Welcome to Seaforth Counselling Services
A confidential space to explore the thoughts, feelings and challenges in your life
About Me
Hello, I am Julia, a qualified and experienced counsellor, working in private practice in Penarth and for a mental health agency based in Cardiff. I work with individual adults and young people from 11 years onwards. I offer long-term and short-term counselling depending on your needs, in person, via zoom video and telephone. I am a certified online and telephone counsellor and can deliver remote counselling.
I am an integrative counsellor, working from a person-centred perspective. This means that I am able to bring together elements of different therapeutic approaches to suit you. I use different types of counselling theories in my work, depending on the issue(s) you wish to bring to counselling and most importantly what feels right for you. You can find out more about this approach here.
I am a warm and empathic person and will offer you the opportunity to be heard and respected, with whatever you may wish to discuss with me. Together we can explore issues relating to bereavement, loss and grief, depression and anxiety, self-harm, stress, trauma and academic or work-related issues.
Ultimately, the important thing is that we are able to work well together and that you feel able to share your thoughts and feelings freely without judgement. I do my best to ensure you are able to put trust in me and our work by offering a confidential, judgment-free space with warmth and respect. I will encourage you to be self-reflective, engage in self-exploration into your thoughts, feelings, emotions, experiences from early life and the beliefs you hold.
I have provided counselling services for agencies such as Mind, Eye To Eye, Platfform Wellbeing and a Children and Young Peoples’ Partnership service. I have experience as a school-based counsellor and I currently work for a Cardiff based agency two days per week providing therapeutic interventions with their clients.
I have extensive experience in a variety of educational settings including supporting and coaching teachers in university and as an advisor for local authorities in England and Wales.
Professional registration
- I am registered member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) and The National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).
- I have monthly clinical supervision, undertake ongoing continuing professional development and work within the Ethical Framework of BACP.
- I am fully insured through Holistic Insurance
- I comply with the data protection requirements with regard to client confidentiality and am registered with the ICO.
- I have a current enhanced DBS certificate.
Counselling
We experience new challenges at different times in our lives. Some life events can interrupt our wellbeing and trigger sadness, pain and confusion. None of us is protected from painful and traumatic life experiences; however, despite how hopeless it feels giving yourself a chance to feel better is essential. Counselling is an opportunity to look at your life, better understand your inner world, and find new, healthier ways to cope with everyday challenges and painful past experiences and traumas.
If you are struggling with something, feeling overwhelmed or simply stuck, it can help to talk. People seek counselling for many different reasons. Counselling can help open up possibilities for change, supporting you to live your life as you want.
I am happy to work with you on a short-term or long-term basis, and we can discuss this when we meet. Whatever you decide, you are not committed to any set number of sessions - some people find that just a few sessions are helpful, others continue for longer.
How I can help
If you are having a bit of a wobble, struggling with something, feeling overwhelmed or just curious, it can help to talk. People seek counselling for many different reasons – I can provide you with a safe, confidential and comfortable space for you to explore whatever issues you are experiencing.
You can bring anything at all to our sessions. You might be experiencing anxiety or feel that you are not able to move forward with your life. I am ready to support you to open up possibilities for change, supporting you to live your life as you want. To maintain good mental health, build healthy relationships, thrive at work and reach your potential.
Some of the issues that counselling might help with include:
Overcoming worry and anxiety
Addressing self-harm
Exploring identity
Building self-esteem and confidence
Tackling poor sleep
Tackling depression and low mood
Coming to terms with trauma
Coping with loss & bereavement
Dealing with life changes
Academic or work-related issues
Improving relationships
Achieving personal growth
My first session
Therapy is not like any other appointment you might have. Each client is different and a kind of therapy that works for one person may not work as well for someone else. Your therapy will be unique to you and unlike anyone else’s.
I offer an initial 20 minute free consultation which will give you the opportunity to decide whether you want to work with me. The relationship between a counsellor and a client is at the core of counselling’s success, so it is important that you feel happy with the counsellor you choose.
Sessions are usually 50 minutes long.
It will be your choice – some people find that a few sessions help them, particularly if they have a specific issue. Other people choose to continue for longer, but you are never committed to any fixed number of sessions.
As a registered member of BACP (the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) I adhere to their Ethical Framework for counsellors. I have regular supervision where confidentiality of clients is strictly maintained.
I comply with data protection requirements and keep all client details secure. I have a current enhanced DBS certificate and my practice is fully insured.
What's the difference between Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Psychologist?
There’s probably less than you think, especially between a counsellor and a psychotherapist. All three can use various techniques but some specialise, for example in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, whilst others use several techniques because some may lend themselves better to you and your situation.
Counsellors and psychotherapists
Counsellors and psychotherapists may specialise in working with individuals, small groups, couples, adults or children. They may have particular interests e.g. in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or couples therapy and their training and experience will reflect that. Whether someone calls themselves a counsellor or psychotherapist can be down simply to the way they see their work; counselling tends to bring to mind a more conversational and apparently less structured and informal exchange (despite often using structured techniques) and that may sum up the therapist’s view of how they work. A psychotherapist may see themselves as having a more structured approach, and having a more formal relationship with their clients. Both psychotherapists and counsellors will have professional qualifications and experience and belong to a professional body that regulates their practice.
Psychologists
Psychologists’ titles, such as clinical psychologist, or educational psychologist, are protected in law (unlike a counsellor or psychotherapist) and will be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. People using those titles are guaranteed to have completed the appropriate training and are regulated by the HCPC. Psychologists use psychological research and theory in their therapeutic work (often counsellors and psychotherapists do too) but will almost certainly have a greater expertise and depth of psychological understanding underpinning the way they practise. They often treat the same psychological problems as psychotherapists and counsellors but may also be involved in more complex cases where clinical knowledge enables them to diagnose and work with other medical professionals.
TestimonialS
‘Having a consistent place for me to be honest without judgement was really helpful for me to process the trauma I had experienced. Julia was an incredibly important part of making me want to keep going and to help me look toward the future. I will miss the sessions with her’. Paul Face to Face, Cardiff.
“Before I sought counselling, my mental health was at it’s lowest and I was under a high degree of work-related stress. Just six weeks of counselling with Julia has dramatically turned things around and I feel so much more capable of dealing with difficult events. I wasn’t sure if the process would work for me. I expected answers and strategies to be offered me. Julia addressed this and reassured me to simply follow the process and it has been incredibly insightful to step outside my comfort zone” Sarah, Online
MY LOCATION
I work from my private and comfortable therapy room in central Penarth, the Vale of Glamorgan which is easily accessible from the surrounding areas such as Dinas Powys, Barry and Cardiff.
INITIAL CHAT
It is important that you feel happy with the counsellor whom you choose – the relationship between a counsellor and client is at the core of your future success. Therefore, I am happy to have an informal chat with you before starting counselling.
FEES
My charges are £50 per session. It is entirely up to you how many sessions we have; some people find the support they need pretty quickly, for example help with specific issues or simply to offer some support in time of crisis. Other clients come for longer.
CONTACT ME
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.
All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.
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