Sarah Russell

I am currently working Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. 

At the moment I have availability for online appointments on Wednesdays and Thursdays and availability to meet in person on Fridays.  Please contact me by phone or email for further information and  I will aim to get back to you as soon as I can.  

You may be struggling at the moment and wondering how to cope. Perhaps you are troubled by difficulties that are related to a specific life event, or perhaps you are experiencing a more general sense of unease, feeling stuck, lost or overwhelmed. You may being feeling anxious or depressed or are struggling with problems within a relationship. Or perhaps feeling overwhelmed and stressed at work or perhaps on the verge of  burnout. There are many, many reasons why people seek counselling, and each persons circumstances are unique. I have mentioned only a few and your reason may be different. 

Finding the right person to work with is important , so you may want to know something of my background. Before moving into private practice I've worked in several charities, providing counselling for a full range of personal problems. I also work with corporate organisations and Employee Assistance programmes.  As well as being an accredited counsellor I am also a qualified coach and have experience of working in both private and public sector.  It may also be helpful to know that I hold an Enhanced DBS .  

I am very much committed to helping my clients find a way of working through whatever concerns are troubling them in order that they can achieve a better quality of life for themselves. And it is this that I would want for you.

I practice an Integrative approach to counselling and core to this is providing you with an empathetic non-judgmental space to explore and make changes to your life. We can get to know ourselves better through counselling which can help us to make more helpful choices about our life. You may know already that Counselling isn’t about telling people what they should do. I hold the belief that if a person has a problem, they will also have their answer. And often people simply need some professional support to help them to find their way to it. This is what my aim would be for you.

Each person that comes to counselling is unique, as is what they are facing. My aim is to work with you as an individual in a way that will help you. In the main we will talk; sometimes we'll consider doing something in between sessions like keeping a journal, other times it may be helpful  for me to provide some knowledge to aid understanding. We may well talk about ways in which to care better for yourself.  So whilst I will draw upon my knowledge and experience, my hope is that we will be doing this together, after all, 'you are the expert in you!'

Reading this indicates, you have made the first steps to making some positive changes in your life. If this sounds like something you'd benefit from and would like to do, please contact me to arrange an initial consultation

If you haven’t had counselling before you may be wondering what to expect in a first session. You may wonder if you need to prepare in some way. You don’t need to write anything down– unless you want to make some notes to bring along. Some people can find this helpful, others don’t, and I don’t hold any expectations either way.

In practical terms -  if we have agreed to meet online, I will send you a Zoom link.  I shall be in a private space and I will ask that you find somewhere where you can speak freely and not be overheard.  If we are meeting in person at The Practice Rooms in Brighton, I will come and meet you and show you to the the room.  Either way,  I will send you full details when we agree an appointment.

For most of the meeting, we will talk about what is troubling you and to explore together what your hopes are for counselling.   You will learn more about what I offer and how I may be able to help you, and I will consider how my experience and skills can help you. It is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have. In terms of how long the initial session would be, like regular sessions, this session would be 50 minutes long. Towards the end of the session, we can talk about whether this is something we want to go ahead with, or not. There is absolutely no obligation to take it forward. It’s for this reason that I like to offer a discounted rate for the first session.  

I am very much committed to helping my clients find a way of working through whatever is troubling them. Please contact me if you would like to arrange an initial session.

My practice is currently full and so not taking new enquiries at this time.

You may be struggling at the moment and wondering how to cope. Perhaps you are troubled by difficulties that are related to a specific life event, or perhaps you are experiencing a more general sense of unease, feeling stuck, lost or overwhelmed.  You may being feeling anxious or depressed or are struggling with problems within a relationship.  There are many, many reasons why people seek counselling, and each persons circumstances are unique.  I have mentioned only a few and your reason may be different. So it may be helpful to know that I am a registered counsellor with experience of helping people with a wide range of issues.

I have worked in several local charities; Helping Hands for the Blind, Options Counselling and Basingstoke Counselling Service – who provide counselling for a full range of personal problems. As well as being a counsellor I am also a qualified coach and have experience of working in both private and public sector organisations.

I am very much committed to helping my clients find a way of working through whatever concerns are troubling them in order that they can achieve a better quality of life for themselves.

I practice an Integrative approach to counselling and core to this is providing you with an empathetic non-judgmental space to explore and make changes to your life. We can get to know ourselves better through counselling which can help us to make more helpful choices about our life. You may know already that Counselling isn’t about telling people what they should do. I hold the belief that if a person has a problem, they will also have their answer. And sometimes people just need some support to help them to find their way to it. This is what my aim would be for you,

Reading this indicates, you have made the first steps to making some positive changes in your life. If this sounds like something you'd benefit from and would like to do, please contact me to arrange an initial consultation

If you haven’t had counselling before you may be wondering what to expect and if you need to prepare in some way for our meeting. You don’t need to – unless you want to make some notes to bring along. Some people can find this helpful, others don’t, and I don’t hold any expectations either way.

For most of the session we will talk about what is troubling you and to explore together what your hopes are for counselling. You will learn more about what I offer and how I may be able to help you. It is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have. In terms of how long the initial session would be, like regular sessions, this session would be 50 minutes long. Towards the end of the session, we can talk about whether this is something you want to go ahead with, or not. There is absolutely no obligation to take it forward. It’s for this reason that I like to offer a discounted rate.

I offer both face to face and online session.  When we meet in person it will be in my counselling room in the centre of Basingstoke.  For online sessions I use Zoom and I work in a room where I can maintain confidentiality as privacy is just as important as when meeting together in person. If you chose to meet online, I would ask that you too find a space where you can talk freely without being overheard.

Please do get in touch if you have any questions about an initial session that I haven’t been able to answer here.