Teryll Galley

I currently see clients on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday between 9am and 6pm.

I offer concessionary rates to counselling trainees and full time students

I currently have availability for new clients.

I am an experienced counsellor offering support to adults impacted by cancer, with a special interest in women and breast cancer. Whether you are in shock from a recent diagnosis; worried about surgery or treatment, wondering how on earth you will get through it; or struggling to imagine your life beyond cancer, I can help you to calm the overwhelm and make sense of the chaos so that you find ways to cope in your daily life.

Maybe you are trying to support a partner, family member or friend and struggling to know what to say or do. Working through your own feelings can enable you to be more present and available to your loved one when they need you.

I don’t claim to know everything there is to know about cancer, but I do know it is a terrifying word that instils fear, dread and anxiety. A life once ‘normal’ is turned upside down in an instant, the future is uncertain, and you feel isolated, vulnerable and afraid.

Counselling can help by:

• sharing your thoughts and feelings and having them heard and  acknowledged - so that you feel supported;

• setting small goals with regular sessions brings order to the chaos of your situation – so that you feel more in control;

• having a safe place to take your fears and worries helps to relieve stress and anxiety - so that you feel more able to 'be' with the people you love.

Through my own experience of a cancer diagnosis ten years ago, I understand what it is like to fear the days, weeks, months and even years ahead. Counselling helped me through a very challenging time, keeping me balanced and more settled in myself. Having somewhere to offload the worries and feelings I couldn’t share with the loved ones I wanted to protect, enabled me to feel more engaged with family and daily life.

I would like to support you through your own experience, because I know what a difference counselling can make.

I have been in private practice for 7 years.

My final dissertation before qualifying focused on the intense feelings of shock, terror and helplessness I had grappled with during the early stages of my diagnosis. It became a therapeutic and cathartic piece of work that enabled me to push forward as a human being, and fulfil my desire to become a counsellor.

I had personal counselling throughout the whole of my training, illness and eventual qualification. It became a special and treasured relationship that lasted several years, and for me was at the core of my ability to navigate some very muddy waters at a difficult time in my life.

What is it like to work with me? - I think of our counselling work as a collaboration between the two of us. You bring whatever you are struggling with and we work together to understand it and find some perspective and clarity.

Advice? - I don’t give you advice or tell you what to do because believe it or not you are the expert on your own feelings and experiences, and any changes you need to make to move forward in your life. I just help you to work through all of the stuff that gets in the way of that so that you start to find your own answers.

That’s why our relationship is so important. It takes time to build trust in another person to allow yourself to feel safe enough to look at some really difficult and painful things. I aim to offer you the kind of relationship that hopefully enables you to do that.

How I offer counselling - I am experienced in working face-to-face, online and by telephone. You can have sessions purely in one way, or a combination – whatever works best for you. I run my practice from a private space in my home in a quiet village location near Marlborough in Wiltshire.  

Short-term or Long-term - We may work together for just a few weeks (6-12 weeks), or longer term.  We will review regularly to see how the counselling is going and will work together towards a final session when you feel ready.  

The First Session - Our first session is an opportunity for us to talk about what is troubling you, to discuss in more detail your needs and hopes, and how we might take things from there. This session will also give us a sense of what it would be like to work together. 

 There is no commitment to continue beyond the first session - it is important that we feel comfortable with one another and clear about the support I can offer you for the issues that you want to work through.

I understand how scary it can be to reach out for help. It is important that you choose someone you can connect with and who feels right for you.  You are welcome to email me if you would like to take that first step.