Sarah Preston

I offer online and face-to-face appointments in Helmsley depending on your requirements and preferences. I see adults and young people (aged 18+).

I am here to provide a calm, confidential, safe space to explore with you what is going on in your life whether or not you know what might have brought you to this point.

Sometimes it is hard to make sense of things by yourself or to gain perspective from talking to friends and family. Taking time to tell your story within a non-judgemental therapeutic relationship can bring clarity, healing and empowerment, enabling  you to discover new ways of managing life’s challenges. It is, I believe, a process that can transform physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Humanistic theory underpins my approach but I work integratively, enabling me to call upon a rich tapestry of therapeutic perspectives, in order to best suit your needs. I work in collaboration with you, at your pace, and offer short, medium and long-term counselling and focus on a wide range of issues including loss, adjustment to stressful life events, relationship difficulties and health concerns.

I have a Post-graduate Diploma in Counselling from York St John University and a Diploma in Professional Development from the Gestalt Centre in London.

I have also attended numerous post-graduate courses since studying for my first degree in the 1980s and continue to draw on this cumulative knowledge including acceptance and commitment therapy, solution focused brief therapy, transactional analysis, cognitive behavioural therapy, and anxiety management techniques.

In the last two years, I have completed courses in poly-vagal informed therapy, working with the body and movement, and working with difficult boarding school experiences.

I work with a wide range of issues including low mood, low self-esteem, anxiety, sadness, loss, grief, adjustment following stressful life events, health concerns, relationship difficulties and parenting struggles. Sometimes of course the issue is more a sense of feeling stuck without quite knowing why and it is a process of working together that brings relief. At other times it might be a feeling of being held back by coping strategies that no longer seem helpful and it is by increasing your self-knowledge that you are able to find a way forward.

Working in a GP practice in Stockwell and for The Awareness Centre in Clapham, as well as in private practice, has provided me with a wealth of experience in both NHS and service settings. Working online more recently has enabled me to work more flexibly, including across time zones, and this is a way of working that I will continue to offer once the current pandemic is over.

Before becoming a counsellor, I spent over twenty years with the NHS as a speech and language therapist, specialising in working with adults and young people with voice and fluency disorders. Much of my work was orientated around working with anxiety in speaking situations. I have previously worked as a volunteer listener and I currently oversee pastoral care matters at a local school.

I am a registered member of the BACP and as such attend monthly supervision and adhere to the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy. I hold an enhanced DBS and am also still a registered member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

I know that taking that first step can feel daunting. Do contact me by email, text or by phone, whichever feels most comfortable, and if you would like to know a little more about what to expect before you do so please visit www.yorkcp.org. This is the website for the York Counselling Practice of which I am a founding member.

Over the years I have become increasingly aware of the role that the relationship dynamic can play in unlocking things and I, therefore, offer an introductory appointment free of charge, on-line or by telephone, so that you can see how you feel about us working together.

I offer online appointments as well as the opportunity to meet in person on a on off or agreed ad hoc basis in York. 

I see adults and young people aged 18+.

I am here to provide a calm, confidential, safe space to explore with you what is going on in your life whether or not you know what might have brought you to this point.

Sometimes it is hard to make sense of things by yourself or to gain perspective from talking to friends and family. Taking time to tell your story within a non-judgemental therapeutic relationship can bring clarity, healing and empowerment, enabling you to discover new ways of managing life’s challenges. It is, I believe, a process that can transform physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Humanistic theory underpins my approach but I work integratively, enabling me to call upon a rich tapestry of therapeutic perspectives, in order to best suit your needs. I work in collaboration with you, at your pace, and offer short, medium and long-term counselling and focus on a wide range of issues including loss, adjustment to stressful life events, relationship difficulties and health concerns.

I have a Post-graduate Diploma in Counselling from York St John University and a Diploma in Professional Development from the Gestalt Centre in London.

I have also attended numerous post-graduate courses since studying for my first degree in the 1980s and continue to draw on this cumulative knowledge including acceptance and commitment therapy, solution focused brief therapy, transactional analysis, cognitive behavioural therapy, and anxiety management techniques.

I continue to update and develop my knowledge and skills and, in the last two years, have completed courses in poly-vagal informed therapy, working with the body and movement, and working with difficult boarding school experiences.

