Valerie Allen

Not available during weekends and public holidays.

I see personal breakdown and crisis as events that point the way to changes that help us reach our full potential. My aim is to support you as you explore those aspects of your life and behaviour that are of concern to you at the moment. I can help you to understand what is important to you, highlight and clarify issues that emerge as we talk and work towards that resolution and change. 

Counselling is about changing your life for the better, working with a trusted professional. You have taken the first step towards change by reading this profile. Please call or email me to take the next step and find out more.

An experienced and well qualified therapist, I offer short and long term counselling and psychotherapy to individual adults and couples, including counselling students.  Sessions generally take place weekly and last one hour. We will meet for as many (or few) times as you need. Dates and times are agreed between us to suit your life.  See my website: www.valallen.com for more information about my practice.

I also offer supervision to other therapists and trainees and am a UKCP registered supervisor.

The first session offers you a chance to explain the issues that you are bringing to counselling and your goals for the work. It lets us meet each other and decide whether to work together.  As part of this process I will ask questions about your situation.  This will help me determine which approach will work best for you.  You will find out about the way i work and have your questions answered. 

 We will also talk about confidentiality and how your information is protected.  Finally we will talk about the practical aspects of sessions such as convenient session times, payment and cancellation. 

I do not work at weekends or on public holidays.

Supervision is a meeting of two colleagues so the relationship between us is of paramount importance. Whether you are a trainee in your first placement or have been counselling for many years we each bring valuable training and experience to every session. The emphasis is on working together with the issues brought to each session. The client is held at the centre of this process.   Working from an integrative transpersonal perspective I am able to draw upon a wide range of theories to shed light upon dilemmas, using creative techniques as indicated.

I have been supervising individuals and groups for over 20 years and am on the UKCP's register of supervisors.  Working mainly in private practice my experience also includes several years working in BACP’s accreditation department giving me an overview of good practice for counsellors, courses and placements. I bring to the work an in-depth knowledge of the Ethical Framework based on working with the ethical dilemmas that arise in practice. I am an Accreditation Appeals panellist for BACP and externally moderate a counselling training course in Sussex.

The initial session is a meeting to agree the boundaries of the supervisory relationship and our expectations of each other.  The session will be used to work with some client material so you can get as sense of the way we might work together.   It also includes contracting the practical arrangements including contact between sessions, any reporting arrangements, cancellations, fees, etc.