Erica Ruse-Whalley

I work with children, (lower fee than above) adults or parents on all emotional and relationship difficulties. I use a number of ways of working, many of them creative , to enable you to find the best ways of working to suit you. I have special experience of working with anxiety, stress, depression, loss, ( including pet bereavement) relationship difficulties with partners and families, divorce and blended families. Also for life events and life changes such ends of relationships, and divorce post natal depression , redundancy, and retirement 

I am a Barnado's approved adoption Counsellor, offering counselling to adopted children and adults, adoptive parents and natural parents. This training also gives me particular experience in working with "looked after children " and foster parents

I offer the choice of using many additional creative techniques such as a specialist Jungian-Kalffian sandplay work for all ages, this is a soothing, absorbing and highly effective way of working in all difficulties, especially on anxiety and attachment, as it works at an unconscious level. I always use a number of techniques using metaphor such as “Clean Language”  as recent research finds these methods more effective than direct talking. I also use “guided drawing",  and further techniques such as the Emotional Freedom technique (tapping) and "picture tapping", which are powerful but "lighter" ways to work in addition to talking.

I am a Counsellor in schools and have wide experience in working with children and young people from 5 yrs onwards with anxiety, depression, bereavement and loss, bullying, self-esteem, school refusal and phobias, separation anxiety, anger and friendship issues.

I can also offer advice to parents on handling emotions and behaviour of children and young people, and in the family using my training in "Webster Stratton" Trouble-shooting for parents.