Angela Whitmore
Counselling and Psychotherapy
Welcome
Whatever has brought you here, I hope that you are able to find what you need. You may be going through a particularly difficult time in your life, or you might be wanting to explore something that you have been thinking about, or feeling stuck with for a while. Many people find talking therapy to be invaluable in helping to understand and accept themselves. I've put some information together which will hopefully help you to decide whether you want to talk with me, but feel free to just give me a call.
A Bit About Me and my Approach to Counselling and Psychotherapy
I'm Angela and I am a person-centred counsellor and psychotherapist in Southampton, England. I also train and supervise counsellors and psychotherapists. I have fifteen years experience of working in various helping professions; I strongly value relationships and enjoy feeling connected when I'm working with other people.
The Person-Centred Approach
As a fundamentally ethical approach, the person-centred approach can help to empower individuals to grow and understand themselves. The foundation of the approach is an innate belief in the potential of life - that given the right conditions, life develops in the most growth-full and enhancing way possible.
Working with people to facilitate this process is an incredible honour! I am fascinated by how courageous people can be - even (or arguably, especially) when they feel the complete opposite. If you are unsure about whether this approach could be right for you, feel free to give me a call and we can discuss your needs and whether we can work together.
Personally
I love the ability that working in this profession gives me to have such a varied and fulfilling job. I fell in love with the approach when I realised how well it fits with my own values of community, equality and empowerment. I have a busy family life and value being spiritually connected.
Services
1-1 therapy
This is usually 50 minutes long and after some time agreeing a contract for working together, the session is led by the client and facilitated by me. I offer the first session at a reduced rate.
Relationship Therapy
I work with couples and groups who are interested in working through issues in their relationships. These sessions are a little longer - usually around one and a half to two hours depending on the size of the group.
Supervision
I offer supervision to qualified and student counsellors, on a 1-1 or group basis. I can offer 1-1 supervision via Skype.
Therapy
People often have all lots of questions when thinking about finding a therapist. I've tried to offer some answers to some frequently asked ones - if you have any others feel free to contact me.
What can I expect from a therapy session with you?
During the first session we will discuss and agree our expectations and hopes for our time together. If you choose to go ahead with the therapy, we will work together in a person-centred way. Instead of telling clients what changes they should make, person-centred counsellors work alongside clients, offering genuine acceptance and understanding. I will work with you in your process. A natural consequence may be that you are able to make decisions and come to conclusions, or process something that you have been stuck with for a long time or may have stopped you moving on with life.
How long is therapy?
A 1-1 session is usually fifty minutes and couples or group therapy is usually around an hour and forty minutes. The therapy itself can be any length of time from a few weeks to a few years - depending on your needs.
How do I know how long I need?
If you're not sure, we can talk about this at your first session. You may want to contract initially for six weeks, or you may decide to see what feels right.
How do I know I can I trust you?
I am a member of a professional body called the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) who have an ethical framework which I adhere to. This ensures ethical practice including confidentiality, client beneficence and keeping my practice up to date with the latest developments. I have regular supervision and I am covered by professional indemnity insurance.
What are your fees?
Clients usually pay £45 per session. However I am occasionally able to offer some concessions - do get in touch if you would like to discuss this further.
Supervision
I am qualified in person-centred supervision and work to facilitate supervisees to explore their experience with clients. I work 1-1 or in group supervision. We tend to focus on ethical practice and anything that could stop you being able to connect with clients.
Although as a qualified counsellor it is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct amount of supervision, as it is recommended in the BACP ethical framework, I usually see supervisees for a minimum of one and a half hours per month and usually charge £65 for this time. I do make concessions for students.
I have worked with supervisees from various modalities and am happy to meet up to discuss whether we could work together.
What People Have Said
Describe your image here.
Describe your image here.
Describe your image here.
Describe your image here.
You're warm and genuine, it's a pleasure to be around you and work with you. (A supervisee)
Being around you enables me to be a better person. (A client)
I feel stronger and more able to cope with whatever life throws at me. (A client)
It's impossible to put into words what has happened. I've grown in a way that I couldn't imagine before. (A client)