Anne Vine-Tester

9am to 7.30 pm Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with occasional flexibility should the need arise.

Hello, and welcome. I am an accredited person-centred counsellor and I have been practising for 20 years. Finding a counsellor who is right for you is important and may take a lot of thought. Time-and-again it has been shown that it is the quality of the relationship that a client experiences that is the most important factor in enabling them to find resolution, healing and growth. Building a safe, non-judgemental, empathic relationship will always remain central to me in my work.

In troubled times we often feel very alone with all that we are carrying - perhaps wounded, confused, overwhelmed - or we may be feeling a longing to move towards being more of who we are. The process of talking with a counsellor allows us to hear ourselves ever more clearly and deeply. We need a person we can trust; someone who will be fully-accepting of us and what we bring, warm, and professional. I have found that to be listened to, heard, valued, respected with sensitivity and care by another can be a rare experience in our lives and is central to my work.

In a therapeutic relationship of this nature you will find the support you need to resolve your difficulties and move forward with your life. Together we can explore your concerns and feelings and help you gain new understanding and meaning, safe in the knowledge of confidentiality. You may find this process helps you towards the emergence of your own answers, healing, growth - or simply a sense of relief as you share your troubles. In the process, I will give you all the support and freedom you need.

Sharing this personal world may, for some people, be difficult to embark upon but it can - and does, in my experience - make such a difference. 

I am currently working by phone or online using FaceTime, Skype and Zoom while Covid precautions continue to restrict us. When it becomes safe for both of us I will once more be able to welcome you face-to-face into my home-based counselling practice with its peaceful and beautiful outlook, which can be healing in itself.

In my practice I can offer short-term work of a few sessions to address a particular current issue, or more open-ended medium and longer term work.

My sessions are normally an hour long and take place once a week; we can discuss how this fits in with your life and your needs and be flexible accordingly if this helps.

As you move towards completion of the work you want to do, you may find you have benefitted in many ways that other people have found counselling has helped. For instance:

* that you can understand and make sense of circumstances that have been confusing or painful, enabling you to let go of stuck thoughts and feelings;

* that you are experiencing an increasingly positive sense of worth, self-confidence, hope, inner strength;

* that anxiety and depression can lift;

* that you are able to make decisions involving changes in your life where this is appropriate;

* that you are able to conduct more satisfactory relationships at work and in your personal life;

* that your abilities to give and receive, to be creative, and to fulfil your potential are opened up.

My first session is without charge or obligation and can be for up to an hour long. It gives us the opportunity both to meet one another, and to explore the nature of what you are seeking.

I will invite you to tell me what has brought you; what your hopes and expectations are of the process of counselling and the work we would do; and what experiences you may, or may not, have had of previous counselling or support.

I will be able to explain to you more about how I work and answer any questions you may have. We will look at how we can work together, meeting your needs and at your pace. You may find it helpful to meet several people before you decide where you feel you will be most met, or you may wish to go ahead straight away with me.