I work with a wide range of issues including low mood, low self-esteem, anxiety, sadness, loss, grief, adjustment following stressful life events, health concerns, relationship difficulties and parenting struggles. Sometimes of course the issue is more a sense of feeling stuck without quite knowing why and it is a process of working together that brings relief. At other times it might be a feeling of being held back by coping strategies that no longer seem helpful and it is by increasing your self-knowledge that you are able to find a way forward.

Working in a GP practice in Stockwell and for The Awareness Centre in Clapham, as well as in private practice, has provided me with a wealth of experience in both NHS and service settings. Working online more recently has enabled me to work more flexibly, including across time zones, and this is a way of working that I will continue to offer once the current pandemic is over.

Before becoming a counsellor, I spent over twenty years with the NHS as a speech and language therapist, specialising in working with adults and young people with voice and fluency disorders. Much of my work was orientated around working with anxiety in speaking situations. I have previously worked as a volunteer listener and I currently oversee pastoral care matters at a local school.

I am a registered member of the BACP and as such attend monthly supervision and adhere to the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy. I hold an enhanced DBS and am also still a registered member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

I know that taking that first step can feel daunting. Do contact me by email, text or by phone, whichever feels most comfortable, and if you would like to know a little more about what to expect before you do so please visit www.yorkcp.org. This is the website for the York Counselling Practice of which I am a founding member.

Over the years I have become increasingly aware of the role that the relationship dynamic can play in unlocking things and I, therefore, offer an introductory appointment free of charge, on-line or by telephone, so that you can see how you feel about us working together.

I am currently working online and have access to comfortable rooms in South West London for clients looking to meet in person on a one-off or agreed ad hoc basis.

I see adults and young people aged 18+.

I am here to provide a calm, confidential, safe space to explore with you what is going on in your life whether or not you know what might have brought you to this point.

Sometimes it is hard to make sense of things by yourself or to gain perspective from talking to friends and family. Taking time to tell your story within a non-judgemental therapeutic relationship can bring clarity, healing and empowerment, enabling you to discover new ways of managing life’s challenges. It is, I believe, a process that can transform physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Humanistic theory underpins my approach but I work integratively, enabling me to call upon a rich tapestry of therapeutic perspectives, in order to best suit your needs. I work in collaboration with you, at your pace, and offer short, medium and long-term counselling and focus on a wide range of issues including loss, adjustment to stressful life events, relationship difficulties and health concerns.

I have a Post-graduate Diploma in Counselling from York St John University and a Diploma in Professional Development from the Gestalt Centre in London.

I have also attended numerous post-graduate courses since studying for my first degree in the 1980s and continue to draw on this cumulative knowledge including acceptance and commitment therapy, solution focused brief therapy, transactional analysis, cognitive behavioural therapy, and anxiety management techniques.

More recently I have completed short courses in poly-vagal informed therapy, working with body and movement, and working with difficult boarding school experiences.

I work with a wide range of issues including low mood, low self-esteem, anxiety, sadness, loss, grief, adjustment following stressful life events, health concerns, relationship difficulties and parenting struggles. Sometimes of course the issue is more a sense of feeling stuck without quite knowing why and it is a process of working together that brings relief. At other times it might be a feeling of being held back by coping strategies that no longer seem helpful and it is by increasing your self-knowledge that you are able to find a way forward.

Working in a GP practice in Stockwell and for The Awareness Centre in Clapham, as well as in private practice, has provided me with a wealth of experience in both NHS and service settings. Working online more recently has enabled me to work more flexibly, including across time zones, and this is a way of working that I will continue to offer once the current pandemic is over.

Before becoming a counsellor, I spent over twenty years with the NHS as a speech and language therapist, specialising in working with adults and young people with voice and fluency disorders. Much of my work was orientated around working with anxiety in speaking situations. I have previously worked as a volunteer listener and I currently oversee pastoral care matters at a local school.

I am a registered member of the BACP and as such attend monthly supervision and adhere to the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy. I hold an enhanced DBS and am also still a registered member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

I know that taking that first step can feel daunting. Do contact me by email, text or by phone, whichever feels most comfortable, and if you would like to know a little more about what to expect before you do so please visit www.yorkcp.org. This is the website for the York Counselling Practice of which I am a founding member.

Over the years I have become increasingly aware of the role that the relationship dynamic can play in unlocking things and I, therefore, offer an introductory appointment free of charge, on-line or by telephone, so that you can see how you feel about us working together.