Alison Skilbeck

I currently have some availability on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, daytime and evening. 

If you decide to work with me it will be rather like setting out on a journey. On that journey I’ll be your fellow traveller, companion and guide. Whether or not your reason for coming to see me is an external situation that’s impacting on your life, a key part of our time together will be to explore your inner world. As we explore that world together you may develop greater insight into patterns of thought and behaviour that served you once but now limit you; you may find alternative ways of approaching difficulties; you may discover ways of being in the world that are more in tune with who you truly are.

On our journey together I will guide you to access the innate wisdom and creativity of your unconscious mind; and to develop greater mindfulness of body, thoughts and feelings so that you learn to be less at the mercy of unhelpful thoughts and feelings and more able to access an inner calm.

Whether we decide to meet in person, online or by phone I offer you a safe space in which to explore the issues that have prompted you to seek counselling - a space where you can say it as it is without fear of being judged or being a burden - a space where you can explore ways of making sense of the world and your place in it - a space where maybe you will find ways of coming home to your true nature.

I have a background in education, and trained a few years ago with the Mindfulness in Schools Project to teach mindfulness to children and teenagers. I have found the practice of mindfulness to be invaluable in my own life and often include elements of this in my work as a counsellor. Attending an All-party Parliamentary Group hearing at Westminster on “Mindfulness, Ageing well and Older People” in 2019 reinforced my belief in the benefits of mindfulness at all stages of life, and I have seen how it has enriched the lives of several of my clients, from young adults to a client in her nineties.

After leaving education I trained as a counsellor at the Psychosynthesis Trust in London, graduating in 2019. Now, as I embark on further training in order to qualify as a psychotherapist, I particularly welcome those who would like to come in person to my practice in Willingdon, Eastbourne.

I offer an initial consultation of around 20 to 30 minutes, usually on Zoom or by phone, which is free of charge. During this we will look at why you are seeking therapy and it will give you a chance to ask me questions about the way we might work together. If after that we feel that we might be a good fit then we will arrange a mutually convenient time to meet each week.