Susan Stubbings

A very warm welcome - known as Sue and describe myself as an experienced, aware, qualified, compassionate, and professional counsellor and supervisor. Experienced in many areas of counselling, mental and emotional health and support.

I offer in-person, telephone and online video calls to adults 18 and over who live within the United Kingdom. 

Support from me is practical, realistic, compassionate and very passionately human, meeting you where you are on your journey to healing. From a relational perspective, I offer you authentic relational presence, grounded in transparency, in a confidential environment, I will listen and hear you. Offering time and attention within an empathetic relationship which is aware, skilled, knowledgeable and promotes understanding, self-awareness, choice and voice,

The ultimate aim being to re-empower you to regain and maintain balance in your mental and emotional worlds.

My experience within counselling has been gained over 22 years, within various counselling settings including Private Practice, Cruse Bereavement Care, Victim Support, Alcohol Services, Family Centre and Hospice Care.

Supporting individuals and families experiencing a wide variety of mental and emotional conditions which cause concern.

Until recently and for over 7 years, I was employed in a Children's Hospice  three days a week, achieving Lead Counsellor, within a specialist Trauma & Bereavement Counselling Service.

Supporting families experiencing and going through the toughest of times imaginable and unimaginable. Supporting through anxieties, life-limiting and life-shortening illnesses, palliative care, end of life (EOL) and complex bereavement process which follows the death of a precious loved one.

I offer you experienced, compassionate and professional counselling support. 

I deliver support through a Humanistic-Integrative style of therapy. This means my experience informs me 'one size doesn't fit all'.  I recognise and understand as a Human Being we are not mono-minded but multifaceted, multi-dimensional and complex individuals. Utilising concepts from Humanistic,  Person-Centred, CBT, Psychodynamic, Bereavement, Trauma & Strength based theory and philosophies, for example.

Accruing over 22 years’ experience as a counselling practitioner supporting others experiencing common mental health difficulties and life’s complex conundrums.

In addition to my core qualification my extended studying and experience over the years has been focused on supporting others heal from the impact of Trauma, C-PTSD, PTSD, Bereavement and anxieties and the extensive ripple effect this brings e.g. grief, loss and fear, uncertainty, attachment and dissociative concerns. I am a trauma trained, informed and experienced therapist.

I will offer you ‘tools’ to pick up to aid your healing, together we will find your direction to peaceful shores. Where you can make sense of, heal, into post traumatic growth and into the person you choose to be, from this day forward.

Our work together may explore any dimension or parts of self you may wish to bring, I am led by you and your needs, recognising and understand as Aristotle said:

"the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”.

We are so much more than we think we are.

My focus is on you and supporting you to “feel better”, layering building blocks of 22 years of experience, skills, and knowledge, including a depth of self-awareness and insight.

Working collaboratively with you to explore what you need here and now, to support your holistic well-being.

I offer you a grounded presence of safety, listen and hear you, offering time and attention within an empathetic, and confidential environment. A space to support you to untangle, understand and discover aspects of yourself that perhaps you haven’t noticed and put to good use before. This will lead to you making informed choices and taking mindful actions, whilst shifting and mastering your emotions, so they are not the master of you.

This may feel daunting as you read, typing I reflect upon the words of Lao Tzu, the Chinese philosopher who said:

        “A journey of a thousand miles began with the first step"

The next step is to contact me so we can start walking along your healing and development path and aim for your fullest potential, together we can discover what that might be for you.

My mission is to foster personal and professional growth and development.

My principal aim is to in collaboration empower you to regain and maintain balance in your mental and emotional worlds, long after therapy has ended.

Supporting you to create informed choices and decisions for your overall well-being, creating connections, peace of mind and resourceful living.

• I offer a free meet and greet session which can last up to 45 minutes.  This is so we can both meet and assess if we ‘click’ get a feel of each other’s presence and feel if we are able to go forward into a therapeutic working alliance. Relationships are important and our relationship can impact your well-being, so its important you work with a practitioner ‘who gets you’, who works for you, so you gain the most from your sessions. Trusting your felt sense and instincts can support you to know if we are a good match.

