Michelle Lindsay

Sometimes we can find ourselves in situations that seem too difficult to overcome, or we can feel stuck and at a loss to know how to proceed. Life can sometimes feel too challenging, overwhelming or frightening. Sometimes it may not be possible, or might feel too difficult to talk to family or friends about your concerns.

I am a fully qualified humanistic counsellor, which means that I will focus on your needs and work with you as an individual human being. You will be listened to, heard and supported during our time together. I will offer you a safe confidential space to explore what is troubling you.

I believe that you are the best expert on yourself and as such are the best placed to find the resolutions to your concerns. However, life can sometimes be difficult to navigate and we can sometimes need some help in identifying these. I will work collaboratively with you and be alongside you to help you start gaining fuller understanding and identifying what is the best way forward for you.

My clients have told me that they feel safe, heard and understood, accepted as they are and not judged. That with my help they have felt able to talk about and face issues that previously felt too difficult or painful to face, and that they have regularly gained new understanding and insights that have helped them.

If following our initial conversation you decide you would like to start counselling together, the first counselling session will give us a chance to see how this feels. We will start by exploring what is happening in your life, why you have sought counselling at this time, and what you would like to get from it. This will inform the direction of our sessions together.

Once we have agreed to work together we can also discuss the number of sessions and review patterns to see what will suit you best at this time. I aim to work with what you bring at a pace which works for you.

I offer a flexible approach to the length of counselling and the number of sessions and will always discuss this with you, as I believe that what will work best for each client is as individual as each person and their situation. I can offer short-term or long-term counselling depending on what works for you. I also find it can work well for some clients to contract for an initial number of sessions (e.g. 6 or 10) and then review this. Sessions are the standard 50 minutes in length, and would usually be at the same time each week.

My counselling training and approach is Humanistic Integrative, which means that I work from a humanistic, individual client centred basis, and may also draw on and incorporate aspects from other approaches where appropriate.

As a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP), I adhere to their Ethical Framework which holds client safety and wellbeing as central.

I am experienced in working with clients both in person and online via video call, and am experienced in counselling adults from different backgrounds on a wide range of life situations, concerns and mental health issues.