Catherine Bruce

I am currently working online via Zoom & WhatsApp. I offer appointments Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.   

My name is Catherine Bruce and I see my primary role in Counselling as that of a listener, someone who will understand your life journey so far. Before making an initial appointment I would welcome the chance to have a brief discussion over the phone, then I will encourage you to think about things that you may want to change in your life and how counselling may help you.

I will provide an environment where, together, we can solve problems or talk about painful issues that continue to affect your life today. We may reflect on your thoughts, feelings and behaviours in different situations.  I will try to help you to understand yourself and begin to work with you to explore different ways of coping in difficult times.

I have over 15 years of working with a wide range of people. I have worked privately, in NHS settings and for a local voluntary counselling agency. I have helped people who have lost relationships either by bereavement or break ups. I can help to increase your self-confidence and regain an interest in life. My style of counselling has also helped people who are struggling to cope with their reaction to anxiety or anger.

Fellow counsellors and previous clients have said that I have a gentle approach, that allows space for you to be heard and your feelings explored. I can amend my approach to meet the needs of individual clients and become quite solution focused. I will not judge you but there may be some things that I need to break confidentiality for, to keep you or others around you safe. 

I am also a qualified Supervisor for fellow Counsellors who are in training or qualified.

In the first instance I will ask that we have a brief telephone conversation so I can get an idea of what you are looking for in therapy and whether I feel I can help you with that.

In the first session I will undertake a thorough assessment of your life history so far, which helps me to get a real feel of what has established you as a person.  I will ask you what you would like to change or reflect on, what you would like to be different in your life when our sessions have finished.  We will write some of these ideas down as aims of any future counselling sessions.  These aims will be reviewed as sessions go on to see if the counselling is working and enabling you, as the expert, to achieve the changes you want to see and feel.          

I offer appointments Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

I am an experienced Counsellor who also enjoys my role as a Supervisor helping fellow Counsellors to reflect on their work managing their own clients and keeping themselves fit to practice.  I always have the client in mind and make them the heart of the relationship. 

I qualified as a Supervisor in 2013 having completed a Level 6 Certificate in Therapeutic Counselling Supervision through CPCAB (Counselling & Psychotherapy.  At the time of training I was a volunteer Supervisor for a local Counselling Agency.  Since then I have worked as a Supervisor in Private Practice, supervising both qualified and student Counsellors.  My core Counselling training is Psychodynamic but I also use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) tools in sessions with clients.  I have experience of offering supervision both 1-1 and in a group setting.

Between 2009 and 2014, I worked for my local IAPT (Improving Access for Psychological Therapies) team as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP) and offered IAPT supervision in my last few years of my time with the team.

As a Counsellor I have worked voluntarily with adult clients in a local Counselling agency and a local Hospital.  I have also worked with younger people in a local school and a bereavement service.  I have been in Private Practice since 2014.    

I am only offering supervision online at present, via Zoom, WhatsApp or telephone.  I offer a reduction in price for Student Counsellors seeking supervision for their placement.      

If you are interested in finding out more about how I can support you in your client work, please contact me to arrange a brief chat over the telephone.