• For you to clarify your hopes, expectations and goals of what you want to gain from your personal therapy - oft times we don't really know what we want other than to feel better and that is often enough to know in the beginning. 

• At this meeting you can  ask any questions you may have – this is an on-going process. Does your idea of counselling match with what I offer? What do you need to know about the way I work? Do you have any doubt about the counselling process? Ask as many questions as you need there is no ‘trivial’, ‘daft’ or ‘silly’ question, all questions are valid.

• For me to hear your past and present narrative, what concerns you, what challenges you are facing, situations and events you find difficult. What brought you to counselling here and now.  Ensuring I can tailor your support to your individual needs and choose the most suitable awareness, skills, knowledge, tools and strategies for you and your situation.

• Once we agree to go forward our first 60 minute session be mutually agreed upon (date/time) will start with me undertaking a short assessment of needs,  collect personal data and agreeing the boundaries we will work within often called a counselling contract.

• Its essential for us both to be open and honest with each other if you are going to gain the most you can from our time together. 

Hello and welcome I offer Telephone, On-Line  and In-person supervision.

Offering time and space dedicated to you and your work as a practitioner.  

My fee is £60 for 90 minute sessions - concessions for students and volunteers. 

My aim is to create a safe place in which you feel held and grounded in your work, where you feel free to talk about all aspects of your work.

My purpose is to enable you to be supported so you are not left alone to carry or struggle with the impact from hearing clients narratives. 

My experience is human beings are not mono-minded but multifaceted, complex beings.  We have parts that are healthy, parts that need more nurturance and parts that are happy and content. The self being the harmonising and organising central part and the sum of the whole Being.

We will work collaboratively with creativity exploring ideas outside the box as we investigate the relationship between our mind, body, and spiritual aspects of being human.  In relation  to your client work.

My work is informed by 18 years supervising experience with, CPCAB and Degree students at all levels, volunteers, and professional practitioners and those working within an emotionally charge environment e.g. carers, nurses, doctors.

Within a variety of setting and environments e.g. schools, bereavement, hospice, domestic violence, sexually abuse agencies, addiction services, victim support.  To general counselling with clients presenting anxieties, depression, loss, illness, low self-esteem and colleague in private practice.

Currently employed in a children's Hospice three days per week and 2 days in private practice.

Working via telephone, Video call and face to face.

Supervision is essential my focus is on all dimensions of your work and care for you as the carer and holder of others and to support you to maintain effective, sustainable practice.  Supervision is a safe, rich source of support, learning, reflection, time to mull over, review, compassionately evaluate, question, explore new pathways.  Gain a different perspective, a space for you to breath, take stock, hear self, understand, grow and develop.

Time and space is dedicated to you and your client work, I provide a space for you to celebrate your achievements, gain affirmation for your work. Whilst gently stretching and challenging appropriately so you can reflect upon all aspects of your counselling work and grow and develop within you practice.

As a supervisor my strengths sit in my compassionate intradependent way of Being, genuine openness, receptivity to change and curiosity, offer flexibility to work with and stay with the unknown. My creativity facilitates strategies, new perspectives and renewed energies, enhancing well-being and capabilities. Flexible and adaptable within the immediacy of our supportive sessions.

I own a competent knowledge of theories ranging from Humanistic, psychodynamic, Jungian, Cognitive and Behavioural, Existential, Logotherapy, Person-Centred and Transactional Analysis. 

Demonstrated in an Humanistic-Integrative style of support and how interpersonal dynamics are played out in relationships. Theory is one of the cornerstones and underpins all our counselling work along with ethics and the law.  Bringing responsibility, accountability, structure, and motivation. Passion and caring about the work we offer to others seeking alleviation of suffering

I am interested in listening and hearing who you are as a counselling practitioner within a relationship where you will be received with equality, respect and valued as a person of worth. 

If you would like to have a chat or a 30 minute Zoom call to see if we are a good fit to develop a therapeutic alliance, please contact me to arrange.

Warmest of regards 

Sue