“Clare’s service was the best thing I never knew I needed. I was brought up to roll with the punches and to never talk about the issues surrounding my mental wellbeing. Clare changed that; she showed me how to fight back through techniques of reflection and implementation. I no longer feel powerless or voiceless”.
– ‘Tray’
Holistic approach
I understand how tough it can be to consider opening up to a counsellor, and how important it is for you to be met with warmth, acceptance and empathy.
My holistic approach means I will not see you as a set of symptoms, or problem to be solved – but look with you at difficulties you’re facing in the context of your whole life.
Working in a person-centred and existential way – with a focus on looking at your concerns, and at what matters to you, I also integrate a psychodynamic understanding of attachment and approach to working with the unconscious, to tailor sessions to your individual needs.
A relationship of trust and respect
I work to build a relationship of trust and respect, so that sessions offer a place where you can feel a sense of belonging. With experience of working with people from a range of ethnic backgrounds, faiths, ages and sexualities, I respect and value difference within us and between us.
Believing that we can all learn from each other, means I am committed to providing a welcoming and safe space for you to explore what you want to.
Find out more about how we will work together >
Transformative power of expressing yourself
I have witnessed and experienced the transformative power of finding your voice, and expressing yourself in a way that feels true to you.
That makes me committed to supporting people I work with in discovering the intuitive, unconscious wisdom to be found in the rich, inner life of our dreams, images, gestures, energetic experience and bodily knowing.
It can be helpful to gain support in recognising your own unique expressive and creative resources – which include humour. I can offer personalised outlets to support this in sessions, and for home practice – such as prompts for:
- journaling
- creative writing
- drawing/making marks on paper
Tools for wellbeing can also be tried out in sessions to help you access your intuition, and to help you calm and ground yourself. Strategies and techniques such as:
- breath-work
- image-work
- visualisation
Qualifications and experience
Concerns that I’ve worked with include:
- anxiety; social anxiety
- depression
- relationship and family problems
- attachment experiences
- noticing unhelpful patterns
- being overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings
- trauma in childhood or adult life
- bereavement and loss
- times of change
- sense of identity and belonging
- faith or spirituality
- stress and burnout
- finding meaning and purpose
- body image and low self esteem
- developing tools for wellbeing
- exploring barriers to self- expression and creativity.
My experience of working both short-term to longer-term means that your counselling can be paced over the time-frame that suits your needs.
On qualifying with an ‘Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling’, I worked with low-cost service Affordable Talk, and supported students with their mental health and wellbeing concerns as a Specialist Mentor, before going into private practice. Regular supervision and continuing professional development help ensure I can better support you.
My counselling work also draws on experience of working with a wide range of people in roles with humanitarian, environmental, peace and health organisations, such as Chernobyl Children’s Project, Sustrans, CND, Penny Brohn Cancer Care and hospitals’ charity Above & Beyond.
Clare’s Background
With one side of my family being Scottish and English, and the other Jewish, (American and Lithuanian), my background has given me some experience of cultural difference, and the strengths and challenges this can bring. My childhood gave me a love of walking in nature, yoga, poetry, art and music. I live with my husband in Bristol – a city I’ve worked and studied in over many years.
Hoelan – Anglo-Saxon word for healing, meaning: to make whole.
Learning to grieve for, and honour the impact of early loss, has showed me the benefits of a whole person approach to wellbeing.
Supporting people in sharing their stories has always been the aspect of my work that has most inspired me. This has also found expression through studying for a Diploma in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes, and running Writing for Wellbeing groups in community settings.
Counselling has enabled me to bring these skills and experiences to bear in supporting people I work with.
Together, we can explore your way of being in the world, and find more compassionate ways of making sense of your unique life story.
Contact me for an initial chat and to book a session
If you’d like a brief initial chat to see if I am the right counsellor for you, or to book a first session, please contact me on
clare@counsellingwithclare.com
07800 634 309
or you can fill in the contact form here >