Fanchea Grinham

Hello-I am Fanchea (15th century Irish name…) and I am a qualified humanistic existential psychotherapeutic counsellor.

I understand the importance of knowing that a therapist is a genuine and authentic human being who is attentive, present and responsive to you during therapy.  I can help you to explore and understand your world and emphasise, understand, discover with you using a wealth of training and life’s experience. I believe that every single person is unique therefore I will work in collaboration with you to build a trusting, open and genuine therapeutic connection where we can figure ‘it’ out together.

I like nature, animals, travelling, and am a firm believer that humour, when used appropriately, can be an incredibly useful tool to help us navigate through the darker journeys. I enjoy learning new things personally as well as professionally and I update my skills and training in order to bring fresh current thinking into my practice.  

If you are reading this, then you might be thinking about starting, or restarting, therapy- I understand that taking the first step is a difficult one and that there are lots of things to consider so I will work with you to help you navigate your counselling journey. My approach to counselling is humanistic-existential. In this sense, counselling with me is an exploration of your world- your experiences, relationships, feelings, thoughts, values, worries, hopes and dreams.

I believe that the only person who is an expert on themselves is themselves -and that sometimes we may feel the benefit of another person sitting with us and supporting us whilst we look at what is going on for us especially during times of change and uncertainty or when things are feeling particularly difficult or hard to manage. I can be this person for you during therapy. I can offer compassion, empathy, a listening ear, psychoeducation and if appropriate some gentle challenging. The therapeutic relationship is pivotal to my approach therefore I will be present, authentic, and curious with you.

I believe that therapy is something that anyone can do at any age and any stage in life- it is ultimately a safe and holding space for you to be you and to feel heard and seen. I think that everyone could benefit from this self-exploration and that it is never too late or too early to want to understand yourself or work on changing something. I also believe that there is nothing that is ‘too big’ or ‘too small’ for us to work through. If, however, I feel that there is something that I feel unable to help you work through then I will always be honest about this and would refer you to a colleague who is more specialised in your specific concerns.

Initially, I offer you a free 10-minute phone call to provide you with an opportunity to ask me any questions, including how I work, my current availability and also to gain a sense on how it feels talking to me.

If you are then happy to proceed, I would then offer an introductory session (charged at £25) This will be a chance for us to get to know each other and see how we work together. It will also provide me with the opportunity to understand the history of the problems you are experiencing and for you to let me know how you are feeling and what you hope for from attending therapy.

I offer weekly therapy which can extend to every other-week either face to face or via (Zoom) video call for 50 minutes.