Carrie Boyle

I currently have availability to support clients  both online and face to face. 

My working days are Mon thru Thu.  Please note I do not practice Fri, Sat, Sun. 

Hi, I'm Carrie and I specialise in helping adults heal from trauma, regaining their sense of empowerment so they no longer feel held hostage by what happened and can look forward to a future not dictated to by past events.

• Have you been abused, bullied, involved in a major accident?

• Are you the victim or have you witnessed something distressing?

• Is your trauma recent, historic, reported, unreported?

Whatever your situation, you’ve come to the right place.

I have many clients  like you, living with the aftermath of trauma. They too were left struggling with 'normal' life - meeting friends & family, going to work, engaging in social activities and romantic relationships and just leaving the house. Plagued by feelings of fear, shame, guilt and worthlessness, thoughts of suicide were frequent.

Flashbacks, nightmares and constantly looking over their shoulder, everything and everyone felt unsafe. Just surviving the day was exhausting and no matter what they tried they still felt powerless and held hostage by what had happened to them.

They tried various coping mechanisms and self-soothing strategies, none of which helped. Nothing changed until they tried trauma informed counselling.

They came to understand trauma isn’t about what happened to them, but what happened inside of them as a result of what they’d experienced.  They learned they weren't weak or bad, they were normal.  Understanding how trauma impacts, they learned to manage their symptoms rather than react from a place of fear. They went from a world in which they felt fear, isolation, desperation and powerless to one where they feel hope, connection and can picture a future not dictated to what happened.

If you can relate, drop me a line. Trauma need hold you hostage any more. I am proud to say I’ve helped many clients heal and move towards a robust recovery. I’m here to help you too so contact me now and take the first step of your recovery today.

Why Choose Me?

• With my specific training and experience you can rest assured you are working with a Counsellor who has an in depth understanding of the specific issues and complexities that trauma brings.
• I am accustomed to hearing and working with extremely distressing situations. You can feel confident I can 'hold’ whatever you say without having to worry that it’s too awful or that you have to be protective of me leaving you free to talk about whatever you need to.
• Working online as well as ‘in person’ makes it easy for you to attend sessions without worrying about time or the added expense of travelling. This means you can continue with your daily life with the minimum of disruption to family life and working life.
• Having trained specifically to work online, you can be confident you are engaging with someone who understands the additional considerations that need to be considered when working virtually (considerations often not realised by those who have simply ‘switched to Zoom’) giving you the assurance your Counsellor is aware of potential pitfalls and is always working to safe and ethical online standards.
• Working with me means you won’t have to wait months for an NHS or a charitable counsellor to become available so you can start to feel better quicker.
• Being an independent practitioner gives you the assurance that any time you make contact it is with myself only thereby allaying any anxiety about speaking with strangers.

Following your initial contact, I will arrange a brief phone call, free of charge, for us to 'touch base' and me to gain a brief overview of your presenting issue.

We'll then arrange an initial consultation which will be as per sessions i.e. a full 50 minutes.

During the consultation we will discuss your current challenges, what you hope to gain from counselling and how I as your Counsellor can help facilitate that. You may also have questions/worries which we can talk through so I can alleviate your concerns.  

I currently have availability for both online and face to face support. 

Struggling with shyness or social anxiety? Great, you’ve come to the right place!

Hello, I’m Carrie and I help adults struggling with shyness and social anxiety overcome their fears and step out from the shadows so they can live a bigger life without pretending to be someone they are not.

I think my clients are a lot like you. They too wanted to do ‘normal’ things: enjoy fun times with friends, forge a successful career, find love, go travelling, expand their horizons etc. However, shyness or social anxiety put pay to this, severely limiting and often, completely stopping them following their hopes and dreams. They felt trapped, as though inside an invisible cage they just couldn’t seem to escape – anxiety, loneliness and low self-confidence their constant companions.

Worrying how others perceived them, feeling ‘lesser than’, constantly analysing what they said and didn't say.  The intense embarrassment, awkwardness and self-consciousness when in the spotlight was excruciating not to mention living with the racing heart, jelly legs, sweating and blushing, which just brought more unwanted attention their way.

