Welcome

Having someone to talk to can make all the difference when you are struggling with life. You are not alone. We all face challenges in life, and sometimes, we need support to navigate them. I’m here to help you find the strength and clarity to cope and thrive.

About Me:

I’m Armel (they/them), I have 27 years of experience as a therapist with a wealth of training and understanding. This means I can tailor my approach to your needs.

I also bring my personal qualities: kindness, authenticity, warmth, humour, curiosity, creativity and patience to my work so that therapy with me can feel like a good, safe conversation with a particularly skilled, understanding and friendly professional.

Individual Therapy for adults including but not limited to:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Relationship to others
  • Parenting and caring responsibilities
  • Trauma (PTSD, complex trauma, etc.)
  • Coming-out journeys
  • Gender identity
  • LGBTQIA+ specific challenges (discrimination, microaggressions, etc.)
  • Life Transitions
  • Emotion regulation
  • Mindfulness coaching

What to Expect

Therapy is a collaborative process. We will work together to understand your unique challenges and develop strategies to manage them. A priority is building safety between us; that includes confidentiality and boundaries and understanding your unique needs. After more than 27 years of experience and ongoing training as a therapist I can respond to you as an individual including:

 

  • Working affirmatively with difference, marginalised and oppressed identities
  • Awareness of providing safety for trauma histories
  • Starting from the understanding that difficulties you are experiencing frequently arise from the society we live in as well as individual experiences throughout life
  • Working flexibly including asking questions, suggesting helpful activities and resources
  • Helping you build your inner resources
  • Discovery and growth of your strengths and healthy coping mechanisms

What is therapy like?

It’s a specialised conversation with a highly trained professional. Sometimes it’s hard or fun or fascinating or funny or sad. It’s often about facing ourselves just as we are and caring as if you were your own best friend.

Through talking therapy, you can learn to:

  • Develop coping mechanisms for dealing with stress and difficult situations
  • Improve communication skills
  • Build stronger relationships
  • Assert your boundaries and advocate for your needs
  • Set and achieve goals
  • Increase self-esteem
  • Build fierce and tender self-compassion

How long does therapy last?

Each session lasts 50 minutes.

Therapy can last a few sessions or several years. Sometimes people stop and start therapy in “chapters” returning as needed. I normally offer weekly appointments, but other arrangements are possible if there is a need.

What are your fees?

My standard fee is £70 per 50 minutes session. For high earning individuals the fee is £90 per session.

Some reductions of fees are available but limited within my practice. Please discuss with me.

Where do we meet?

I work online using Zoom as the platform for meeting. I’ve done this since the Covid pandemic, and I find that it provides an accessible experience for a lot of people. You get to stay in your own environment which can help with looking after yourself before and after your session. I will send you a link for meetings.

Do you charge for an initial meeting?

Our first meeting is very important. It is a conversation in which we are both deciding if we can work well together. I’ll give you time to talk and I’ll ask you questions about what has brought you to counselling, how difficulties began, how they affect you, what resources and support networks you have and what hopes you have for therapy. It’s OK if you don’t know the answers yet. You can ask me questions and decide if I seem like someone you could talk to and work with.

This first session is charged at the same rate as all sessions and will last 50 minutes. Often people feel they gained helpful, new perspectives right out of the gate.

Are you accredited?

I am accredited with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, DBS checked, Information Commissioner’s Office registered and compliant, professionally insured and receive regular clinical supervision for my work.