Harriet Doward - therapist in st-albans-al1

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Features

Availability

My working day starts at 9am and ends at 7.30pm.

I currently have some availability on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and also offer limited weekend availability for couples on Saturday mornings.

I work with clients both online and in person in Central St Albans.

About me and my therapy practice

My role as your therapist is to provide a safe and empathic environment where you feel confident to share difficult issues in a confidential setting without fear of any judgement. We will work together to find new perspectives by identifying and challenging old patterns and barriers in order to help forge change and move forward.

In my practice, I work with anxiety, depression, self-harm, post-natal depression, addiction, trauma, relationship issues and difficult family dynamics. These may be complex issues that require sensitivity and understanding, which is why building a strong connection between therapist and client is crucial. Making a commitment to counselling is a potentially life-changing decision which requires courage and trust.

I work with adults and adolescents over 17 years offering both individual and couples counselling.

Individual Therapy Fees - £68 online / £78 in person. Couples Therapy Fees - £110 online / £130 in person

Generally clients commit to weekly sessions.

Practice description

My approach is rooted in Gestalt Therapy, which encourages a better understanding of how we relate to ourselves and others and the subsequent impact we carry both emotionally and physically. There is inevitably some looking back in order to understand how patterns became set and affect how we behave in the present. Understanding the past can bring understanding, growth and change. I will work with you to challenge unhelpful past behaviours and learn new ways of "being" in the world.

Our first session will focus on your life to date and the issues you feel you would like to focus on. The drive to seek therapy often comes at a time when difficulties from your past begin to surface and cause problems in the present. It takes courage and a willingness on your part to want to explore together and make a commitment to the journey even when things feel hard. My role is to make you feel safe and supported to do this.

“It is astonishing how elements that seem insoluble become soluble when someone listens, how confusions that seem irremediable turn into relatively clear flowing streams when one is heard”. Carl Rogers

I have experience in working therapeutically with neurodiversity and have also developed a particular interest in the psychological impact of our school years which led me to pursue additional training on working with boarding school survivors.

Additional training includes:

Foundation in Creative Couplework - Centre for Gender Psychology

Treating Intrusive Thoughts

Working with Self-Harm

Working with Women Boarding School Survivors - a workshop for therapists

The Forgotten Teenager - a Gestalt approach

Boarding School Syndrome - The Psychological Trauma(s) of "Privileged" - Joy Schaverien with boarding school survivors,

My first session

I offer an initial free 15-20 minute consultation by telephone or video to give you the opportunity to ask me any questions and decide if you would like us to work together.

What I can help with

Abuse, Anxiety, Bereavement, Child related issues, Depression, Eating disorders, Identity issues, Infertility, Loss, Neurodiversity, OCD, Post-traumatic stress, Pregnancy related issues, Relationships, Self esteem, Self-harm, Sexual identity, Sexuality, Stress, Trauma, Women's issues

Types of therapy

Gestalt, Humanistic, Integrative

Clients I work with

Adults, Couples, Older adults

How I deliver therapy

Long term sessions, Long-term face-to-face work, Online therapy, Short term sessions, Short-term face-to-face work

Languages spoken

English, French