Fiona Ryan

The counselling relationship is unique and very different from our interactions with friends and relatives. I provide a special, confidential setting in which a person can achieve acceptance and understanding, explore their feelings, express their needs and work towards finding solutions for the difficulties they are experiencing in their life. As an ‘integrative’ counsellor, I include a variety of techniques and ideas within my counselling practice. My main inspiration is Carl Rogers’ approach of ‘person-centered therapy’. I believe that it is the quality of the counselling relationship, rather than any particular technique which creates a truly therapeutic and beneficial experience for the client. I aim to achieve certain ‘core conditions’ within the therapeutic environment, including respect, warmth, empathy and unconditional positive regard and it's these conditions which help the client to heal and achieve changes in their lives.

I am also inspired by the ‘skilled helper’ model created by Egan; it is an approach which is designed to help people “to manage their problems in living more effectively and develop unused opportunities more fully”. This theory of counselling involves working with the client’s own agenda, and their hopes, aims and objectives. It is not the counsellor’s role to advise the client about the best course of action or tell them how they should live their life.

I have a problem-focused approach to therapy. Whilst it is sometimes very important to reflect on things which happened in the past, I am also concerned with helping the client to actively explore and address problems which are occurring in the present in order to work towards a better future. 

I have a special interest in neurodiversity and the impact which neurodevelopment conditions such as autism and ADHD can have on mental health. 

Please refer to my website for information about my qualifications and experience and further details about how I work.

Each counselling session lasts one hour and will usually take place at the same time and on the same day each week.

Weekend and evening sessions are available.

I provide face-to-face counselling sessions in my therapy room in Stroud, Gloucestershire, and sessions can also be conducted over the phone or online via Zoom, Skype, Teams or FaceTime.

During our first session,  you will have the opportunity to explore your reasons for coming to counselling and we will discuss the ways in which I might be able to help you. We will also talk about the way in which we will work together, including our agreement regarding confidentiality.

There is never any obligation to  continue with counselling and during the first session you can decide if you feel comfortable and want to work with me in the future. If you wish to continue with counselling, we will plan to meet for six sessions, at which point we will review the counselling process and decide whether to continue with further sessions. You can end the counselling relationship at any time, but ideally we will plan the ending and work towards it in a structured way.

I am available for short-term and long-term counselling. In some cases the best results are achieved through ‘brief counselling’ which involves the client setting personal goals and working towards these targets with support from the counselling process, over 6- 12 sessions. Working within a ‘brief counselling’ model helps the client to focus clearly on what they want to achieve. However, the length of the counselling relationship will depend on the client’s individual needs, and how helpful they are finding the counselling process.