Nova Nolan

I am currently taking new clients

My name is Nova Nolan, I am a humanistic, integrative counsellor working in Brighton, Hove and online. I provide a therapeutic counselling service for people who feel they need support, guidance, a safe space to explore themselves or simply a need to be witnessed and heard.

Gently and with compassion, I listen, I observe, I reflect and support exploration. Sometimes what emerges is a desire for change, for others it is a want to understand themselves more deeply or perhaps to make an important decision. We work together to create a therapeutic pathway that makes sense to you.

I aim to provide a space that feels safe, warm and free from judgement, criticism or discrimination...with these conditions in place, we can start to explore.

It all begins with me listening carefully...as your thoughts, feelings and stories begin to emerge, we choose which paths to follow. Sometimes this might include some creative experiments, perhaps a writing exercise or playing with objects, it's not always talking and listening.

I will also pay attention to your body, perhaps to the way your breath is moving or noticing what a clenched fist might be trying to communicate, your body expresses in all sorts of ways.

At the centre of my practice is a compassionate curiosity and a desire for all the different parts of you, to take up space and be heard. I invite you to contemplate that we are not a singular self, but a collection of selves. Some parts are more dominant than others, but all are valuable and have something useful to communicate. It may have value to do some reorganising, to allow quiet and perhaps denied parts to be heard too. Welcoming all of our selves can feel like a homecoming, a settling into an experience of self that makes sense.

I work from a position of 'what has happened to you?' not 'what's wrong with you?' We are moulded by our experiences and relationships, so we might visit your history and your family stories in order to better understand how you relate to yourself and others. Gathering information can provide a sense of choice, you may want to update some strategies that no longer serve you...what could be different, how can you be different? Safety and choice also come from connection and the relationship...not being alone with sadness, distress and challenge is so very important.

The first session or initial consultation, is a chance for you to share something of what is bringing you to therapy, and a chance for us to decide if we feel like a good fit. It's also an opportunity to share hopes (and maybe fears) for counselling and to explore how we might work together.

I will ask questions to guide the session, including information about your physical as well as mental health, check in around risk factors and ask a little about your history and impactful experiences. .

I offer this initial session at the discounted rate of £50 for a 50 minute session.