They felt held hostage by their shyness or social anxiety, longing to say yes to things but instead  saying no to things they really wanted to do. They felt stuck.

The good news is shyness and social anxiety needn't hold you back any more. I too struggled with it for years but things look and feel very differently now; they can for you too.

I can help you:

• Understand the origins of your shyness or social anxiety,

• Identify and challenge negative self-beliefs

• Stop unhelpful coping mechanisms

• Raise your self esteem

• Build your resilience and self confidence

So you can:

• Visualise success, set goals and achieve them

• Find your voice and share your views

• Get the recognition you deserve

• Feel confident conversing with people

• Say “YES!” to things that once seemed terrifying.

Whatever your hopes and dreams might be, email me today so you too can live a bigger life.  

My approach is empathic,  sensitive and supportive with a little light ‘butt kicking’ by way of encouragement where appropriate, so you can feel reassured of continual progression without being thrown into situations which feel completely overwhelming.

What are the Benefits of Working with Me. 

• I’ve walked the walk, which affords me deep empathy and understanding of the challenges living with shyness or social anxiety brings. This mean you can be secure in the knowledge you are working with someone who 'gets it' and understands how hard it is for you.

• My personal experiences give me great insight . I know what does and doesn’t work giving you confidence you too can get long lasting results.

• I understand shyness and social anxiety make it harder meeting new people so you can be assured of a warm and empathic approach leaving you feeling understood and more at ease.

• I offer a variety of platforms from which to work so if meeting in person currently feels a step too far, we can work online so you don’t feel overwhelmed and can grow in confidence from the safety and familiarity of your own surroundings.

• My lived experience coupled with my professional training brings you the best of both worlds - a shared understanding and deep empathy coupled with psycho education and proven strategies so you too can overcome shyness and social anxiety.

Following your initial contact, I will arrange a brief phone call, free of charge, for us to 'touch base' and me to gain a brief overview of your presenting issue.  

We'll then arrange an initial consultation which will be as per sessions i.e. a full 50 minutes.

During the consultation we will discuss your current challenges, what you hope to gain from counselling and how I as your Counsellor can help facilitate that.  You may also have questions/worries which we can talk through so I can alleviate your concerns.  

I am currently taking on new supervisees

Supervision Qualifications/Experience

I am a qualified supervisor and have been providing clinical supervision since 2021.  My supervision Diploma has equipped me to work with both individuals and groups, working across varying modalities and incorporating creative work.  

My supervision practice is primarily informed by the 7-eyed model by Hawkins & Shohet.  As suggested by the name, this model considers seven distinct aspects of the therapeutic process, focussing on the relationships between client, therapist and supervisor and on the interplay between each.  By looking through each ‘eye’ we can see a different side of the whole of your supervision session.   

I also hold in mind Stoltenberg and Delworth’s Developmental Model  which assists the assessment of where the supervisee sits developmentally and then to provide support and feedback appropriate to that stage whilst aiding progression to the next stage.  By combining these two models  I am support your needs and development from a variety of angles.

Supervision for Counsellors

Supervision is important and a serious business but my personal style although very professional is relaxed, collaborative and supportive. This means you can celebrate your successes but also feel comfortable to share any concerns without fear of judgement or persecution.

We will openly explore your work in a way that helps support your personal and professional development  as well as ensuring professional and ethical integrity.   I am here to support you to be of most benefit to your clients , best you can, following your preferred theoretical orientation. 

Having established, run and relocated my own private practice, I can also provide insight and guidance on initial  for those wishing to do the same. 

As a registered member of the BACP,  I adhere to the BACP Ethical Framework and the guidance in the BACP Supervision Competence Framework but am happy to work with those registered with alternative membership bodies.      

Supervision for Other Professionals

Supervision is such a beneficial process and I'm delighted to supervise others outside the counselling profession.  I am currently working with staff from the charity sector and the education sector including teachers, teaching assistants, SENCOs and FLOs.