Frances Varney

I currently have no availability. Please contact me if you would like to join my waiting list.

I offer sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, daytime and evening. 

Finding the right counsellor is key to counselling working for you. So I’ll tell you a little about who I am, so you have an idea of whether that may be me.

I’ve always been interested in how people work. After school I did a psychology degree, and I expected to continue in that field after university. But life got in the way and I wound up in the Civil Service, where I stayed for 18 years. It was work I enjoyed, but had no passion for.

During that time, I sought out a counsellor to help me with my own issues. And it was the best thing I have ever done for myself. Having counselling was so hard, but it was transformative. Amongst other things, it led me to retrain as a counsellor, and ultimately to me leaving the Civil Service and setting up in private practice.

My highest qualification is a Master’s degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy. I’ve counselled for a number of diverse organisations, including a faith-based charity and a women’s centre. The majority of my clients to date have been women, who have been working through issues such as grief, loss, abuse, trauma, and poor self-worth.

So that’s me. But if you have counselling with me, the counselling will most definitely be all about you. And, if you’ll forgive the cliché, you are the expert on you - even if you don’t feel like it at the moment. My role is to support you in finding your own voice, and the right way forward for you. 

I counsel remotely, online and over the telephone. 

My practice is called 'Curvy' Counselling for two reasons. 

Firstly, counselling is rarely a straight path to where you want to go. Sometimes it feels like you're going in circles, but you may actually be spiraling closer and closer to the core of the issue. 

Secondly, I’m fat, which has hugely shaped my sense of self. A particular field of interest of mine is weight stigma and how it impacts people. On the whole, fat people in the UK are judged negatively. The world doesn’t accommodate us and we’re expected to lose weight to fit in.

My experience as a fat person has made me passionate about working with other people who have also been judged and found wanting. Whether that be because of weight, skin colour, sexuality or any other reason. So the ‘Curvy’ is a nod to that part of me and my practice.