Counselling for life's transitions
Integrative counselling for adults
East Sussex and online
Is counselling for you?
How will you find the right counsellor for you?
Some of life's twists and turns can feel overwhelming, confusing or painful. I am Andrea and I offer integrative counselling for adults. I can help unravel some difficult issues and find a way forward. My own life experience, and working with others, has shown me how helpful and transformative someone truly listening can be. Together we can make sense of what has happened — and what is happening — in your life. From there, change and growth can become possible.
Let's be honest — there are a lot of different counsellors out there! Maybe start by asking yourself — could I relate to this person, might they be able to relate to me. You will see more about me, my experience, on these pages.
Anything I can do to help you step in, let me know. There is no question too small.
Navigating life's transitions — the red thread running through my counselling work
Change is part of being human. It is constant and often relentless. Some changes arrive unexpectedly or are forced upon us. Others are chosen, longed for, or slowly emerge.
Yet change itself is only part of the story. Transition is the inner process that accompanies change. It is the necessary and inevitable psychological and emotional work of letting go of what has been, making sense of where we are now, and gradually finding our way towards what comes next.
I offer a space to be with this process rather than rush through it. Together we can explore what is ending, what is emerging, and what feels important to carry forward.
I work with all sorts of people with all sorts of issues
You don't have to fit into any particular box to come and see me.
Examples of what you may want to bring to counselling
A somewhat artificial list... after all, whose life neatly fits into categories... but here we go:
Abuse, anxiety, bereavement, depression, eating issues, health related issues, identity issues, loss, major life changes, personal development, relationships, self esteem, spirituality, stress, trauma, women's issues, work related issues - and more.
About me as a counsellor - my approach to working with you
I am not your stereotypical type of therapist, the remote, inscrutable type. Let's get to know each other!
I am curious about you and what brings you to counselling, and will join you as we explore, together. I will answer questions if you ask for this and if it feels appropriate. At times I may challenge you, gently. You can tell me, if you wish, what works for you and what doesn't.
I have over 25 years' experience in private practice and within end of life care settings. My approach is best described as integrative, drawing on a wide range of approaches, including person-centred / integrative core training, solution-focussed ways of working, EFT and trauma- and resilience- related approaches. More recently I have specialised in system constellations and also broadened my practice into nature-based coaching.
In my experience there is no one therapeutic approach that suits all. Instead, I work with you as an individual and your individual circumstances and weave together elements of different approaches.
Whilst I offer 'pure' counselling I can and will at times bring in elements of system constellations and coaching into my 1-1 counselling sessions, where appropriate and desired. See other pages for more details.
You may wonder how all that fits together? Let's find out together. I bring my tool box, you bring yourself. Then let's explore.
An area of particular interest and experience
Working with serious, potentially life-altering or life-limiting illness / working with loss
One of my specialisms is working with people experiencing the impact of serious, potentially life-altering or life-limiting illness and of chronic or progressive conditions. You may be the person with the diagnosis or you may be their partner, family member or friend. You may be a couple. You may be facing a new diagnosis, complex treatment decisions, the uncertainty of prognosis, or the challenges of survivorship. There may be grief around what has been or will be lost, shifting roles, strain in relationships, the need to adjust, struggles with intimacy, questions around why and what next, questions around meaning and purpose. Many questions. Also, of course this will not be the only thing happening in your life — we all have stuff already going on. This may feel like an overwhelming and isolating time.
For 30 plus years I have accompanied individuals facing the above issues, as well as the general 'life' stuff, each in their own way. Again and again I have seen that, together, there can be a way through. Let's talk and see how I might support you.
And finally ... our first session
Our first session is an opportunity for us to get to know each other a little. You can tell me about what has brought you to counselling, and together we can begin to make sense of what is happening for you. It is also your chance to discover how it feels to work with me and to ask any questions you may have.
There is no expectation that you will know exactly where to begin. We will find a pace and rhythm that feels right, and our first session will help us decide whether we can work well together. If it doesn't feel like the right fit, that is completely okay.
I look forward to meeting you.
Photographs on this page are from travels in Scotland. The same hike, two different perspectives: the path ahead (above), and the view as the path reaches the upper valley (below).