Fiona Brighouse

I work Monday to Friday daytime plus Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

We all go through rough patches, whether it’s with ourselves, our partners, other family members, work colleagues or friends. However sometimes we just can’t see how we can improve our situation or are tired of thinking we’re OK and then finding ourselves back in the same place weeks, months or even years later. Patterns of behaviour are hard to identify and even harder to break. Feeling stuck, either from events in the past or present day, can lead to anxiety or depression. Counselling can help you explore your problems and enable you to move forward.

Counselling is not about giving advice. It’s an opportunity for you to explore and talk through problems in a safe, non-judgemental and confidential environment. This may enable you to feel, think and act more efficiently and so improve the quality of your life. It may also help you to make some changes in your life. Counselling offers a unique time and space in today’s busy world to talk and be heard.

As a counsellor, I work collaboratively with you to identify how your past and present relationships have an impact on you and help you to challenge those patterns of behaviour that are unhelpful.

After qualifying as a Relate counsellor I worked for 14 years with couples, families and young people.  During COVID I trained to work online and became a member of the Association for Counselling and Therapy Online (ACTO).  More recently I have qualified as a Master Practitioner in Eating Disorders with the National Centre for Eating Disorders (NCfED).  I have been running my private practice for 6 years and I am based in Windlesham, Surrey.

As a member of the BACP, working ethically is important to me. I adhere to the BACP Ethical Framework and my work is regularly supervised. I keep up to date with developments in the therapeutic field and attend courses and other professional development activities supporting my work with adults and young people.  My work is fully insured and I comply with current data protection legislation.

For me, life is about relationships whether that’s the relationship with ourself, others or the world around us.  Fundamentally, however, being able to understand and manage ourselves helps us cope better with events and other relationships in our lives.

Working with a counsellor and sharing these difficulties can give you the opportunity to discuss and explore thoughts, feelings and behaviours and find ways to change and grow.  I believe the nature of the counsellor/client relationship often reflects the way we relate in everyday life. This gives us the opportunity to explore your ways of relating to yourself and with others as well as the options available to you if you wish to change.

I provide a safe, supportive and confidential space and work with warmth, respect and compassion.

I use talking therapies with a person centred approach at all times, which means I work collaboratively with my clients, so I won’t intrude on issues that you are not ready to deal with. I use multiple techniques in my work such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, systemic therapy, behavioural therapy, cognitive therapy, mindfulness, transactional analysis, and solution focused therapy.