Sarah May

Currently I can only offer appointments on Thursdays and Fridays. I also have evening availability on Tuesdays. Please contact me to discuss. 

Hi, I'm Sarah. I'm a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor who specialises in working with children, young people, and parents. I'm dedicated to providing a calm, non-judgemental, and nurturing space for my clients to explore and overcome the difficulties that have brought them to therapy. With over 15 years of experience working directly with children, young people, and parents, initially as a teacher, then as a counsellor and mental health lead, I recognise the challenges that they face, and I am passionate about supporting them to thrive. 

I know that each client brings to therapy a story that is unique to them. For this reason, I use an Integrative approach. This means I draw upon a range of different theories and approaches to tailor a bespoke therapy service to meet each client's specific needs. I strongly value the therapeutic relationship and it is at the heart of my work. In addition to providing talking therapy and psychoeducation, I am highly trained and experienced in using a range of creative interventions, such as; sand tray, clay, drawing, storytelling, and guided imagery. Creative interventions can help clients express themselves, explore distressing feelings and gain self-awareness. With young children, my sessions will involve the use of play. I help to make sense of what they show me through their play and through their relationship with me.

I am experienced in counselling children and young people in primary, secondary and sixth form settings. I work with a wide range of presenting difficulties such as anxiety, low mood, bereavement, friendship difficulties, reluctance to attend school, family breakdown, academic stress, self-harming behaviours, and trauma. Working with neurodiversity is an interest of mine and I have worked as a counsellor in a local charity supporting autistic children and adults. 

Parents and carers play a vital role in helping children to express and explore their feelings, develop resilience, and nurture positive relationships. I therefore believe it is vital that parents and carers receive support when they need it. I offer a calm, non-judgemental space for parents and carers to explore current challenges related to parenting and family life. I also work individually with parents and carers who are experiencing other difficulties such as anxiety, bereavement, and trauma. If appropriate, within the safety of the therapeutic relationship, we will explore your own childhood, early life experiences and relationships. Making sense of this can often help us make sense of your current situation and empower you to disentangle the past from the present, strengthen relationships, and overcome difficulties.

I offer long and short-term sessions. I run my private practice from a lovely therapy room within Chapter House in North Shields.

For children and young people, the first session will be a parental consultation where we will discuss the reasons for referral in depth and I will ask about your child’s development and life history. The next session will be with your child, although parents are asked to stay for part of it. In this session we will discuss how we might work together and agree some goals for the sessions. This meeting also gives us a chance to see if we are the right fit for each other, as this is an important feature of successful therapy. Subsequent sessions are offered to your child individually. Where appropriate, and with your child's consent, parent reviews can be offered intermittently.

For parent work only, the first session involves an initial assessment, and we will discuss the business and therapeutic contract.