Sarah Wilkins

I work nationally and, by arrangement, internationally (depending on the time difference). I am only able to offer daytime, online appointments currently on Wednesdays. Due to the nature of our work, clients find that a regular slot works best.

Hello I’m Sarah; a very warm welcome to my profile.

I understand the feelings of rampant anxiety or frozen numbness following trauma and looking for a therapist can feel like a big step. You may be wondering how, or where to start and, in my experience, the answer lies in the connection between you and your potential therapist. Trust your gut, it will always guide you to the most helpful therapeutic relationship.

Following a 40- year journey of self-discovery and personal healing I trained to be a counsellor and to work with specific client groups. I find my work enormously rewarding I feel privileged to walk beside my clients through their healing. It would be a privilege to walk beside you too.

If you are at a point where you have reached the limits of your emotional resilience, I can offer you a non-judgemental, compassionate and empathic space in which to unpick the events, experiences or relationships that are causing you to struggle. Whether you feel overwhelmed by your emotions or completely numb to them, we will work together to help you to understand why you feel the way that you do. Making sense of your feelings can them feel more bearable.

It has taken me decades of people-orientated work and several degrees, to find my passion. As such I am committed to supporting trainees counsellors on their personal journeys. 

My route was via personal development coaching in private practice and working in male and female prisons, which ignited my interest in trauma work. This led to my studying Psychology and, later, Forensic Psychology. Ultimately, I took a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and found my passion.

Currently I work in a specialist counselling service with survivors of sexual violence including historical childhood sexual abuse. If this is your experience, I would welcome you reaching out to speak with me.

My own long journey and wide life experience enable me to empathise with issues universal to my clients, e.g. loss and shame. 

Clients say that I attune quickly which enables me to build a strong, collaborative connection with you. In turn this helps you to develop trust in our working relationship and safely focus on your issues.

I qualified as a person-centred and humanistic counsellor and am a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). I work very intuitively as a therapist and draw on a number of therapeutic models depending on your individual needs.

My specialism is in working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse, sexual violence, institutional abuse and the legacy of being sent to boarding school. Whilst boarding school survivors may or may not have experienced sexual violence they can, nonetheless, be left with many unresolved issues that impact their life and relationships.

I work in a trauma-informed way and for survivors of childhood sexual abuse I use an evidence-based two-phase approach to support you. Phase one is focused on stabilisation techniques to help you to recognise what triggers you, understand why and how, and to learn how to feel more in control of your response. This takes place over eight to twelve consecutive weeks. As you learn to self-regulate you will be able to manage emotions better, on a day-to-day basis.

Progressing to phase two is not automatic, you choose when you are ready because it involves us working on your trauma memories.  It takes place on consecutive weeks over five months. I don’t believe in rushing into it and there is no time limit to when you can return for phase 2.

If you are a boarding school survivor who has not experienced sexual violence, or a trainee counsellor, I work both short-term and longer-term (6-20 sessions).

I understand that childhood trauma can lead to coping strategies, e.g. under or over-eating, that may then become difficult to manage. To this end I work alongside a Nutritionist Chef who offers programmes on nutritional advice and menu planning which can support our emotional work. 

Our first session is a mutual assessment; do you feel we have a strong enough connection for you to embark on this work and do I have the clinical skills necessary to support you?  If we are a good match I will take you through a clinical assessment and some clinical measures to help me understand the nature and extent of your trauma, if applicable.  We will talk about what you would like to gain from your counselling and I will take you through my contracting process too so that we can start our work in the next session.

This session is chargeable. I ask for payment in advance of all sessions.   

My fee is £60 per 60-minute appointment to allow five minutes at the start and end of our session for hellos and confirming next appointment times. This preserves our 50 minute therapeutic hour. 

My concession rate for trainees is £40 per hour.