Alison Sawyer

I work flexible hours Mon -Thur with occasional Saturdays for assessment purposes.

Apart from being a counsellor and systemic practitioner I can also offer training in understanding mental health, keeping mentally healthy and on the signs of mental health decline.  I have run groups for adults on assertiveness, anger, self awareness, low mood and anxiety.  I also have run groups for parents to help them help their children who maybe experiencing similar issues.  I offer family and couples work as well as sessions 1:1 for adults.  I only work with people who want to make change.  I do not work with people whose family or friends, however well meaning, have sent them; this is due to ethical considerations and because work under those circumstances is rarely successful.  I believe we all deserve to maximise our potential and largely live contented healthy lives.  If  you would like to meet to see if you would like to work with me and also allow me to assess if I am best placed to help you, please email me and leave your details.

Qualifications include Bsc Psychology, Diploma Integrative Humanistic Counselling, Post Grad Diploma in Applied Systemic theory.  I also am committed to continuous personal development via regular workshops, keeping up to date with current literature and keeping healthy as a person/practitioner.      

I work largely from my separate private comfortable cabin, situated between Rainham and Gillingham. The cabin is large enough to allow us to sit safely, in excess of 2m apart during Covid (and should you want to anyway) and is used solely by myself and my clients.  The room is well ventilated and PPE is available.  There is parking on site.

Following an initial assessment I tend to recommend a block of six weekly sessions followed by a review.  By this time, I find people largely know if they find the counselling process I offer and the counsellor (me) a good fit for them or not.  Six sessions is also usually enough time for me to ascertain if a referral on to somebody with a different skill set would be more beneficial to you. -eg if you feel you need to be assessed for a diagnosis, a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist would be your best course of action. 

I am an integrative counsellor which means I have lots of different ways of working and will tailor your sessions to suit your needs.  My training is broad and varied with a Psychology degree as a foundation, a humanistic integrative counselling diploma as a tool kit to help you and a systemic diploma in order to keep an eye on the relational aspects of your life . ( None of us live in a vacuum!) Attachment theory and early development also plays a part in the way I work as does neuro science which I have found has freed many people up from excessive feelings of 'anger, anxiety, blame and shame' in relation to past and present events. 

I love what I do and enjoy helping people become more self aware and more able to take the steps in making their lives more fulfilling .  

The 1st session is an initial assessment and lasts approximately an hour and a half. This session allows me to ascertain if I believe I am best placed to help you in the first instance and gives you the opportunity to find out if you feel comfortable with me.  It is important that your current circumstances are settled and safe enough for you to be able to use the counselling process.  

The 1st session is in part about information gathering.  I have a pre-assessment questionnaire I can send out prior to your 1st visit in order to cut down on some of the questions in the assessment but appreciate, some people do not want to give out personal details until they are sure they are going to work with me.  All information taken is confidential and stored securely in accordance with current regulations.

Assessment sessions are charged at a rate of £50 per hour.