Nicola Forshaw

From my consulting rooms in Wirral & Chester City Centre, I offer brief and longer term psychotherapy & counselling, specialising in trauma, bereavement and burnout. I also offer brief coaching interventions and supervision.  

I am an experienced BACP accredited counsellor, and qualified supervisor & coach, with over 13 years experience of private practice. 

I've enjoyed an academic career as a Lecturer in Counselling & Psychotherapy Masters programmes at Keele & Chester Universities & have worked for over eleven years in specialist NHS settings, working with eating disorders and individuals who self harm. I have previously held a strategic role with BACP within professional standards. 

In-person and online sessions are available.

During 2005, a number of years following my own experience of traumatic bereavement, I took the first tentative step towards training to become a counsellor.

Throughout this time, my academic interest and individual therapy practice has focused upon seeking to understand resilience and the potential for post traumatic growth arising from adverse experiences, and in particular grief and traumatic bereavement.

During 2013 I established my first therapy practice 'Rooms @ No.9' in Greasby, which has since grown into Nine Teaching Wellbeing Consultancy, Wirral, and expanded into Chester City Centre. Based on my personal, academic and therapeutic philosophy Nine Teaching is founded upon the values of promoting sustainable resilience. 

If you are someone who is struggling with aspects of your life in terms of grief and loss, or considering counselling to help you to work through difficult, potentially traumatic experiences, and/or your relationship with yourself and others, I hope to be able to help you.

You can be assured that you will be treated with compassion and respect and that your therapy will be informed by the highest quality and ethical standards.

Our first session is called an initial consultation.

A consultation appointment is an initial appointment to help us to explore your concerns and to identify the areas that therapy may focus on. 

You will leave the consultation session with an idea of the focus of therapy, the modality and a recommendation of the initial number and frequency of sessions that may be required. 

 A consultation session does not obligate you to continue into therapy, you leave with a choice as to whether you want to proceed into further sessions or not, as you may feel that I am not the right therapist for you, or that this is not the right time.

However, from my perspective, if it is considered that therapy or the type of therapy that I offer may not be suitable for you, then I will clearly discuss this with you, and further options/recommendations may be explored.

There may be a wait of two-three weeks or so before regular sessions commence, and this depends on your availability also.

Before we undertake an initial consultation, I will ask you to complete a registration form, but I do not ask for any other assessments or paperwork to be completed.

The initial consultation costs £85.

I am a warm, relational therapist who is passionate about developing the profession of counselling. Alongside running Nine Teaching Wellbeing Consultancy, I have previously held a role with BACP as a strategic project manager, within Professional Standards. This exciting role enabled me to influence and understand the direction that counselling is taking at a national level. You can be assured that my supervisory approach will be informed by the latest guidance and thinking within the field.

Additionally, I have worked in many fields of psychotherapy, as a Lecturer on Counselling Masters’ programmes at Keele & Chester Universities, and spent many years working in the NHS, initially as a primary care counsellor, and then in specialist Eating Disorder and Personality Disorder settings. During this time, I developed a strong interest in trauma and PTSD, and went on to undertake specialist qualifications, including MSc modules in Psychological Trauma, and EMDR. Additionally, I am qualified in CBT, DBT, and I am a qualified supervisor, holding a Post Graduate Certificate in Supervision.

Due to this range of experience, my supervisory approach can develop you and help you with your clients with a diverse range of presenting difficulties: Trauma, PTSD, Bereavement, Self Harm & Suicidal ideation and intent, Eating Disorders and Personality Disorders, Anxiety & Depression.

For 6 years I have worked closely with the NHS as a clinical supervisor within teams of allied health professionals, including Palliative and End of Life Care Teams, Clinical Nurse Specialists and Clinical Support Workers.  I undertake this role at a national level, and advise and consult on workforce health and wellbeing issues.

Supervisory approach

As a supervisor I am interested in the ‘person’ of the therapist ‘supervisee’. I offer a relational style of supervision, which takes a holistic and supportive view of your world, and how this interacts and influences your responses to your client(s). My philosophy is to work with your strengths, to enhance your practice, and encourage the development of your personal and professional resilience.

Supervision sessions can be conducted in-person at my consulting rooms in Wirral, or Chester City Centre.  Online sessions also available.

I offer an introductory 30 minute discussion. This is free of charge and allows us to explore what your needs are for supervision, and for us to decide if we are a good fit.

I then offer an initial three sessions, with our first formal session being dedicated to contracting, and after three sessions we hold a review to see how our relationship is progressing.

I am the Programme Director for Nine Teaching and the lead facilitator for all teaching sessions, working with a multi-disciplinary team of professional co-facilitators.

I have experience of teaching within many fields, including further & higher education, NHS clinical education and private settings.

Having previously lectured on the Masters Programmes in counselling and psychotherapy at Keele & Chester Universities, I have an academic research interest in vicarious trauma, post-traumatic growth and resilience.

Nine Teaching coach training programmes are externally accredited by The Association for Coaching, and as a result we consult with organisations around occupational health and wellbeing, as an advisor on coaching, leadership and resilience.  

We also offer a therapist to coach training programme that leads to membership of the Association for Coaching*, allowing you to add coaching to your professional portfolio.

The Nine Teaching philosophy is about promoting sustainable resilience for individuals, professionals and organisations through learning, leadership and growth.

Offering in-person, live teaching and CPD events, we provide a friendly, interactive and attentive environment to stimulate your experiential learning through a synthesis of didactic delivery, discussion and debate.

We have a strong commitment to small group learning, and we limit our training numbers to 12 or less for every teaching and CPD session.

Finally, we maintain our deep belief in human potential, meaning that all sessions are informed by the latest academic research which reflects on the human capacity to grow and develop resilience through adversity.

* once you have completed the required number of 1:1 coaching hours (counselling hours are not admissable).

Each teaching programme is organised into a series of themes: trauma and grief, mental health essentials, the embodied self and the coaching for growth series.

All programmes encompass consistent teaching methods to deliver the latest thinking in academic research, promote self awareness, and emotional intelligence and develop skills to help others. 

Despite delving into areas of adversity in life, all series content is informed by the latest ideas about the human potential for resilience and post-traumatic growth. 

If you are an organisation seeking to develop healthier, emotionally intelligent and resilient workspaces, Nicola can advise on bespoke packages of support.