Lois Rumsey

I offer sessions during the day and evening Mon-Thu. I work online using the Zoom platform.

I have been working as a counsellor since qualifying in 2012, mainly in NHS commissioned services, but also in private practice and the charitable sector. I work integratively, which means I use a core approach of client centred therapy, along with tools and techniques from other approaches if my client and I think they might be helpful. I offer a congruent therapeutic relationship based on respect and accurate understanding, considering it a privilege to be invited to work confidentially with a client’s unique situation and experience.

I have experience in working with a wide range of concerns, but my area of special interest is working with interpersonal issues which are causing stress and distress, including difficulties in couple relationships, family relationships, and blended / step family relationships.

I am an accredited member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and abide by the BACP Ethical Code of Practice. I am fully insured and hold up to date Enhanced DBS clearance.

I am also a qualified counselling supervisor and offer monthly supervision to practising counsellors to comply with BACP requirements.

My qualifications include:

Higher Professional Diploma in Counselling

Certificate of Practice in Couples and Relationship Counselling

Certificate in Clinical Supervision

Certificate in Interpersonal Therapy

Certificate in Couples Therapy for Depression

BSc Hons Degree in Applied Psychology

For me, counselling is not about giving advice or attempting to fix situations; it’s more a process of walking alongside a client, providing a safe and confidential therapeutic relationship in which it feels comfortable to explore your concerns. I offer time and space to think through your options, come to terms with your past and consider different ways of coping. Therapy can be an opportunity to pause and take stock of the psychological bags and boxes we carry. It is a pit stop where we can unpack the bags together and consider whether they could be repacked in a way that makes them easier to carry; or maybe some items aren’t needed any more and can be left behind.

For couples, we typically work together around learning new ways to communicate, resolve conflict and (sometimes) accept difference. The presenting issues and difficulties I tend to work with include division of labour, parenting, extended and in-law family issues, step / blended family issues, sex and intimacy, external stresses and recovering from infidelity. 

I offer online appointments using Zoom.

My fee is £50 per hour for individual clients and £60 per hour for couples.

Clients usually contact me by phone or email in the first instance and we arrange a time and date for the first session. I will then email you with a link for the Zoom meeting, along with a short registration form and a counselling contract / information sheet. The first session is an opportunity for us to begin to get to know one another and for you to outline your main concerns. We will usually agree a focus and some goals for therapy at this stage. 

For couples, I usually start  with a joint assessment where we discuss the main presenting issues and identify what you would each like to gain from therapy. I will then see each partner individually for one session to work towards understanding their perspective and story. Often, difficulties are caused by individual ways of coping which make perfect sense given each partner’s unique background, but which might mesh together in a partnership in a way which is unhelpful. These three sessions provide an opportunity to explore some ideas about your underlying relationship dynamic, unconscious processes, mutual traps and patterns of polarisation that you may be experiencing.

I offer sessions online using Zoom, Mon-Thu daytime and evening.

I have been working as a counsellor since qualifying in 2012, mainly in NHS commissioned services, but also in private practice and the charitable sector. I work integratively, which means I use a core approach of client centred therapy, along with tools and techniques from other approaches if my client and I think they might be helpful. I offer a congruent therapeutic relationship based on respect and accurate understanding, considering it a privilege to be invited to work confidentially with a client’s unique situation and experience.

I have experience in working with a wide range of concerns, but my area of special interest is working with interpersonal issues which are causing stress and distress, including difficulties in couple relationships, family relationships, and blended / step family relationships.

I am an accredited member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and abide by the BACP Ethical Code of Practice. I am fully insured and hold up to date Enhanced DBS clearance.

I am also a qualified counselling supervisor and offer monthly supervision to practising counsellors to comply with BACP requirements.

My qualifications include:

Higher Professional Diploma in Counselling

Certificate of Practice in Couples and Relationship Counselling

Certificate in Clinical Supervision

Certificate in Interpersonal Therapy

Certificate in Couples Therapy for Depression

BSc Hons Degree in Applied Psychology

As your counselling supervisor I will support you in your client work, offer guidance and professional development and provide you with the checks and balances necessary for you to be able to offer your clients the best possible practice. My counselling supervision mirrors my clinical practice in that I work integratively from a core approach of person centred therapy. We might typically discuss:

• Client presentation

• Approaches or interventions

• Ethical issues

• Transference and projection

• Counter transference, parallel processing or merging

I usually meet supervisees for 1.5 hours per month. Additional support is available on an ad hoc basis by agreement.

My fee for working with supervisees is £75 per 1.5 hours.

The first supervision session is an opportunity for us to meet and begin to get to know one another. We'll also share a contract including confidentiality and data protection, and agree how often we will meet.