Rebekah Shaw

I currently have online only sessions available on Monday mornings. Appointments may be available at other times so do get in touch if you need a different time.

Please allow 24-48 hours for me to respond to your enquiry.

I am an integrative therapist with 20 years experience, I firmly believe that one size does not fit all. Each of us is an individual engaged in the task of becoming ourselves, we can face many obstacles in this process, starting with early experiences that  influence how we relate to self and others. I understand that the contexts in which we live, socially and culturally are hugely impactful for our lives. I work in an interactive, flexible and relational way, checking in regularly to understand what you find helpful. I aim to be supportive as well as gently challenging when this might be helpful for your growth. 

I am committed to working in an open and supportive way to facilitate your growth and development as well as help you work through issues which may be holding you back or creating distress in your life. I work from a trauma informed perspective.

You can expect a warm and authentic experience, I understand that therapy can be a significant undertaking and sometimes feels like a scary step into the unknown! You will not be pushed to talk about anything you're not comfortable with but likewise if we're avoiding something which may be significant I will share my observations with you so we can think about it together.

I am interested in how early life experiences effect and influence our development, behaviour and unconscious tendencies and will usually ask about this so we can explore it in our work together.  I am also clear that the here and now 'stuff of life' is important and we can also look at this in counselling.

I bring particular experience in working with people in higher education, both staff and particularly mature students, people going through mid life transitions, women going through peri/menopause and people living with chronic health conditions.

In essence you set the agenda and I bring my experience and knowledge to assist you.

The first session is a chance for you to find out if the way I work feels like a good fit for you. You may have questions that are important to ask before you decide to start therapy.  I will ask about what's bringing you to therapy and whats lead up to this point.  This is also a chance to think about the sort of issues you're wanting to work on so I can understand if my skills are a good match. We may decide to meet again at this point or we may feel that a different  counsellor, sort of counselling or other support is a better option.

We will have a clear sense by the end of the first session about what our next steps will be.  We will discuss whether you're looking for short (up to 12 sessions) or longer term / open ended therapy.  We will discuss fees and payment options. 

You can expect a straightforward process to arrange an initial session.  It's always best to contact me by email in the first instance (as my schedule means I can't always take calls)  and we can then set up a phone or TEAMS call if helpful. First sessions are charged at the same rate as ongoing work. You can ask for a shorter 25 min initial chat which will be half the price of a full session.

If you're a trainee/have experienced long term therapy before/ have health conditions or disabilities that make a 50 min session difficult we can arrange a half hour initial session at a reduced rate.  Please let me know in your first email if you'd like to discuss this.

If you're a student/ on a low income/ receiving benefit I do offer some lower cost appointments. If you're interested in this option please mention it in your initial email. 

I look forward to hearing from you.