Claire Bower

My clients often work during the week so I have availability for face-to-face counselling in Didsbury on Saturdays, 9am-6pm. Alternatively I offer online sessions on weekday evenings, 6pm-9pm.

Sessions are one hour and are charged at £60. I offer reduced cost sessions for students and those on Universal Credit.

If you have any questions or want to arrange an initial 15-minute consultation, please get in touch.

Do you suffer from low moods? Do you have feelings of being stuck? Perhaps you’ve experienced a change in your life where you’re finding difficult to move on. Maybe you feel it difficult to express yourself, or you feel like you’re wearing a mask to fit in. Whether you need to re-find your resilience, grow your self-awareness or simply find support to get where you want to be, often it’s easier to speak to someone outside your friends and family, in a space that allows you to get to the heart of the issues preventing you from moving forward.

I work with clients living with low self-esteem, depression, loss and anxiety, recognising that change underpins many of life’s difficulties. Through offering curiosity, non-judgement and compassion, I will help you offer the same to yourself in order to move forward.

I am a trauma informed, integrative practitioner, which means I believe it is what happened to you that is important, as well as what meaning you have taken from your experiences and what impact this has had on your life. To do this, my approach is acceptance and understanding for the whole of a person, including for feelings that are difficult to process and are stopping you from discovering and reinforcing your own strengths and resources.

Through my research and experience, I believe the relationship that develops in the room is the most important factor in Integrative Therapy. Not every therapist will suit every client, so I will support you to find what is needed to best create the environment for change and offer honesty if I’m not the best fit.

Similarly, not every approach will work for every client, so I will tailor sessions to best suit your needs. Working together, we’ll find the most impactful way of communicating what is happening for you when the words seem to dry up, as well as finding ways to ground yourself when things seem overwhelming. This can allow for dynamic hours where we can creatively respond to your difficulties and find new ways to live in the world.

My background is in the corporate world, where I worked in professional services in the construction industry. I therefore understand the huge impact that work can have in our lives, including negative stressors, difficult working relationships, career transitions and our sense of identity, as well as how a demanding work environment can compromise personal wellbeing and healthy boundaries.

My counselling experience is in working with people to adjust to large and impactful changes in their lives. I have also worked with those with life-limiting illnesses and their carers to process difficult life events and changes in their relationships with loved ones.

I offer a free 15-minute phone or Zoom call for an initial conversation. So much of counselling is finding the person and the approach that works for you, so this conversation will give you an idea of whether you want to go ahead with sessions. I will talk a little about what you can expect from me and our time together. This is so you can take this information away with you and make a decision in your own time about whether my approach will work for you. Equally, I will be honest if I’m the right person for you or not – it’s important we both feel we can work together.

Similarly, the first session is getting to know each other, answering any questions you might have and communicating any worries you might have. Opening up to a stranger right away can be difficult, which is why the first session will explore what brings you to therapy at a pace that feels comfortable to you. We will also talk about creating a confidential and safe environment, review a simple counselling contract and fill in some background information. We will then start our journey together.

I understand first-hand how intimidating therapy can be. We will work together to find a pace and way of working that feels right to you. My approach is a balance of support and challenge, so you both feel safe to explore while also supported to push your comfort zone and make meaningful progress.