Dorothy Owens

I currently have some availability Mon-Fri during the day and limited evenings.

I offer face to face, online and telephone counselling in a wide range of issues.

Off street parking.

In an ideal world there would be no need for counsellors and therapists. Friends, family and the wider community would be the source of our support network; this ideal world is not readily available to many people in today's modern world and this is where therapeutic counselling has a role to play.

People usually come to counselling when their day to day support network is no longer meeting their needs. On an average week I will see people with various types of concerns that are needing addressed; this can range from work related issues, relationship difficulties, needing support with sexual, cultural and gender identity and perhaps just a general sense of feeling 'stuck' right through to severe anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.

To work in the same way with each person would be suggesting that we are no longer a unique individual with our own way of being and that one box fits all. This cannot be true and as an integrative counsellor my approach is to aim to understand the person for who they are and adapt my way of working in a way that best suits their needs and promotes the healing process. 

My counselling room is in a quiet, safe and confidential part of my home and has been designed to help the client feel relaxed and safe.

I would describe my approach as holistic. I see the person for who they are and not the label they may have been given or believe they have become. My qualifications are in integrative counselling which means that I have studied more than one type of theoretical teaching which helps me to adapt my approach with each person I see. 

There may be clients who need to look back on their younger life in order to make sense of what is happening now, and for some people it is all about looking at right now and working out the obstacles that are preventing them from living their full life. And for others the importance of counselling is to help support them to accept what can't be changed and still retain a sense of 'living'.

It may be necessary for some people to be offered coping strategies to help them get through a very difficult period but ultimately my role is to promote the client's self awareness and self reliance so that they become their own counsellor.

At the heart of my work is my own belief that every individual deserves to be seen and listened to and that patience and kindness can reveal great depths.

I offer a free telephone session for you to give a brief outline of what is concerning you and for you to decide if you would like to make a further appointment. This also gives me the opportunity to understand if I am able to help you. If I feel your problem is out with my area of expertise I will endeavour to signpost you to the appropriate service.

The first session lasts an hour and tends to be in the form of assessment and getting to understand your concerns. A lot of people say that the idea of the first session scares them much more than the actual session itself. So, if you are hesitant to make an appointment I would encourage you to phone and get more of an idea of what or who to expect. The fear of the first session is very normal and is one of the obstacles to getting help.

This first session also helps us to understand whether you will need just a few further sessions or if your situation warrants more long term work. This will  be discussed between us at the first session. I like to revue our progress after six weeks but please note that some people may just need three sessions and feel that is enough. There are no rules.

The sessions last one hour.