Kirsten Owen

Counselling for bereavement and loss

Experiencing a bereavement can feel a bit like your whole world has been turned upside down. You might find that you are unable to recognise yourself, maybe you are feeling, behaving and reacting in ways that feel out of character. You might even begin to question Am I losing my mind? (you’re not, by the way). Alongside this there can be a pressure to move on from the loss, to get back to normal, when life feels anything but normal. As time passes you might wonder Shouldn’t I be feeling better by now?

Grief counselling isn’t about moving on from your loss, instead it is a space to support you in living with your loss. Counselling can help you to understand your feelings and connect with your needs. It can also be a place to talk about the person you have lost and the experience of losing them, and to explore the possibilities of finding meaning in life again.

Having worked with people around many different losses, I recognise that sometimes it can be difficult to talk about grief with the people in your life. Perhaps you worry about burdening others with your feelings or feel that those around you don’t get it or you may even feel that you aren’t allowed to grieve. But it’s ok to feel as you do, and counselling can help you to attune to your unique grief.  

                                                                                                                           As a counsellor, although I won’t be able to give you the answers, I will work flexibly and in collaboration with you to help identify what you would like to get from counselling and how we can work together to move you towards where you would like to be.

I work in a person-centred way, which means I see and respect you as the expert in your own life and I deeply value the therapeutic relationship we create together.

I am also influenced by my pluralistic qualification where I was trained in a number of different counselling theories – including CBT, psychodynamic, solution-focused – and we might decide together to draw from some of these approaches.

I qualified in 2014 with a Post Graduate Diploma Pluralistic Counselling. As an experienced counsellor, I have worked with adults from all walks, ages and stages of life. You can expect me to be honest and accepting, to treat you with respect and dignity, and as the individual that you are.  Deciding to address those things that challenge your well-being can be a daunting task, so I will work at a pace that feels safe and comfortable for you.

If you're wondering if I might be the right counsellor for you then please get in touch and we can arrange an initial free of charge 20 minute phone/Zoom appointment to explore what you would like to get from counselling and see if we would be a good fit for working together.

We can discuss the number of appointments that might be right for you, I can offer both short and long term sessions depending on your needs.

Supervision is a vital process for therapists. I can offer you a safe, supportive and reflective space to explore the many aspects of your therapeutic work. I work in a flexible way and will collaborate with you to ensure that our sessions are attuned to your supervision needs.

Having been a qualified counsellor for almost a decade, I recognise that what we seek and require from supervision changes over the life course of our career in counselling. I will endeavour to meet with you fully at the place where you are currently in your journey as a counsellor, taking both your professional and personal self into consideration, respecting where you have come from, your experience and your future developmental needs.

I bring a broad range of therapeutic experience to my supervision work, from being a trainee counsellor in placements to having worked in agencies and the voluntary sector with trauma and addictions, and also being in private practice with individuals and as an associate counsellor with EAPs. I work in person and remotely with specific qualifications for online counselling and supervision, and I am accredited with the BACP.

If you are looking for a supervisor, then please get in contact to arrange an initial chat where we can explore the potential to work together.