Clare Powell

I operate a flexible appointment system and currently, most clients are seen during the daytime on Monday, Thursday and Friday although evening and weekend appointments can be arranged too. A typical session lasts 50 minutes.

I am not currently available 9-5 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

I am a highly experienced integrative counsellor and psychotherapist. I am accredited through BACP as a counsellor, through BABCP as a cognitive-behavioural therapist and through IPT-UK to provide interpersonal psychotherapy. I have run my own therapy practice since 1998, in conjunction with any other roles I have held since that time. I have accrued, though my time with Mid Essex IAPT, as well as within previous roles, extensive experience of working as a psychological therapist across a variety of settings.

I often receive positive feedback from clients regarding my non-judgmental stance and I pride myself on working in an informed yet informal way that maximises client comfort when dealing with difficult issues. My specialism is adult mental health and emotional wellbeing, particularly depression, anxiety disorders and drug and alcohol addictions.

I have received IAPT accredited Supervisor Training and have provided clinical supervision to other CBT therapists and counsellors and consultative support to other professionals working in a caring capacity.

I formerly worked as a Senior Tutor for six years, during which time I was also entrusted with the responsibility of revising the Diploma in Integrative Counselling course I delivered in order it complied with BACP Gold Book accreditation standards - said course was, subsequently, the first in the country to achieve this status.

The vast majority of my client contact takes place at my  practice although telephone work and video-sessions have become increasingly popular since the pandemic.

I offer all prospective clients a no-obligation initial appointment which provides both of us with the opportunity of deciding whether we wish to work together. Dependent upon your reasons for attending and what you hope to achieve in our work together, we then agree an appropriate number of sessions together. If we are not to work together, I will try to assist by providing, wherever possible, alternative therapists and/or agencies for you to contact.

At the end of our initially contracted appointments together, we jointly review progress and what, if any, further action may be needed. Where additional sessions together are agreed, these, too, will be subject to a regular review process.

If it becomes apparent at any point that your needs may be better met elsewhere then I might need to refer you to another health professional. In either this event, or as our work together reaches a conclusion, we will plan an ending session— these are routinely offered because they bring closure to the work already done and are often found to be beneficial to client and therapist alike.