstances. Supervision of my workIn accordance with BACP regulations all counsellors are required to receive Supervision of their counselling. My supervisor is someone I consult regularly to discuss my work and from whom I receive support and guidance. In this setting I may discuss some details of your situation, but I will not give your name, so that confidentiality is preserved. My supervisor will never be introduced to you. To Book click here. |